Journal maynard's Journal: Applecare Support Nightmare 53
Apple is now [EDIT: OFF] my shit list. Not that I think Steve Jobs actually reads the email sent to his public address [EDIT: HE DID! AND HE HAD AN EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT COMPLETELY RESOLVE MY PROBLEM! SEE COMMENTS FOR DETAILS], but here's my letter in an electronic bottle meant for him:
[EDIT: to include email header info]
Date: Thu, 26 Apr 2007 16:33:54 -0400 (EDT)
From: maynard@some.hostname
To: ****@apple.com
Subject: Apple Support NightmareMr. Jobs,
My name is J. Maynard *******. I am a longtime Apple customer. In fact,
I have an original Apple II (not II+) still in my basement (and it still
works!). I am also an IT Manager for one of the labs at MIT.So, I am most disappointed by this experience I will relate. In
September, '06 I bought a white 2Ghz Macbook to replace a four year old
15" TiBook G4. Immediately I had problems with the unit, which finally
went back for service under Applecare. The system was returned still
broken. So I sent it back again. This time the unit has been out in
service for nearly a month.See Dispatch number: D11412***.
After three weeks of my laptop staying "On Hold" waiting for a part, a
CSR recommended I speak with "Customer Relations". I called and spoke with
"Tina", who offered to replace my laptop. And then the process just halted
as I tried calling to confirm and never received any callbacks. I have no
idea what happened.See Case ID: 76882***
Further, Tina informed me that I would not get my boot disc back, even
though the boot disc had not failed. While I did back up my critical
documents, I have GBs of ripped music, application installs, etc which I
will lose.At this moment, I still do not have confirmation of a replacement unit,
I'm out a laptop for a solid month, and I will lose my data. Mr. Jobs, you
have a serious problem with your support process and procedures. If
someone at Apple does not resolve this pronto, your company will lose not
only my future purchases, but also my purchase recommendations to graduate
students, professors, and support staff at MIT.That computer is a TOOL, not merely a product. So, to sell me a
nonfunctional computer, and then destroy the data it manipulates, is to
negate its very utility; the raison d'etre for my purchase.I just want to make this one comparison: Apple II; 30 years old, still
works. Macbook; failed within months, could not be repaired even under
Applecare, customer waited a month for unresolved "service".Sincerely,
J. Maynard *******
24 ****** St.
*******, MA
021**
Who did you send this to? (Score:3, Interesting)
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My email address is public here on
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Apple Support Nightmare Update (Score:1)
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Mark B. from Apple contacted me on behalf of Steve Jobs. Looks like he's resolving the whole thing. Will post a more complete update once I have my laptop.
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Jeesh. I can't *imagine* any CEO of a +billion dollar company taking action on a single customer's complaint. That really is pretty amazing. I'll update this journal entry so it doesn't leave the wrong impression to any other
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Should you be quite this giddy? (Score:3, Insightful)
Hardly a "computer for the rest of us," is it?
Re:Should you be quite this giddy? (Score:4, Insightful)
As for your opinion of Jobs and Apple... *shrug*. Fine opinion. I certainly was pissed off when I originally wrote that letter. I'm not pissed any longer. I very much like how this was resolved. Not out of some great awe of Steve Jobs, but because Jobs -- in his official capacity as CEO -- took action to retain a single customer. Personally, I'm not worth much money to Apple. And even in my job, I probably couldn't kill more than a few dozen to a hundred sales over the next few years; I'm small fry. That's why I'm so impressed. It was *not* in Mr. Jobs' short-term (quarterly) interest to waste time on me. Yet he did. Which shows a set of ethical standards beyond quarterly profit reports. I like that.
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FWIW - I convinced my wife to buy an iMac about a year ago after
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The service there is now excellent, and I haven't had a problem with them since.
Apple actually does care - they have the same faults as any company, but I really get the feeling that they care a whole lot mor
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This retailer has a "graveyard" where they list all of the comput
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What I think is interesting is that Apple has always really built relationships from the bottom up. They catered to schools and individual consumers since their inception, and they continue to do just that under Steve Jobs' leadership. Microsoft has approac
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I bought a MBP when it first came out
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As I see it, we a
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So, it would appear that:
a) they will do this for a customer l
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That 17" PB was a real nice toy, eh? I almost bought one too. But after trying one I decided that the 15" was easier to tote around.
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Not true. I am technically "Sponsored Research Technical Staff", not a Lab Administrator. Not that it matters.
But you're right. I probably should not have publicly used my position at MIT as leverage in this matter.
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In a company as big as Apple, things can slip through the cracks. Not *everyone* they hire in their customer se
Re:If I was an IT manager for a major university.. (Score:1)
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Can you say unfounded speculation smacking of emotion bias? I thought you could. And they pejoratively call those who favor Macs fanboys. Sheesh. The following is anecdotal but surveys agree with my experience that Apple's support is th
The reason you got VIP service? (Score:3, Insightful)
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My Toshiba is still in the shop 2 months later :( (Score:1)