Apple authorized retail and service provider Simply Mac is shutting down after sixteen years of business because of pandemic-related financial difficulties -- leaving employees and potentially customers with repairs out in the cold.
Credit: Simply Mac
In a letter to staff members seen by AppleInsider, and acquired from multiple sources, Simply Mac CEO Rein Voigt said that it is shutting down its operations and terminating all employees effective immediately.
Since our acquisition of Simply Mac from GameStop on September 25, 2019, we have worked hard as a team to grow our company to be North America's pre-eminent Apple Partner and provide our customers with transformational experiences that drive long-term loyalty. However, we could not have possibly foreseen that on December 12, 2019 in Wuhan, China a worldwide pandemic would start and ultimately cause us to layoff half our workforce and close many of our stores.
Citing funding issues, Voigt said that Simply Mac is unable to adequately stock its shelves with products or "stay current with our financial obligations." The company is filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and will be completely liquidated.
Simply Mac operated 53 brick-and-mortar retail outlets in the U.S. Most of Simply Mac's locations were underserved by Apple itself, and the closures will leave enormous voids for relatively local sales and support.
Voigt said that the company will be unable to pay employees - who were expecting to be paid on July 10 for the previous pay period that ended a week ago. However, he said that all staff members will receive a notice from the bankruptcy court and will be able to submit a claim.
It's not clear when the bankruptcy court will rule, nor when or how the liquidation will begin. Also not clear is the retrieval process for machines under service, or existing orders.
We have also received emails from customers that have been put off for days asking for status of repairs. While it is still early for most of Simply Mac's geographical areas, so far today, these calls have been ignored.
AppleInsider has reached out to Simply Mac, and has not as of yet received a response on how it will deal with outstanding customer issues.