The follow: Apple Came Through
I really can't leave my last post hanging. You have to be wondering by now, whatever came of your "Bad Apple Experience?" Are you a Windows guy now?
The answer is... No! I'm still a Mac guy. And I'm happy.
After noodling over the situation and soliciting the advice of friends over Facebook, I decided to try to get to a customer care person and explain my situation. A buddy that had worked for Apple for 3 years gave me some advice that if I can get to the right people they can make some things happen.
So - I tried, and tried to call. The support line was strictly a computer, and it didn't really lead me anywhere. Funny thing about a large company with a lot of raving fans... they think no one complains. Funny, huh? I tried three times to get past the computer bouncer, to no avail.
So when you want to complain to a person, what do you do? You tell the computer that you want to buy something.
Salesperson is now on... live human at your service! :-). Then I proceed to tell him about my situation.
So off to tech support... and then to customer care, where I finally talk to someone who is in a position to at least hear me out and tell me that they can do something or not. This guy, based out of Austin (I could tell by the 512 area code that comes on my phone when he calls to check in), was very patient with me (good to do when you're talking to a very upset customer), understanding, and eventually intervened on my behalf with the people at the Perimeter Apple Store about the botched communication about my MacBook. After a few instances of being on hold (no longer than 3 to 5 minutes), this customer care guy gets on the phone three-way with me and the manager at the Perimeter Apple store with a solution to my "Bad Apple" situation.
Would it be acceptable, if we repaired the MacBook at the cost you were charged for the mistaken repair?
I was ready to do the happy dance. This was exactly what I wanted.
Now, according to "corporate policy," Apple did not have to do this. Officially, they have fixed what they were told to (even though they screwed up on a pretty major detail... being notifying me), but what they did was what all companies that maintain great brands do. They OWN the customer experience and do everything in their power to make sure that their customers have a great experience with the product. The first moment of truth isn't enough... they understand that every moment of truth is a brand-defining moment and they take it very seriously.
And when they mess up, they own up to it... and do what they need to, within reason, to make it right.
When I took my MacBook into the Apple Store again to go to depo for this (expensive) repair they were comping, they warned me about my hard drive potentially being replaced... after some long thought, knowing that there was no truly "replaceable" data on the HD, and considering that my battery was down to 7% I opted to take the risk. I did talk to my customer care guy and said that it'd be awesome for them to spare it but because I was given the information I needed to understand the risk I'm okay with getting a MacBook back with a fresh start, but again would be enthralled if I get it back, data and all (I'm keeping my fingers crossed). I'll be dropping by on Saturday, after a business trip to Bothell, to pick it up.
I can't tell you how impressed I was with this... most large companies would tell you, with a three year old laptop and an incidental mistake by a tech guy that "you got our best offer and you should be happy. After all, we have much bigger customers than you and we can afford to let you go." But they didn't do that... even though I wish there was a cleaner way for me to get in to make a complaint than fib to the Apple computer about wanting to buy something... they listened to me, they understood that I had a right to complain, and they acted to make me right even at cost to themselves. They followed the golden rule, even if they didn't think about it in those terms.
And that's why, I am still a raving fan.
And that's why, I will still buy Macs.
The answer is... No! I'm still a Mac guy. And I'm happy.
After noodling over the situation and soliciting the advice of friends over Facebook, I decided to try to get to a customer care person and explain my situation. A buddy that had worked for Apple for 3 years gave me some advice that if I can get to the right people they can make some things happen.
So - I tried, and tried to call. The support line was strictly a computer, and it didn't really lead me anywhere. Funny thing about a large company with a lot of raving fans... they think no one complains. Funny, huh? I tried three times to get past the computer bouncer, to no avail.
So when you want to complain to a person, what do you do? You tell the computer that you want to buy something.
Salesperson is now on... live human at your service! :-). Then I proceed to tell him about my situation.
So off to tech support... and then to customer care, where I finally talk to someone who is in a position to at least hear me out and tell me that they can do something or not. This guy, based out of Austin (I could tell by the 512 area code that comes on my phone when he calls to check in), was very patient with me (good to do when you're talking to a very upset customer), understanding, and eventually intervened on my behalf with the people at the Perimeter Apple Store about the botched communication about my MacBook. After a few instances of being on hold (no longer than 3 to 5 minutes), this customer care guy gets on the phone three-way with me and the manager at the Perimeter Apple store with a solution to my "Bad Apple" situation.
Would it be acceptable, if we repaired the MacBook at the cost you were charged for the mistaken repair?
I was ready to do the happy dance. This was exactly what I wanted.
Now, according to "corporate policy," Apple did not have to do this. Officially, they have fixed what they were told to (even though they screwed up on a pretty major detail... being notifying me), but what they did was what all companies that maintain great brands do. They OWN the customer experience and do everything in their power to make sure that their customers have a great experience with the product. The first moment of truth isn't enough... they understand that every moment of truth is a brand-defining moment and they take it very seriously.
And when they mess up, they own up to it... and do what they need to, within reason, to make it right.
When I took my MacBook into the Apple Store again to go to depo for this (expensive) repair they were comping, they warned me about my hard drive potentially being replaced... after some long thought, knowing that there was no truly "replaceable" data on the HD, and considering that my battery was down to 7% I opted to take the risk. I did talk to my customer care guy and said that it'd be awesome for them to spare it but because I was given the information I needed to understand the risk I'm okay with getting a MacBook back with a fresh start, but again would be enthralled if I get it back, data and all (I'm keeping my fingers crossed). I'll be dropping by on Saturday, after a business trip to Bothell, to pick it up.
I can't tell you how impressed I was with this... most large companies would tell you, with a three year old laptop and an incidental mistake by a tech guy that "you got our best offer and you should be happy. After all, we have much bigger customers than you and we can afford to let you go." But they didn't do that... even though I wish there was a cleaner way for me to get in to make a complaint than fib to the Apple computer about wanting to buy something... they listened to me, they understood that I had a right to complain, and they acted to make me right even at cost to themselves. They followed the golden rule, even if they didn't think about it in those terms.
And that's why, I am still a raving fan.
And that's why, I will still buy Macs.
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