I apologize for the rant below; I just wanted to know whether any of you have had similar experiences dealing with Apple's technical support.
I woke up this morning to find that my iMac was about 20 kilometers away at the local FedEx facility. Needless to say, I was more than excited in anticipation of the arrival of my iMac
. As I took the protective plastic coating off the screen, I noticed what appeared to be a big gash to the left of the iSight - about 5 centimeters across and 1 centimeter vertically (2 inches by half an inch). Upon closer inspection, I found that this defect was under the glass. To top this off, my box looked like it had been opened previously (The seal that normally covers the opening had already been cut and then covered with duct tape... the wires also seemed to be coiled haphazardly, which I've never witnessed with my previous macs)
I immediately called Apple and, after a 10 minute wait, was transferred to a low level technician who took down this information and proceeded to transfer me to a 'product specialist'. After a 46 minute wait (the nice person on the other end actually checked in twice and apologized for the delay), I was transferred to the specialist who told me that, as it waas more of a sales issue, I should call Apple Care - he proceeded to leave me a 1-800 number and told me to press '3' at the menu.
After another 14 minutes on hold, I was connected to another low level technician who was flustered as to why I was told to call Apple's 1-800 number after waiting for a product specialist. He was able to retrieve my ticket number and informed me that he was going to transfer me to sales to deal with this issue. Strangely, I was connected to the same menu that I had gone through when I dialed the 1-800 number. I navigated the menu again and was, again, put on hold for AppleCare's technical support. After 9 minutes on hold my cell phone ran out of power.
I redialed the 1-800 number given and was, again, connected to a low level technician who asked me to verify my first name, last name, full billing address, phone number, e-mail, iMac order information and serial number before she asked me for the reason I was calling. After informing her of the defect, she asked me if I would be interested in purchasing an extended Apple Care warrenty. Strangely, she was unable to see any of my previous calls or the notes left by the individuals I had spoken to previously. She then put me on hold for ten minutes to try to "sort out the details." After, again, coming to the conclusion that I had to be transferred to a product specialist, I was put on hold for 25 minutes before my cordless ran out of power.
I dialed the 1-800 number again - with a land line. This time, I was connected to a low level technician who was able to retrieve my previous tickets and immediately put me on hold for a product specialist. After a 30 minute wait I was transferred to another product specialist who stayed on the line while he connected me to a sales agent. She sent a request to have a label shipped out to me and informed me that this process could take up to a week. This call took 43 minutes and 52 seconds.
The entire process took nearly three hours to sort out.
I am slightly disappointed by the support I received from Apple today, especially given that I ordered this iMac to replace a Macbook with a failed hard drive that I purchased less than a year ago. Customers who receive defective products shouldn't have to navigate through an inscrutable IVR just to be put on hold for ten minutes for a low level technician to put you on hold for another half hour just to be transferred to a product specialist whose job it is to transfer you to a sales agent in order to send a request for a package label *breathe*.
I've purchased 3 Apple computers and 3 iPods in the past year and a half. One of the Macs and one iPod have already died on me and I haven't called or complained once - when it comes to Apple products, I tend to be a glutton for punishment (let's face it, not many vendors come close in terms of harmonizing design and functionality). What transpired today, however, will definitely be at the forefront of my mind when it comes time to upgrade.
I'd like to know if any of you have had a similar experience dealing with Apple's technical support, as well as how Apple stacks up with other vendors (Dell, Acer (Gateway), HP...).
-Alex
I woke up this morning to find that my iMac was about 20 kilometers away at the local FedEx facility. Needless to say, I was more than excited in anticipation of the arrival of my iMac
. As I took the protective plastic coating off the screen, I noticed what appeared to be a big gash to the left of the iSight - about 5 centimeters across and 1 centimeter vertically (2 inches by half an inch). Upon closer inspection, I found that this defect was under the glass. To top this off, my box looked like it had been opened previously (The seal that normally covers the opening had already been cut and then covered with duct tape... the wires also seemed to be coiled haphazardly, which I've never witnessed with my previous macs)I immediately called Apple and, after a 10 minute wait, was transferred to a low level technician who took down this information and proceeded to transfer me to a 'product specialist'. After a 46 minute wait (the nice person on the other end actually checked in twice and apologized for the delay
), I was transferred to the specialist who told me that, as it waas more of a sales issue, I should call Apple Care - he proceeded to leave me a 1-800 number and told me to press '3' at the menu.After another 14 minutes on hold, I was connected to another low level technician who was flustered as to why I was told to call Apple's 1-800 number after waiting for a product specialist. He was able to retrieve my ticket number and informed me that he was going to transfer me to sales to deal with this issue. Strangely, I was connected to the same menu that I had gone through when I dialed the 1-800 number. I navigated the menu again and was, again, put on hold for AppleCare's technical support. After 9 minutes on hold my cell phone ran out of power.
I redialed the 1-800 number given and was, again, connected to a low level technician who asked me to verify my first name, last name, full billing address, phone number, e-mail, iMac order information and serial number before she asked me for the reason I was calling. After informing her of the defect, she asked me if I would be interested in purchasing an extended Apple Care warrenty. Strangely, she was unable to see any of my previous calls or the notes left by the individuals I had spoken to previously. She then put me on hold for ten minutes to try to "sort out the details." After, again, coming to the conclusion that I had to be transferred to a product specialist, I was put on hold for 25 minutes before my cordless ran out of power.
I dialed the 1-800 number again - with a land line. This time, I was connected to a low level technician who was able to retrieve my previous tickets and immediately put me on hold for a product specialist. After a 30 minute wait I was transferred to another product specialist who stayed on the line while he connected me to a sales agent. She sent a request to have a label shipped out to me and informed me that this process could take up to a week. This call took 43 minutes and 52 seconds.
The entire process took nearly three hours to sort out.
I am slightly disappointed by the support I received from Apple today, especially given that I ordered this iMac to replace a Macbook with a failed hard drive that I purchased less than a year ago. Customers who receive defective products shouldn't have to navigate through an inscrutable IVR just to be put on hold for ten minutes for a low level technician to put you on hold for another half hour just to be transferred to a product specialist whose job it is to transfer you to a sales agent in order to send a request for a package label *breathe*.
I've purchased 3 Apple computers and 3 iPods in the past year and a half. One of the Macs and one iPod have already died on me and I haven't called or complained once - when it comes to Apple products, I tend to be a glutton for punishment (let's face it, not many vendors come close in terms of harmonizing design and functionality). What transpired today, however, will definitely be at the forefront of my mind when it comes time to upgrade.
I'd like to know if any of you have had a similar experience dealing with Apple's technical support, as well as how Apple stacks up with other vendors (Dell, Acer (Gateway), HP...).
-Alex
