Apple’s Support — Not That Great
With my recent issues with Hewlett Packard, I am a sucker for people who have issues with tech support. I know first hand that it is a frustrating experience, and the people on the other end of the phone simply do not make the situation better. What follows is a very interesting story about a tech support case from Apple. A great article for this Apple Tuesday.
The quick version of the story is as follows. A customer called Apple Tech support to inquire about a repair for water damage. Unlike most customers, this person took full responsibility for the problem — and was willing to pay the price for the repair. However, the response from the techs was less than thrilling. In the end, the customer ended up emailing Steve Jobs himself. The email and response is as follows:
Dear Steve Jobs,
I wanted to write and express my concern about some recent problems that I have had with Apple Care. This week, my MacBook Pro unfortunately sustained water damage. I understand this is entirely my fault but it is still something I would like to get fixed. After three or four calls I was finally able to get a straight answer. While I was happy to get a straight answer, I was not at all happy with the answer. It is very worrisome to me that the only way to get my computer fixed is to pay almost $300.00 up front with no guarantee that this will fix the problem. I was horrified to learn that their is no system to assess the problem and bill once all damage is known. I am reluctant to put money into a problem that could easily grow. I have had three Apple computers in a row. I love using them but I am not sure if my replacement will be one. I feel powerless in the situation and the whole experience has turned me off of the Apple company. (Link)
The customer actually got a response from Steve Jobs, which is a surprise in its own. All I got from HP was a canned email.
This is what happens when your MacBook Pro sustains water damage.They are pro machines and they don’t like water. It sounds like you’re just looking for someone to get mad at other than yourself.
Steve (Link)
The links given above include the full email, with headers that show where it comes from. The question one has to ask it — is this really Steve Jobs replying to a customers email, or is it his secretary? I cannot believe that anyone would respond to an email that almost insults the customer — who is giving a very valid complaint.
One more reason not to own an Apple computer — let’s add Apple to the list of companies with poor customer support. I am not sure there are any left.
Justin
Tags: Apple, Computers, damage, hewlett packard, HP, laptop, tech support
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April 1st, 2008 at 10:38 am
Personally, I thing the entire article is fiction, as the response doesn’t follow Apple repair policies, which I know pretty well. HOWEVER, even if all is as stated, the customers treatment was entirely reasonable.
It’s nearly impossible to fully evaluate water damage without attempting the repair, and there’s a high probability the resulting estimate would be too high for the customer to accept. So Apple is supposed to donate (not get paid for) hours of a technicians time for what is most likely a lost cause? Preposterous.
The situation is exactly the same as when the engine failed in my car. For free, I got “You need a new engine.” Taking it apart to determine exactly what failed, and if anything was salvageable, cost $500 upfront.
April 1st, 2008 at 10:41 am
Thanks for the comment, scotts13. What I took out of the $300 dollar estimate, is that Apple wanted $300 dollars to look at the laptop and see if it was, at all, repairable.
I understand that it is not possible to say “it is going to cost this much money to repair the entire computer”. I think Apple should do something along the lines of “send us your laptop(read, you pay shipping)”, and charge a base fee of say, $50. This will allow the techs to look at the computer — but not rip of customer off.
Justin
April 1st, 2008 at 11:46 am
I’ve been an Apple customer since 1984 and have been pleased with their customer service over the years. A little research will reveal that Apple’s competitors also have their customer service horror stories.
I’d hardly consider this exceptional anecdote a reason not to buy an Apple computer. Apple has constantly scored at the top of consumer satisfaction surveys. Until the statistics indicate otherwise, I’d say that Apple is still a good risk.
April 1st, 2008 at 11:46 am
While I agree that the e-mail is a bit gruff, I’m not sure I agree that it is a “valid complaint.”
I may have the story wrong, but what I can see, here’s what happened: He broke his computer. He wants Apple to look it over and tell him how much it will cost to fix it. Then he’ll decide whether or not he wants to spend the money to repair it or buy a new computer. In short, he wants a “free estimate.”
Based on his e-mail, we don’t know if we’re talking about “spilled some water on the keyboard” or “tossed it in a swimming pool.” But assuming he gave the Apple folks a little more to go on than what he told Steve, they would probably have some idea how long it would take a technician to thoroughly look over the computer and determine what parts need to be replaced. I assume that he wants Apple to test out the display, power supply, batteries, motherboard, memory mounted on the logic board, and the PC-Card Slot. This is actually a pretty time consuming process.
I recently had to get a motherboard replaced on my PowerMac G5 and I was told the same thing: It would cost $300 to have it looked at. If I decided to throw it out afterwards to take it somewhere else to be repaired, I’d have to pay the $300. If I went with Apple for the repairs, it would be credited.
But what you’re saying is that Apple should devote the time and effort to provide a free estimate with all of the items that need replacing so the person can then take that info somewhere else to get it done? I’m not sure of too many shops that will give you a free written estimate of repairs unless you agree that have the device fixed there. That goes for cars as well.
Again, I agree that the response was wholly inappropriate and unprofessional (if he’s using a “pro machine”, he’s probably a “pro user”). But I’m not sure why you believe that he has a “valid complaint.”
April 1st, 2008 at 12:01 pm
I don’t understand why he didn’t just book an appointment and speak to a person at a genius bar. No Apple store available? Oftentimes a genius will suggest that a repair at an independent Apple seller would be more cost effective. And water near a keyboard? That’s asking to be beaten and pummeled. If you are on the road, don’t eat or drink while using the laptop, if back at home or office, plug a separate USB keybord in.