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Author Topic: Why Does It Have to Be So Hard?  (Read 34156 times)

amolitor

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Re: Why Does It Have to Be So Hard?
« Reply #20 on: March 11, 2015, 03:22:43 pm »

Feel free to elaborate on what you think I am missing!
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dreed

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Re: Why Does It Have to Be So Hard?
« Reply #21 on: March 11, 2015, 11:52:09 pm »

...
The funny thing is, Apple is making very high margins in two traditionally low margin businesses -- PCs and phones. IIRC Apple brings in over 90% of all cell phone profits worldwide. They do this by treating it like a high margin business - great customer service, very careful design and implementation, etc. I've called Applecare several times in the last few years with nagging issues, and the reps stayed on the phone with me, sometimes for more than an hour, until the problems were fixed.
...

Let me know how you get along with Applecare when your laptop fails and needs to be serviced manually. Further, let me know how you get along when you're in a different country from the one in which you bought it.

When I can get "Next Business Day, On Site Support" from Apple to fix a broken screen or something else that can't be done over the phone, let me know. Until then I'll stick with Dell who I've had service laptops on multiple different continents "the next day" and for which I never lost contact with my laptop.

Apple make trendy products and people pay for trendy. Just look at fashionable clothes, etc.

Yes my wife is a dropper and we did get the Apple Care.  Apple Care has saved me a few times with my laptop and pro machines.  Certainly worth the cost.  If you bring your machine in and it has Apple Care there is just no hassle what so ever.  They take it away say it will be five days to fix and 3 days later it is ready.

Wow! I hope those laptops aren't "business critical" for you.
« Last Edit: March 11, 2015, 11:56:31 pm by dreed »
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jeremyrh

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Re: Why Does It Have to Be So Hard?
« Reply #22 on: March 12, 2015, 02:33:33 am »


Apple make trendy products and people pay for trendy. Just look at fashionable clothes, etc.


They make popular, stylish and functional products. If you knew Hans you would know that what other people think of his buying choices is the last thing on his mind!

(Since we're trading anecdotes, I once had a Dell laptop. Once. Briefly. And occasionally it worked. I spent a lot of time on the phone to their support centre, a lot of time waiting for them to send out spare parts and even longer waiting for them to send out the right spare part.)
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Hans Kruse

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Re: Why Does It Have to Be So Hard?
« Reply #23 on: March 12, 2015, 03:59:32 am »

Let me know how you get along with Applecare when your laptop fails and needs to be serviced manually. Further, let me know how you get along when you're in a different country from the one in which you bought it.

When I can get "Next Business Day, On Site Support" from Apple to fix a broken screen or something else that can't be done over the phone, let me know. Until then I'll stick with Dell who I've had service laptops on multiple different continents "the next day" and for which I never lost contact with my laptop.

Apple make trendy products and people pay for trendy. Just look at fashionable clothes, etc.

Wow! I hope those laptops aren't "business critical" for you.

I have not had the need. I have been traveling a lot over many years and I never had a laptop failing on any of my trips. That includes Compaq and HP laptops and since 2009 MacBook Pro's.

I did recently have a fan stop working in my MacBook Pro and got it replaced under warranty in one day in a local Apple certified repair shop. I never chose Apple Care and I'm not a dropper ;)

I don't know, but I would suspect that if I'm e.g. in Sicily and go into the Apple shop in Catania, that if my MacBook had stopped working that they would help me immediately if the machine was under warranty. But never had to test that out so far. Dell laptops I have seen and the cheaper ones are junk. The most expensive ones are well built and cost as much as MacBooks.

Ken Bennett

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Re: Why Does It Have to Be So Hard?
« Reply #24 on: March 12, 2015, 09:36:37 pm »

Let me know how you get along with Applecare when your laptop fails and needs to be serviced manually. Further, let me know how you get along when you're in a different country from the one in which you bought it.

It has worked very well on several occasions, including very fast onsite service for a Mac Pro at my studio, and 3 day turnaround on a dead Macbook Air.

I have no experience with getting service in another country - not really an issue for me.

If anything is truly mission critical, then one needs a backup device of some sort.
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dreed

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Re: Why Does It Have to Be So Hard?
« Reply #25 on: March 12, 2015, 10:48:49 pm »

...
(Since we're trading anecdotes, I once had a Dell laptop. Once. Briefly. And occasionally it worked. I spent a lot of time on the phone to their support centre, a lot of time waiting for them to send out spare parts and even longer waiting for them to send out the right spare part.)

That's why you buy the "NBD On-Site Support" option for devices that are critical. Typically this costs about the same as Apple's AppleCare but guarantees a better level of service.

Dell laptops I have seen and the cheaper ones are junk. The most expensive ones are well built and cost as much as MacBooks.

I've never bought the cheaper Dell laptops.
« Last Edit: March 12, 2015, 10:52:44 pm by dreed »
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davidgp

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Re: Why Does It Have to Be So Hard?
« Reply #26 on: March 15, 2015, 05:24:30 am »

Stories like the one Kevin told is why I buy my phones free, without any contract to a phone, but I understand this may be complicated in USA (I live in Spain)... When I want change of company I just change, without having to pay any fees... And my phone working perfectly in the new company... It is bit more expensive this way... But more liberating knowing that if you have an stupid trouble that the one Kevin had you can just change of company ... Probably the new company will have similar problems in the future, but at the beginning they try to be nice with you... Usually...

Paulo Bizarro

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Re: Why Does It Have to Be So Hard?
« Reply #27 on: March 24, 2015, 11:17:06 am »

I also can not understand why people get trapped into two year contracts with a company or other. I just buy the phone I want, contract free, and then choose the operator. Here in Portugal, unlocked phones are much more expensive than under-contract ones, but it still compensates.

For someone that travels, buying an unlocked operator free phone is no problem at all, and then just bring it back to your own country, go to an operator store, and choose your plan, get the sim card, install it, and that's it.

I agree that customer care and customer perception of how people are being taken care of in case of problems, is very important, and Apple excels at it. But Apple's business is selling stuff, not communication plans, so they can not afford to treat customers badly.

jjj

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Re: Why Does It Have to Be So Hard?
« Reply #28 on: March 24, 2015, 12:29:40 pm »

About 14 years ago I took a customer service course.  I learned two things.  The customers is always right.
Whilst growing up my parents owned a restaurant which I also worked in and I quickly learned that some customers are anything but right. They are chancers looking to pull a fast one or simply rude, horrible people. They do not need pandering to, but getting rid of as quickly as possible. You lose nothing as they have already decided to be a problem and are basically trying to either con you or behave badly. You deal with them politely but do not lower yourself to their level. The chancers are a marginal step up from shoplifters as rather than steal directly, they create an artificial problem and demand free food. Here's a fantastic example of that from a couple of days back.
Rat in restaurant.





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jjj

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Re: Why Does It Have to Be So Hard?
« Reply #29 on: March 24, 2015, 12:51:06 pm »

Regarding Apple's service. I have had truly excellent service from them and I'm afraid to say some less stellar experiences. My iPhone 4s from the word go had terrible battery problems, it never got sorted, both O2 and Apple said the other were responsible until they then said it was out of warrantee, which it wasn't. It never got resolved.
My brand new MacPro went to Apple store numerous times to get issues sorted and one of the problems was memory in the incorrect slots which I sorted when I read instruction manual. The 'Genius who recommended more memory to solve my problems had placed memory in the wrong slot thus causing a new issue in addition to others.

But generally speaking the customer service in Apple stores is amazing and is part of the reason I buy their products. However if I did not live near one, I would be far more hesitant about buying their kit as all items bar the iPod Nano have back been to the shop to be fixed/replaced, several times in some cases. I live a 30mins cycle from one, so I'm fortunate.
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Telecaster

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Re: Why Does It Have to Be So Hard?
« Reply #30 on: March 24, 2015, 03:53:20 pm »

My experience from working in retail—and later working for/with companies whose main focus was retail—was that the customer is always right…but not everyone who enters your establishment (whether physically or virtually), or even buys something from you, is a customer.

As for service…no company is always gonna get it right. Humans make mistakes.

-Dave-
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amolitor

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Re: Why Does It Have to Be So Hard?
« Reply #31 on: March 24, 2015, 04:20:28 pm »

In the USA we're seeing new carriers popping up that offer crazy cheap plans based on the assumption that you are, mostly, using a WiFi network.

These work globally, no problem, as long as there's a WiFi connection. Which isn't everywhere by any means, but it's probably "everywhere enough" for almost everyone, if you can bear to be disconnected for sometimes up to hours at a time.
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Peter McLennan

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Re: Why Does It Have to Be So Hard?
« Reply #32 on: March 25, 2015, 01:54:46 pm »

In today's world, it's all about customer service.

I recently had to intercept and cancel a substantial FedEx shipment in mid stream.  Expecting a significant financial penalty since the error was entirely mine, I was surprised and delighted at their reponse: 

"No problem, sir.  Have a nice day"

I did.

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jjj

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Re: Why Does It Have to Be So Hard?
« Reply #33 on: March 28, 2015, 05:22:45 pm »

My experience from working in retail—and later working for/with companies whose main focus was retail—was that the customer is always right…but not everyone who enters your establishment (whether physically or virtually), or even buys something from you, is a customer.
That is some interesting massaging of the English language and the meaning of the word customer.

Quote
As for service…no company is always gonna get it right. Humans make mistakes.
Swap company for customer, as they are also human. So I've been led to believe.   ;D

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