I have previously written about the deteriorating level of support at Apple Computer and the shocking treatment of customers who fell victim to a defect in the iPhone. This week, I had the third power cord for my MacBook Pro fail. Every cord has developed exposed wires due to common bending with the machine. In seeking to remedy the situation, I ran again into the same customer service wall that I experienced earlier with the defective iPhone. In order to get a new cord (under warranty), I had to see a “genius” as opposed to the dozen “specialists” standing around. But before I see a “genius” I had to have an appointment and there were no appointments available for hours. I stopped there before I was told that I also had to bring them the ruby slippers to gain entry to the “genius.”
This is all too familiar. Recently, Apple agreed to a multimillion dollar settlement over its iPhone controversy. You may recall that years ago, I posted an account of an ordeal over a relatively new iPhone that stopped functioning. When I took it into the store, they promptly informed me that I got the phone wet and refused to repair or replace it. When I told that that it was impossible that the phone had been “submerged” or saturated as they claimed, they opened the phone and confirmed that only one of two indicators showed water damage but still said that it voided any obligation of the company. Though I eventually got a new phone, my posting attracted many people around the world who said that they had the same experience. Well, Apple (without admitting guilt) is now agreeing to a settlement in a class action for people who were told they had such water damage. As suspected, it appears that the water damage indicators were defective. I read the settlement to mean that the company knew that people like me were experiencing a common defect but allowed their “geniuses” to basically tell us we were lying or stupid — and that Apple would not help us. That takes a truly horrific corporate culture among Apple executives and an equally horrific view of their customers. The settlement came with no apology or acceptance of responsibility. While a contractor (3M) took blame for a possible defect, Apple never explained why it continued to instruct “geniuses” to play dumb and blame customers.
This cord problem looks like a very similar situation. This is my third cord in a row to break at either the base of the adapter or the plug itself. It is clearly do to the normal twisting that occurs with lap tops. Three cords in a row. Each lasted less than a year. I cannot be unique. Apple clearly is using a material covering the wires that is inadequate for the use of the cords and forcing customers to buy new cords — just as it forced them to buy new iPhone under the earlier defect. In the last cord experience, it actually exposed the wires and started to produce a smoky smell.
Since I was told it was under warranty, I went into the Apple store to exchange it. I was prepping for a major hearing this week and needed a new cord right away. “Right away” however is not part of the new Apple lexicon. When I arrived at the Tysons’ Apple store (the same location that falsely told me I submerged by iPhone in water previously), I was met by three “specialists” who were standing around the door. I explained that I needed to exchange a broken cord but was told that only a “genius” could do an exchange and no appointment was available for hours. I tried to explain that I was really in a dire situation with a hearing and needed to return to work. I just needed to show the warranty and replace the defective cord. That was not possible without a visit with a genius, I was told. I would have to stand around with them for hours in the mall or come back in the evening. Of course, every other store in America has personnel who can do an exchange of this kind without being a self-proclaimed “genius.” Those undeclared geniuses at JC Penny and Sears have employees ready to do this type of exchange to help customers. Yet, Apple requires such simple tasks be performed by a “genius” who is only accessible through an appointment like a dentist (or the therapist you need after working with Apple). In the end, the school purchased a new cord for me so that I could prepare for the hearing. Of course, this only rewards the strategy of creating a barrier for customers to receive basic support. They clipped my school for another product even though it is under warranty.
What is most maddening is the design of the cord itself. As I have explained before, I like Apple products. I have had every major Mac since the first machine. We have two iPads, three iPhones, and three Macs in this family. We are not disguntled IBMers. However, Apple used to pride itself on being a different company with a special relationship to Apple users. It now has a corporate culture and a customer service system that has the very smiling Orwellian character of the company that Apple once caricatured. I expect that if a new class action focused on these cords, they will find in discovery the same pattern as the defective iPhones with widespread failures.
What is particularly unnerving is that all of this happens in the antiseptic Apple store with smiling “specialists” who immediately tell you that they lack specialization beyond selling more products. It is like Stepford Wives meets Revenge of the Nerds. Thanks again Apple.
“…Apple will be the designated supplier of the microcomputer that will be implanted into the brains of every human being on earth, so that they may be tracked, monitored, controlled, and, when necessary, terminated. I can hardly wait for this lovely Leftist Utopia.”
~+~
ALL YOUR LEFTISTS ARE BELONG TO US !
Dog: Do not be ticked off about Apple as a stock.
There are plenty of fish in the sea. If Apple were breaking the law and killing people, wouldn’t it be immoral to own their stock because breaking the law and killing people was profitable?
That is an extreme example on purpose, to illustrate the lesser principle that if a company is doing something you find morally reprehensible, you are being hypocritical to own the stock just because it is profitable to be morally reprehensible. Money doesn’t trump right and wrong; it is supposed to work the other way around.
After the HP BTO from hell with the extended NO service contract, I went to Apple and have been happy ever since. My family hasn’t had any of these customer service issues and in fact we’ve had just the opposite. My cousin’s Apple Care was expired for nearly 6 mo and they changed out the battery of her macbook for no charge. I had a 24 hour turn around on my MPB (UPS’d to another state for repair) and have had no problem getting things replaced under warranty. We haven’t had any cord issues for any of the products. Yes you do have to make an appt. to see the genius but I was around before that went into effect and I remember the waits could get really long – especially right after the holidays when all the newbies were there for help. I think the issue is more the particular store than the attitude of the company as a whole.
What you are seeing is the realization of the total Leftist philosophy in action, so you Leftists should be enjoying it. It will be getting more and more like those Russian bread lines. Need service? Just simply call the Apple voice-line menu, as you get caught in an endless labyrinth of computerized submenus that lead to nowhere and your questions and complaints go unanswered.
And soon the Leftists will have succeeded in implementing sales tax collections for every Internet purchase, driving the smaller mom-and-pop operations out of business. In the end, there will be only Amazon, WalMart and a couple of other options. And, of course, the service that they now deliver to you will be cut further and further until you will have no recourse to deal with whatever decision is made by the centralized authorities.
They will also have the iPlant ready in the not too distant further, in which Apple will be the designated supplier of the microcomputer that will be implanted into the brains of every human being on earth, so that they may be tracked, monitored, controlled, and, when necessary, terminated. I can hardly wait for this lovely Leftist Utopia.
OS,
Just one example, but my daughter has great luck with her Apple laptop. And my IPad has been going strong for over two years. I hope I didn’t just jinx myself!
Sorry for the spulling erros, the Dogalogue Machine is messing jup. It was made by a former Apple employee who worked for NSA.
Do not be ticked off about Apple as a stock. My Pal who is a retired broker bought Apple in Sept of 1911 about amonth before Steve Jobs died for 338. There was a lull for a bit but in January of 2012 the stock started taking off and went as high as 700 or so. There was an insiders fear (expressed by me on this blog) that Steve Jobs had worked out a new technological breakthrew that would enable him to take equity from Apple “with him” so to speak in the next life. Some investers actually feared this. The stock tanked back down this year until Job’s real strategy took hold. No one credits him for this. The company purposely went from a Growth stock only to a Value stock and started recenbtly to pay big dividends. Suddenly a new group of investors and fund managers are interested in either buying or holding on. For a growth stock like Aplle to pay big dividends is nirvana for a shrewd investor. The price has been going up and the 700 range is perhaps gonna happen. I would buy more, sorry my human Pal for hwom I am guide dog, would buy more if the would just drop the lower case initial thing when they name products. sTeve jObs would agree.
pete,
Some of the older Compaqs are like the original Macs. Built like tanks. Back in the day, they were one of my favorite hardware vendors. Today? Not so much.
Bad customer service is rampant in just about every business larger than a mom and pop operation, but it is particularly bad in both computer hardware and software. I did, however, have a good hardware related customer experience recently, but . . . it was from a small vendor of the type Darren described. I had purchased a new computer for my office (the previous one falling victim to a burnt out power supply – and I do mean burnt) so I got a local small vendor to get me a new one ordered to my specs. Well the new ‘puter had bad L2 cache memory on the motherboard and was giving me sporadic BSODs (Blue Screens of Death). When I took it back, they were very up front and accommodating and said they’d be happy to order me another one (which would take a week to come in) but that I wasn’t the first person that had had this issue with that particular supplier. They gave me the option of a store credit or a refund and offered me a deal on something that they had in stock that wasn’t quite as wicked as what I had ordered, but it was close enough and had a couple of features I liked that the other one lacked. I not only took them up on the offer, I bought a couple of other little peripherals and some supplies above and beyond the difference in the refund because I was stunned by and appreciative of them going above and beyond to make sure the customer was happy.
That’s good business.
One of the very first lessons I learned in business as a high school kid working was that a happy customer is a return customer.
Big business needs to relearn that lesson.
Apple is no exception.
i’ve had good luck with office depot. for other issues it’s “i know a guy”
yellow labs can’t lie. mine gets guilty even when the cats do something.
OS
i’ve got an old compaq in the garage that if you plug in a flash drive it doubles the storage space. still works though.
I have one of the old time one-piece Macs from the 1980s. It worked the last time I plugged it in. It is as sturdy and reliable as a 1957 Chevy. From what I read, everything since then wears out pretty fast. My daughter has had several iPads to the tune (pun intended) of hundreds of dollars. They go belly up faster than a goldfish in a small tank.
As for customer service, for most electronics and not just Apple, that is an oxymoron.
One of these days retailers and manufacturers are going to wake up wondering where all the customers went.
Tony C.,
I was being facetious.
This tactic of requiring to make an appointment, and waiting for hours to see a custmer service rep. (genuiuses, for real??), seem to be prohibitively time-consuming and degrading. Lot of people probably give up. I have never owned an apple product, and reading these stories, I will pass when I need a new phone or laptop.
However, the “right away” mentality is not very practical in many places or situations. You will get disappointed. Be prepared for delays or issues, and you will be more content.
Bron, Goldens are indeed VERY needy.
Darren and Pete, I was confusing Circuit City w/ Best Buy. Everything I said previously should be about Best Buy. Brain fart.
nick:
you are right about a golden retriever not being able to lie and bs. Very good dogs except they need a lot of hands on. Mine is only happy when being patted.
I think it is usually better for circuit city or best buy employees just to keep their traps shut. The advice they give is usually wrong in my experience.
The best stores I found to go to for computer peripherials or machines is some geek-owned local outfit, that is not one that is operated out of someone’s house, but one large enough to have good inventory.
There was a time when you could get a much better machine for a good price when you built it yourself, and you didn’t have to suffer with all that proprietary garbage that some manufacturers put out (like Compaq) where getting drivers to work with differing OS’s was a pain and upgrade conflicts were many.
pete, I’ve not been to Circuit City for a year or two. So, I believe you when you say it’s gone downhill. My Golden Retriever NEVER lied or bullshitted me. I consider Golden Labs and Retrievers kissin’ cousins. My Springer Spaniel is a different story.
Circuit went out of business in 2009.
nick
at one time circuit city was very good, but there is nothing like asking for help and just getting a shrug. makes me feel like i’m in walmart.
http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1858079,00.html
What makes Apple think they can treat customers like this?
“We have two iPads, three iPhones, and three Macs in this family.”
This kind of thing is 100% in line with Steve Jobs vision for customer relations.