Apple appears to have informed some customers that its repair center in Houston, Texas is unsurprisingly closed due to Hurricane Harvey, which has caused catastrophic flooding and damage in the area since making landfall five days ago.

apple genius repair
In a discussion on Reddit, one user said his Mac has been sitting at a FedEx shipping facility since Friday. FedEx, UPS, and the United States Postal Service have temporarily halted service in many areas of coastal Texas and western Louisiana.

Another user from Austin, Texas said he visited an Apple retail store and learned that Apple has supposedly been calling customers with repairs routed through Houston to inform them about the possible delays.

Apple appears to be diverting at least some new repairs to its other repair facilities elsewhere in the United States.

Apple's retail stores in the Houston area are also unsurprisingly closed, including its Highland Village, Houston Galleria, Memorial City, Willowbrook Mall, Baybrook, The Woodlands, and First Colony Mall locations.

In related news, accessory maker Twelve South said it will be donating 12 percent of all sales from Wednesday, August 30 through Monday, September 4 to the American Red Cross, in support of Hurricane Harvey relief efforts.

Harvey made another landfall in western Louisiana on early Wednesday as a tropical storm. Heavy rains continue to be expected along the Texas-Louisiana coast as the storm makes its way farther inland and eventually dissipates.

Top Rated Comments

jmkinny Avatar
90 months ago
I brought a Mac to the Apple Store yesterday and he did let me know that it would take a few extra days. I am totally fine with that, as it wasn't my Mac, but one of my end users (I'm a Mac tech).

I hope that everyone in the Houston area is ok and they make a quick recovery from this horrible time. I remember going through something similar with family and friends from NJ with hurricane Sandy.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macTW Avatar
90 months ago
Anybody upset with this delay doesn't deserve their repair.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
5105973 Avatar
90 months ago
Anybody upset with this delay doesn't deserve their repair.
It can be very disruptive and difficult for people to be without their computers but there are people there who have lost everything. One little girl was found clinging to her dead mother. :( I know someone down there who is trapped in his house. He didn't say much about it to anyone other than he and his wife are alive and well, considering. I don't know if he has water inside his house or just around it, he didn't say. The message was very brief. He has had to conserve battery so it's not like he can hold conversations about what's going on.

It's fun to come to this forum and talk about tech rumors but I appreciate the moment to acknowledge there's suffering going on and I hope our fellow MR members in the affected areas are staying safe. Our thoughts, well wishes, prayers and practical support are with them.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
justperry Avatar
90 months ago
Meanwhile... on the other side of this globe

http://metro.co.uk/2017/08/29/as-storm-harvey-dominates-headlines-floods-are-devastating-south-asia-6887164/

It's a disaster much bigger than what happens in the states now yet we don't hear much about it.

Don't get me wrong, nobody should be in this situation, sad thing is, not all places are safe to live.


Don't think many will complain about delays, but then again, there are stupid people everywhere.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
avanpelt Avatar
90 months ago
As someone who just had a repair completed on my MBP at the Houston depot within the past month, I feel for those who are waiting for their computers; and also for the people in the Houston area, many of whom are going through hell on Earth right now.

That depot was amazingly quick on the turnaround time. Brought the computer into an Apple Store on Wednesday night after FedEx had already picked up for the day; so the computer shipped out to Houston on Thursday. It was delivered to my home on Saturday morning.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HammerofTruth Avatar
90 months ago
Well thats just great, I need my iPhone back today. What am I going to do without my Angry Birds and Carpool Karaoke D:
Phones don't go to Houston. They either go to Austin or Elk Grove, Ca. The facility that Apple uses in Houston only repairs Macs for Apple. They also repair PlayStations, Xboxes and other PC manufacturers products.
[doublepost=1504110799][/doublepost]
How could they not have thought of that a couple of days earlier? What is this Mickey Mouse country ever getting done properly?
Well first of all they weren't sure how bad the storm was going to be. Second, not all Mac repairs go to Houston, some go to Memphis and you won't know until the repair actually is created, so when you call Applecare or go into a store, they don't know where it goes specifically.

As far as the Mickey Mouse comment goes, what country are you from? Goofy?
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Vertical Camera Feature

iPhone SE 4 Production Will Reportedly Begin Ramping Up in October

Tuesday July 23, 2024 2:00 pm PDT by
Following nearly two years of rumors about a fourth-generation iPhone SE, The Information today reported that Apple suppliers are finally planning to begin ramping up mass production of the device in October of this year. If accurate, that timeframe would mean that the next iPhone SE would not be announced alongside the iPhone 16 series in September, as expected. Instead, the report...
iPhone 17 Plus Feature

iPhone 17 Lineup Specs Detail Display Upgrade and New High-End Model

Monday July 22, 2024 4:33 am PDT by
Key details about the overall specifications of the iPhone 17 lineup have been shared by the leaker known as "Ice Universe," clarifying several important aspects of next year's devices. Reports in recent months have converged in agreement that Apple will discontinue the "Plus" iPhone model in 2025 while introducing an all-new iPhone 17 "Slim" model as an even more high-end option sitting...
Generic iPhone 17 Feature With Full Width Dynamic Island

Kuo: Ultra-Thin iPhone 17 to Feature A19 Chip, Single Rear Camera, Semi-Titanium Frame, and More

Wednesday July 24, 2024 9:06 am PDT by
Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today shared alleged specifications for a new ultra-thin iPhone 17 model rumored to launch next year. Kuo expects the device to be equipped with a 6.6-inch display with a current-size Dynamic Island, a standard A19 chip rather than an A19 Pro chip, a single rear camera, and an Apple-designed 5G chip. He also expects the device to have a...
iPhone 16 Pro Sizes Feature

iPhone 16 Series Is Less Than Two Months Away: Everything We Know

Thursday July 25, 2024 5:43 am PDT by
Apple typically releases its new iPhone series around mid-September, which means we are about two months out from the launch of the iPhone 16. Like the iPhone 15 series, this year's lineup is expected to stick with four models – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – although there are plenty of design differences and new features to take into account. To bring ...
icloud private relay outage

iCloud Private Relay Experiencing Outage

Thursday July 25, 2024 3:18 pm PDT by
Apple’s iCloud Private Relay service is down for some users, according to Apple’s System Status page. Apple says that the iCloud Private Relay service may be slow or unavailable. The outage started at 2:34 p.m. Eastern Time, but it does not appear to be affecting all iCloud users. Some impacted users are unable to browse the web without turning iCloud Private Relay off, while others are...
iPhone 17 Plus Feature Purple

iPhone 17 Rumored to Feature Mechanical Aperture

Tuesday July 23, 2024 9:32 am PDT by
Apple is planning to release at least one iPhone 17 model next year with mechanical aperture, according to a report published today by The Information. The mechanical system would allow users to adjust the size of the iPhone 17's aperture, which refers to the opening of the camera lens through which light enters. All existing iPhone camera lenses have fixed apertures, but some Android...