Apple is overnighting me a remote for free!

[Parasitic]

So I picked up a blackbook from the refurb store online and when I got my package in I noticed that my Apple remote was missing. Now, before you start, this is the 2.2GHz and I distinctly remember that the Apple remote was listed as an included accessory on the product page before it went dead.

Anyhow, I figured that it wouldn't hurt calling CS for once, and within the first minute of automated prompt I got connected to a live person, who sounded distinctly American and was very friendly. I told her my issue after giving her my order information, and while she initially insisted that they no longer ship Apple remotes with any of their computer (including the refurb models), she said "let me see what I can do" then placed me on hold for a minute.

When she came back online, she said that Apple will send me the missing Apple remote Fedex overnight, free of charge.

The entire conversation was civil and her responses were very polite. This is so far the best CS I've dealt with among various different companies.

 

[Redfraggle]

When dealing directly with Apple, exception -- the stores, I get excellent customer service. I even got them to replace my laptop for free after I'd had on repaired for a similar issue repeatedly. That took a little work, but well worth it.

 

[PCTC2]

I get excellent customer service. As a member of an IT department that is Mac from the servers up to clients and everything between, we have a lot of warranty returns. However, they are really strict on deadlines and we did not receive a refund for a replacement part because a service technician could not install it on time (server backplane).

 

[secretanchitman]

they really do have THE best customer service in the entire planet. seriously...they are all friendly and know exactly what they are talking about.

 

[sjwaste]

Amazon has the best customer service on the planet. However, Apple is a top 5 contender. It's a definite example of getting what you pay for.

Thin margins usually mean support and service are reduced, at least for retail customers. Apple runs the kinds of margins on its products that allow them to serve their customers properly.

 

[TheStu]

Originally posted by: sjwaste
Amazon has the best customer service on the planet. However, Apple is a top 5 contender. It's a definite example of getting what you pay for.

Thin margins usually mean support and service are reduced, at least for retail customers. Apple runs the kinds of margins on its products that allow them to serve their customers properly.

I put Logitech on my list of CS departments that I have no hesitation to call if there is a problem. The people are polite, courteous, and knowledgable. Plus they can take initiative on their own without having to have you on hold forever.

I called to get my mouse replaced, I waited for about a minute before I was connected, and without ever having to put me on hold, I had my RMA number and all the instructions I needed to send in my mouse to get it replaced. She did initially ask what things I had tried to get it working, but after just 2-3 questions, she was content to replace it.

When I got the replacement I received a brand new retail mouse, not a refurb, which was nice too.

 

[PCTC2]

Don't forget eVGA for CS

 

[accguy9009]

Several friends of mine have bought IMac's in the last year and one bought a Mac Pro from Apple direct and had them shipped to their offices.
I suggested all buy the 3 year Apple Care on each of these units because it provides on site repairs if they are defective plus telephone tech support
so I don't have to provide it for them ( I like this very much). It so happens that all three needed repairs. When the customers call in to schedule repairs
the Apple people acknowledged that they had properly registered the Apple Care and the two folks with the IMac's were instructed that the only repair option available to them was to bring the units over to a local reseller/repair center near their office. Both were told that on site repair was not an option for them. Reluctantly both did so without my knowledge. The friend with the custom Mac Pro had recently had chest surgery when he called in for repair and was told his only repair option was to bring it to the resseler/repair center in his town. He called me and I flipped because by this point I had heard
about the IMac owners not being allowed to get the on site repair they paid for with their registered Apple Care. I called Apple Care back for my friend(customer) and had to beat up 3 people before I got a supervisor who agreed on site service was included with the Apple Care. On site service was scheduled and the repairs were completed.

I called a friend who does tech work for Apple and he told me that when a customer brings a unit in to be repaired at a resellers repair center the reseller
often only gets a flat rate of $ 25.00 for the labor while if a tech is dispatched they get paid real $. I found the tech support geeks I spoke to highly under informed about what the Apple Care covers or they simply are required to lie to customers to save Apple $. These friends were way too nice but I don't stand for that and demanded I speak to a supervisor to get the on site repair for the Mac Pro. Those units are quite heavy and no way was I letting my friend who just had surgery lug that beast in to the resellers repair center.

Apple Customer service is not as great as the Apple geeks would have you believe.

 

[TheStu]

Originally posted by: accguy9009
Several friends of mine have bought IMac's in the last year and one bought a Mac Pro from Apple direct and had them shipped to their offices.
I suggested all buy the 3 year Apple Care on each of these units because it provides on site repairs if they are defective plus telephone tech support
so I don't have to provide it for them ( I like this very much). It so happens that all three needed repairs. When the customers call in to schedule repairs
the Apple people acknowledged that they had properly registered the Apple Care and the two folks with the IMac's were instructed that the only repair option available to them was to bring the units over to a local reseller/repair center near their office. Both were told that on site repair was not an option for them. Reluctantly both did so without my knowledge. The friend with the custom Mac Pro had recently had chest surgery when he called in for repair and was told his only repair option was to bring it to the resseler/repair center in his town. He called me and I flipped because by this point I had heard
about the IMac owners not being allowed to get the on site repair they paid for with their registered Apple Care. I called Apple Care back for my friend(customer) and had to beat up 3 people before I got a supervisor who agreed on site service was included with the Apple Care. On site service was scheduled and the repairs were completed.

I called a friend who does tech work for Apple and he told me that when a customer brings a unit in to be repaired at a resellers repair center the reseller
often only gets a flat rate of $ 25.00 for the labor while if a tech is dispatched they get paid real $. I found the tech support geeks I spoke to highly under informed about what the Apple Care covers or they simply are required to lie to customers to save Apple $. These friends were way too nice but I don't stand for that and demanded I speak to a supervisor to get the on site repair for the Mac Pro. Those units are quite heavy and no way was I letting my friend who just had surgery lug that beast in to the resellers repair center.

Apple Customer service is not as great as the Apple geeks would have you believe.

I think it is good to hear both sides of the situation, but almost every time I have called in I have found an intelligent, well-informed individual on the other line who knows the policies, and sticks to them. I once came across a guy that did not know about the special warranty extension that applied just to the batteries of macbooks sold before a certain date (mine was in that date range) so I just called back later when I was at a computer and could read the next tech the url in case he didn't know either. The next tech knew exactly what I was talking about, and the next day I had my new battery (it helps that I live about 30 minutes away from an Apple distribution center).

So, any company you call you will get a mix, and even ones with really great CS departments have people that have bad days, or just don't care about their jobs.

All the same though, have you ever worked in Customer Service in a call center environment? You are exactly the kind of person that we hate. That feels as though they need to 'beat us up' in order to get things. Just be polite, remember the manners that your mother taught you, and you will actually get much much farther. Also, remember that you can, at any time ask for a manager, and if you do so in a courteous way, you know... not angry, then you are more likely to actually be transferred to one, and not sent to the 'releasing' department (The phones have a release button that kills the call).

 

[accguy9009]

Originally posted by: TheStu

Originally posted by: accguy9009
Several friends of mine have bought IMac's in the last year and one bought a Mac Pro from Apple direct and had them shipped to their offices.
I suggested all buy the 3 year Apple Care on each of these units because it provides on site repairs if they are defective plus telephone tech support
so I don't have to provide it for them ( I like this very much). It so happens that all three needed repairs. When the customers call in to schedule repairs
the Apple people acknowledged that they had properly registered the Apple Care and the two folks with the IMac's were instructed that the only repair option available to them was to bring the units over to a local reseller/repair center near their office. Both were told that on site repair was not an option for them. Reluctantly both did so without my knowledge. The friend with the custom Mac Pro had recently had chest surgery when he called in for repair and was told his only repair option was to bring it to the resseler/repair center in his town. He called me and I flipped because by this point I had heard
about the IMac owners not being allowed to get the on site repair they paid for with their registered Apple Care. I called Apple Care back for my friend(customer) and had to beat up 3 people before I got a supervisor who agreed on site service was included with the Apple Care. On site service was scheduled and the repairs were completed.

I called a friend who does tech work for Apple and he told me that when a customer brings a unit in to be repaired at a resellers repair center the reseller
often only gets a flat rate of $ 25.00 for the labor while if a tech is dispatched they get paid real $. I found the tech support geeks I spoke to highly under informed about what the Apple Care covers or they simply are required to lie to customers to save Apple $. These friends were way too nice but I don't stand for that and demanded I speak to a supervisor to get the on site repair for the Mac Pro. Those units are quite heavy and no way was I letting my friend who just had surgery lug that beast in to the resellers repair center.

Apple Customer service is not as great as the Apple geeks would have you believe.

I think it is good to hear both sides of the situation, but almost every time I have called in I have found an intelligent, well-informed individual on the other line who knows the policies, and sticks to them. I once came across a guy that did not know about the special warranty extension that applied just to the batteries of macbooks sold before a certain date (mine was in that date range) so I just called back later when I was at a computer and could read the next tech the url in case he didn't know either. The next tech knew exactly what I was talking about, and the next day I had my new battery (it helps that I live about 30 minutes away from an Apple distribution center).

So, any company you call you will get a mix, and even ones with really great CS departments have people that have bad days, or just don't care about their jobs.

All the same though, have you ever worked in Customer Service in a call center environment? You are exactly the kind of person that we hate. That feels as though they need to 'beat us up' in order to get things. Just be polite, remember the manners that your mother taught you, and you will actually get much much farther. Also, remember that you can, at any time ask for a manager, and if you do so in a courteous way, you know... not angry, then you are more likely to actually be transferred to one, and not sent to the 'releasing' department (The phones have a release button that kills the call).

Well I can tell you this, I have had to phone call centers in the past and I hate dealing with poorly trained, poorly supervised, under informed morons who lie to me to save the company money. This reminds me years ago of when I was speaking with someone trying to sell me an AOL subscription and the guy was going on and on about the great AOL "community" and all the great products I could have the privilege of buying from AOL if I only I was wise enough
to use AOL as my ISP. I told the guy I didn't believe in purchasing goods and services from my ISP, I didn't want to be part of any such community and
that what I wanted from my ISP was great customer service and a fast connection at a highly competitive price. I clearly heard the AOL pitchman grimace over the phone as he informed "they didn't have anything like that to offer me".

You seem to have become the pitchman for "Apple can do no wrong" around here and while I feel your motives are good I just don't buy into it. If I get poor service from some person at a call center I don't intend to kiss someones behind just so some thin skinned individual won't feel bad. I say they ought
to man up, know their product and do their job properly. If that offends you or anyone else I am sorry.

 

[TheStu]

Originally posted by: accguy9009
You seem to have become the pitchman for "Apple can do no wrong" around here and while I feel your motives are good I just don't buy into it. If I get poor service from some person at a call center I don't intend to kiss someones behind just so some thin skinned individual won't feel bad. I say they ought
to man up, know their product and do their job properly. If that offends you or anyone else I am sorry.

I am not going to be able to change your mind regarding how you think of me. I will admit that I do sing apple's praises, but that is because to date, I have had little reason not to.

Regarding your attitude toward service personnel... do you act this way to everyone? A waiter screws up at a restaurant and you blow your stack, tell them to do a better job or quit?

Man, I would love to come to where you work and watch you, it must be a real delight being in your perfect presence. Is it ok if I where shoes? Or should I only trod barefoot upon the ground you walk? Is genuflection necessary? I sometimes get a pain in my left knee, makes it hard to kneel.

Seriously man, cop a chill and realize that the person on the other end of the phone has to work an 8 hour day (or longer) where 80% of their time is spent dealing with complete dicks. Take it from someone that worked in a call center, in customer service. It is not the end of the world, calm down for a minute and you actually will get farther.

It has nothing with a person being thin-skinned and everything to do with actually, you know... not being a dick. Have some manners with dealing with people, understand that they are working a not real great or fulfilling job that probably doesn't pay very well, and if they weren't there... guess what, your friend would be lugging his heavy computer to the nearest physical location.

 

[accguy9009]

Just so you know I was quite polite to the first two individuals I spoke with at Apple who informed me that Apple Care does not provide on site service for Mac Pros or IMacs. These are people who work in the "Apple Care" Group. Have they even taken the opportunity to pick up the retail box and read the terms and conditions of the product they support? Could they not take ten minutes during their training and orientation period and educate themselves about the product they are supporting?

Did it piss me off to find out that a customer of mine spent $ 250 for Apple Care so he wouldn't have to pack up a beast of a tower and schlep it into a repair center only to find out that either Apple deliberately coaches tech support personnel to lie to customers about what options they have for service? Or is Apple's training and supervision of its Apple Care team so inferior that countless people every day are misinformed about the fact that on site service is provided for their desktop computers?

The only way I could get to speak with an informed senior support person was to get firm
and not to take the BS excuses I was given. My time and my customers time is just as valuable as the time of the Apple Care team members. They were the ones who provided
inaccurate information, were under informed about their product and refused to let me speak, initially to a senior staff member. When it was all said and done it would have cost Apple nothing to say "sorry we took up so much of your time sir and we are sorry our support team was poorly trained, supervised and under informed", but they didn't take advantage of that opportunity to do so.

Sorry if I offended you in that I don't believe Apple walks on water in all things, but I have news for you, they do not.

 

[TheStu]

Originally posted by: accguy9009
Just so you know I was quite polite to the first two individuals I spoke with at Apple who informed me that Apple Care does not provide on site service for Mac Pros or IMacs. These are people who work in the "Apple Care" Group. Have they even taken the opportunity to pick up the retail box and read the terms and conditions of the product they support? Could they not take ten minutes during their training and orientation period and educate themselves about the product they are supporting?

Did it piss me off to find out that a customer of mine spent $ 250 for Apple Care so he wouldn't have to pack up a beast of a tower and schlep it into a repair center only to find out that either Apple deliberately coaches tech support personnel to lie to customers about what options they have for service? Or is Apple's training and supervision of its Apple Care team so inferior that countless people every day are misinformed about the fact that on site service is provided for their desktop computers?

The only way I could get to speak with an informed senior support person was to get firm
and not to take the BS excuses I was given. My time and my customers time is just as valuable as the time of the Apple Care team members. They were the ones who provided
inaccurate information, were under informed about their product and refused to let me speak, initially to a senior staff member. When it was all said and done it would have cost Apple nothing to say "sorry we took up so much of your time sir and we are sorry our support team was poorly trained, supervised and under informed", but they didn't take advantage of that opportunity to do so.

Sorry if I offended you in that I don't believe Apple walks on water in all things, but I have news for you, they do not.

Alright, I am not going to be able to convince you that I really don't care if you like or hate Apple.

My only point this entire time has been this:
I and others have found Apple's customer support to be pretty damn good.

You sound like a real d!ck when it comes to you know... dealing with people.

 

[accguy9009]

Originally posted by: TheStu

Originally posted by: accguy9009
Just so you know I was quite polite to the first two individuals I spoke with at Apple who informed me that Apple Care does not provide on site service for Mac Pros or IMacs. These are people who work in the "Apple Care" Group. Have they even taken the opportunity to pick up the retail box and read the terms and conditions of the product they support? Could they not take ten minutes during their training and orientation period and educate themselves about the product they are supporting?

Did it piss me off to find out that a customer of mine spent $ 250 for Apple Care so he wouldn't have to pack up a beast of a tower and schlep it into a repair center only to find out that either Apple deliberately coaches tech support personnel to lie to customers about what options they have for service? Or is Apple's training and supervision of its Apple Care team so inferior that countless people every day are misinformed about the fact that on site service is provided for their desktop computers?

The only way I could get to speak with an informed senior support person was to get firm
and not to take the BS excuses I was given. My time and my customers time is just as valuable as the time of the Apple Care team members. They were the ones who provided
inaccurate information, were under informed about their product and refused to let me speak, initially to a senior staff member. When it was all said and done it would have cost Apple nothing to say "sorry we took up so much of your time sir and we are sorry our support team was poorly trained, supervised and under informed", but they didn't take advantage of that opportunity to do so.

Sorry if I offended you in that I don't believe Apple walks on water in all things, but I have news for you, they do not.

Alright, I am not going to be able to convince you that I really don't care if you like or hate Apple.

My only point this entire time has been this:
I and others have found Apple's customer support to be pretty damn good.

You sound like a real d!ck when it comes to you know... dealing with people.

You continue to confirm that you have positioned yourself to be the Poster Boy for "Apple can do no wrong". Rather than at least acknowledge that it was
wrong for Apple to tell customers that on site service was not included as part of the Apple Care coverage for the Mac Pro and the IMAC, you continue to bang the drum that I must be a "d_ck" because I don't pay homage to Apple's outstanding customer service even when the service I receive is extremely poor. I firmly believe that if the great Apple Customer Service van in the sky rolled up on you and one of the Apple Tech's spit in your face you would scream "thank you sir, may I have another" then try to spin why Apple was correct in doing so.

 

[TheStu]

Originally posted by: accguy9009
You continue to confirm that you have positioned yourself to be the Poster Boy for "Apple can do no wrong". Rather than at least acknowledge that it was
wrong for Apple to tell customers that on site service was not included as part of the Apple Care coverage for the Mac Pro and the IMAC, you continue to bang the drum that I must be a "d_ck" because I don't pay homage to Apple's outstanding customer service even when the service I receive is extremely poor. I firmly believe that if the great Apple Customer Service van in the sky rolled up on you and one of the Apple Tech's spit in your face you would scream "thank you sir, may I have another" then try to spin why Apple was correct in doing so.

/facepalm

Seriously? Really? You can't just acknowledge, for a minute, that you may have been a bit of a jerk? Really?

Let's play a game, let's replace every instance of Apple with I don't know... Taco Bell. Now, let's repeat the conversation, and see if you still come out as a dick.

I am saying that regardless of who you are talking with, maybe you shouldn't be a dick. You are understanding me to say "How dare you insult the great and almighty Apple". Listen, I have told you, I don't care that it was Apple.

You are right (are you fcking happy now?) they should have been more knowledgeable, but, can you please admit that you were a dick and that isn't the best way to treat people if you want to get things accomplished?

Best as I can tell based on your posts, you had no reason to be a dick. Surprise! you got someone working at a call center that doesn't know their job, it happens with every company. Is that really justification for you being a jerk?

As I have said before, unless you are a perfect individual that never, ever gets things wrong, or screws up or anything, then you have no place.

Let us say, for sake of argument, that you are working on a customer's computer. They ask you a question, you do not know the answer, or at least, don't know that you don't know. They do know the correct answer. They then proceed to yell at you and demand to speak to your manager. Now, in your world that would be perfectly justified right?