I've had mixed experiences with Apple Store support people, but generally had good experiences with them over the phone. Looking back, I miss being able to drop by the reseller in Colorado to fix things. Their service was always good, no matter the problem. No appointment system, no crap about having to talk to other people, the reps just handled things properly.

Seems really odd that they can't just find the part number of the foot. Working support for both Gateway and Compaq/HP, these things were easy to look up. Every system had teardown guides, with every part labeled, and ways to order them for both warranty and out of warranty situations. Apple should have an easy time doing the same, since they have far fewer models of machines.