Awful Apple Experience

[martin9000]

I want to share with you my bad experience with Apple and I would be interested in hearing if other users have experienced similar problems in the USA, UK and elsewhere.

Below is a copy of an email I have sent to Tim Cook, I know it is doubtful that he will read it but I want to share it anyway as no one at Apple has responded to my complaint.

"Recent poor customer service in Manchester, UK

Dear Mr Cook,

I am not expecting you to read this but I sincerely hope someone in Apple does digest the following because what happened reflects badly on your company.

I am writing to you regarding my negative experiences with Apple over the last couple of days in the hope that you will identify areas within your business that clearly need improvement.

I went to the apple store in Manchester (uk) 0n Tuesday 28th October 2014 to buy a new macbook pro as my old 17" is showing it's age, I wanted to ask a few questions before I decided to buy and the first assistant(1) i spoke to lacked the knowledge to provide me with any answers (I have used macs for many years). I was passed on to another assistant(2) but he had to ask someone else to come over and so assistant(3) answered some of my questions and went away.
After getting the answers I needed I decided to go ahead and buy a new macbook pro.

When the box was brought out I asked if the software was up to date...
The assistant(2) did not know but said that the computer could be updated in the store after purchase.

The Yosemite operating system has been out for a while now and you would expect a new computer, bought from an apple store at great expense (15" macbook pro £1,999) to be up to date and ready to go..... it wasn't.

I decided to buy anyway and thought it would not take long to update.
So I paid for the mac and it was put on a table and switched on.
Yosemite then began to install.

During this period the assistant(2) to my astonishment went off to attend to another customer and passed me off to another assistant(4), this new assistant(4) was like the others; lacking in knowledge (I still had many questions).

I have worked in retail in the past and know that leaving a customer mid way through serving them could be a sackable offence, it is extremely poor customer service and you simply do not it, it is just plain rude and shows contempt for the customer.

I let the assistant(4) know that I was not happy with the situation and that I want to deal with the person (assistant(2)) who had just taken my money and then gone off to deal with another customer when he wasn't finished serving me (I was waiting to ask him about purchasing some cables on top of the purchase I had just made)

Assistant(4) was rather rude and I had to politely remind her that the customer is always right, so she went off in a huff, without apologising, to get assistant(2).
Assistant(2) returned and I don't recall him apologising either, at this point I just wanted to get out of the place with my new, hopefully up to date, computer.

The installation of Yosemite took an eternity and it then transpired that several programs, that are standard on a mac, also needed updating.

My apple ID had been asked for when the installation began and it was accepted without any problems but when I tried to update the programs there was a problem with my ID, it was not accepted. This was puzzling as it had worked fine up to that point. I then had to wait while assistant(2) went to the rear of the store to find out what was going on. He eventually returned and said the problem was fixed.

At that point I just wanted to leave because the updating of the software was taking too long and I decided to do the rest at home.
I bought the cables (£37.95) then left and decided I would finish all the updating the next day.

The next day I started updating but there were problems and I kept getting error messages so I kept having to restart and try again (I lost count of how many times I did this), I also purchased a program from the app store without difficulty (Pixelmator £20.99). Then I tried to buy another app (Logic) but the app store would not accept payment.

The next day I continued updating and went to my bank to see if there were any problems with my account, there weren't.

Now begins my fruitless attempt to get the problem sorted with apple.

I tried phoning several times but was stuck in a queue each time, I used up most of my phone credit (I estimate I used £10), I just could not get through and kept having to hang up in the hope that I would not have to wait so long the next time I tried.

I then tried contacting apple on line and was told someone would phone me.
I spent most of the afternoon being transferred from one person to another and waiting in phone queues, I spoke to 5 different people, 2 of which assured me that the problem was fixed, it was not.

As of now the problem is still not fixed, it is a problem at apple's end, I know this for certain as I have used my card with other retailers on line without a problem.

As it stands I am not going to buy anything from the app store/itunes (it won't let me...) and the physical store again and I plan to tell everyone who will listen to and read this tale of woe to think twice before using Apple.

You have lost £139.99 (the price of Logic) and £199.99 (Final Cut Pro) - these are the two apps I would have bought but apple don't appear to want my business I will also no longer download music from itunes.

A lot of people ask me advice on what are the best solutions in both hardware and software, I will tell them of my negative experience with your company and provide them with the best possible solution which presently Apple can not provide.

Sincerely,

Mr *******

 

[farmkittie]

Whenever I buy a new Mac I just take it home and set it up, download any new software updates, reboot if necessary, check to see if there are any more updates that show up after installing the first ones,...lather...rinse...repeat.

Whenever I couldn't log in with my Apple password, I would reset if necessary, after which I could log in.

If you make an appointment at the genius bar, I'm sure they will be happy to help you.

You sound pretty frustrated at this point. I'm sorry to hear that. I think probably your new laptop might have been manufactured, loaded, and boxed before Yosemite launched. It's only been a short time.

 

[AppleDApp]

Be sure to call the local news outlet and tell em all about it.

 

[Astroboy907]

Just FYI, but the assistants probably left you after you tried to download Yosemite because it is a 4+ GB file. Meaning that, even with the best internet, it probably would have taken an hour to download, and at least another half to install.

Being in retail for as long as you have, I'm sure that you would realize that if a customer basically said, "hold on, I'm going to wait here for an hour and a half, waiting for something to download", you would assume that for the next hour at least they do not need your attention, and perhaps go and help other paying customers?

Also realize that MacBook Pros have been manufactured months in advance. Assuming that a random one in a retail store would be completely up to date is illogical, as stock probably hasn't turned over yet. With a price of £1999, I'm sure they are not flying off the shelves...

 

[martin9000]

Illogical?

Apple are advertising macbook pro's on their website as having Yosemite, not Mavericks, their advertising should not misrepresent the products they are selling, I think a look at the "Misrepresentation of Goods Act 1967" might be in order.

 

[firedept]

I do not fully understand your logic. You buy the computer and are told it has to be updated. With the knowledge you state that you have of these machines, then you are aware of how long a process this is going to most likely be time wise.

Yes it was wrong to be handed from one rep to the next, I have to agree with you on that point. The original rep should have been wise enough to tell you though how long it was going to take and offered you some suggestions about leaving it with them and coming back later or the next day.

But you should have been wise enough to realize that as well, and when not suggested to you by the rep, then you suggest it to them. Could have saved yourself a lot of frustration.

 

[pappy53]

Apple are advertising macbook pro's on their website as having Yosemite, not Mavericks, their advertising should not misrepresent the products they are selling, I think a look at the "Misrepresentation of Goods Act 1967" might be in order.

Yeah, that is the thing to do. /smh

 

[martin9000]

I do not fully understand your logic. You buy the computer and are told it has to be updated. With the knowledge you state that you have of these machines, then you are aware of how long a process this is going to most likely be time wise.

Yes it was wrong to be handed from one rep to the next, I have to agree with you on that point. The original rep should have been wise enough to tell you though how long it was going to take and offered you some suggestions about leaving it with them and coming back later or the next day.

But you should have been wise enough to realize that as well, and when not suggested to you by the rep, then you suggest it to them. Could have saved yourself a lot of frustration.

The point I was making was that Apple have a responsibility to sell the product they are advertising, ie Yosemite, not Mavericks.
I was also led to believe that updating would not take long and I assumed (incorrectly) that, as it was an official Apple store, this would be done either by ethernet or thunderbolt and not wifi.

 

[AppleDApp]

The point I was making was that Apple have a responsibility to sell the product they are advertising, ie Yosemite, not Mavericks.
I was also led to believe that updating would not take long and I assumed (incorrectly) that, as it was an official Apple store, this would be done either by ethernet or thunderbolt and not wifi.

Apple store never update over ethernet

You have no ground on this one. Tim won't pay for your computer.

 

[martin9000]

Apple store never update over ethernet

You have no ground on this one. Tim won't pay for your computer.

Can you point out where I asked for Tim to pay for my computer?
.......
Didn't think so.

If you think that spending over $3,200 USD for such a poor service is acceptable and I should go away meekly and not complain because I have no 'ground' then perhaps you should think again.

 

[Astroboy907]

The point I was making was that Apple have a responsibility to sell the product they are advertising, ie Yosemite, not Mavericks.
I was also led to believe that updating would not take long and I assumed (incorrectly) that, as it was an official Apple store, this would be done either by ethernet or thunderbolt and not wifi.

By your logic that means Apple owes me copies of the newest iLife, as well as Final Cut X and Logic.
Just because they advertise Yosemite doesn't mean it will automatically be on your macbook. They are advertising Yosemite as an upgrade. And on their website, I'm sure that they are advertising new MacBooks bought from the online store have Yosemite installed. The rules are different for retail outlets...

I see your point about service but I just don't see this as something to get this worked up about. Crap happens in retail and people make mistakes. Yeah, we all expect 100% service but there are some times we've got to suck it up and live with other peoples mistakes. At least give them another shot at fixing it...

 

[phrehdd]

Just FYI, but the assistants probably left you after you tried to download Yosemite because it is a 4+ GB file. Meaning that, even with the best internet, it probably would have taken an hour to download, and at least another half to install.

Being in retail for as long as you have, I'm sure that you would realize that if a customer basically said, "hold on, I'm going to wait here for an hour and a half, waiting for something to download", you would assume that for the next hour at least they do not need your attention, and perhaps go and help other paying customers?

Also realize that MacBook Pros have been manufactured months in advance. Assuming that a random one in a retail store would be completely up to date is illogical, as stock probably hasn't turned over yet. With a price of £1999, I'm sure they are not flying off the shelves...

There is zero reason an Apple store can't have a copy of the OS ready to go that is no different than a server install to a client machine. It would be seriously suspect if any "repairs" or fixes made at an Apple store depended on the Internet.

As for passing off a customer, it is done all the time and supposedly Apple Store assistants etc. are all* well versed. I don't doubt that the customer might have required more than typical help but that doesn't mean Apple, with its boast of great customer service should either treat a customer poorly OR* give the impression of treating them poorly.

As for me, I always find it peculiar that rarely can an Apple Store staff member really help me. They simply don't know beyond the basics and usually have a couple of 'advanced' knowledge staffers that they call to provide support for serious user customer base.

 

[Caromsoft]

I had a very similar experience when I purchased a 2011 iMac for my girlfriend. Lion had been out for months so I assumed any machine purchased at an Apple Store would have it. Imagine my surprise when I started it up and found Snow Leopard. I tried updating it myself but there was an issue with the serial number. Upset, my girlfriend and I drove it back to the store, where I was told it would take at least an hour to upgrade it! The person helping us suggested we not wait, but come back!

So we walked around the mall, did some window shopping, ate a nice dinner, and had a nice date night. When we returned the upgrade was nearly finished. The upgrade was free, and we left happy. Since then we have purchased two Macbook Pros, two iPads, and two iPhones.

If you let one bad experience in the space of an hour influence the rest of your life you will end up a very unhappy person.

 

[AppleDApp]

Can you point out where I asked for Tim to pay for my computer?
.......
Didn't think so.

If you think that spending over $3,200 USD for such a poor service is acceptable and I should go away meekly and not complain because I have no 'ground' then perhaps you should think again.

Do you go about ranting every time someone isn't holding your hand?

 

[tech4all]

Apple are advertising macbook pro's on their website as having Yosemite, not Mavericks, their advertising should not misrepresent the products they are selling, I think a look at the "Misrepresentation of Goods Act 1967" might be in order.

I used to work retail and remember "those" type of customers. You would always hope they would never comeback.

 

[nebo1ss]

Apple store never update over ethernet

You have no ground on this one. Tim won't pay for your computer.

There is no reason why Apple should update using the internet, they should have a USB 3 drive that they can install from.

 

[AppleDApp]

There is no reason why Apple should update using the internet, they should have a USB 3 drive that they can install from.

They have drives at the genius bar to do so.

 

[mac*]

Pretty sure we can all agree martin9000 is the problem. Buy some IT consulting if the basics of computing is a frustrating endeavor for you.

 

[Pjrufus]

Could the Apple Store folks have handled this differently? Maybe. But after reading this and other posts by the OP, my guess is the store employees couldn't wait to get away as fast as possible. They were probably in the back room drawing straws to see who would get stuck with him.

If you want help from people, try being a little less indignant and demanding.

 

[Tsuchiya]

Hi everyone,

I want to share with you my bad experience with Apple and I would be interested in hearing if other users have experienced similar problems in the USA, UK and elsewhere.

Below is a copy of an email I have sent to Tim Cook, I know it is doubtful that he will read it but I want to share it anyway as no one at Apple has responded to my complaint.

"Recent poor customer service in Manchester, UK

Dear Mr Cook,

I am not expecting you to read this but I sincerely hope someone in Apple does digest the following because what happened reflects badly on your company.

I am writing to you regarding my negative experiences with Apple over the last couple of days in the hope that you will identify areas within your business that clearly need improvement.

I went to the apple store in Manchester (uk) 0n Tuesday 28th October 2014 to buy a new macbook pro as my old 17" is showing it's age, I wanted to ask a few questions before I decided to buy and the first assistant(1) i spoke to lacked the knowledge to provide me with any answers (I have used macs for many years). I was passed on to another assistant(2) but he had to ask someone else to come over and so assistant(3) answered some of my questions and went away.
After getting the answers I needed I decided to go ahead and buy a new macbook pro.

When the box was brought out I asked if the software was up to date...
The assistant(2) did not know but said that the computer could be updated in the store after purchase.

The Yosemite operating system has been out for a while now and you would expect a new computer, bought from an apple store at great expense (15" macbook pro £1,999) to be up to date and ready to go..... it wasn't.

I decided to buy anyway and thought it would not take long to update.
So I paid for the mac and it was put on a table and switched on.
Yosemite then began to install.

During this period the assistant(2) to my astonishment went off to attend to another customer and passed me off to another assistant(4), this new assistant(4) was like the others; lacking in knowledge (I still had many questions).

I have worked in retail in the past and know that leaving a customer mid way through serving them could be a sackable offence, it is extremely poor customer service and you simply do not it, it is just plain rude and shows contempt for the customer.

I let the assistant(4) know that I was not happy with the situation and that I want to deal with the person (assistant(2)) who had just taken my money and then gone off to deal with another customer when he wasn't finished serving me (I was waiting to ask him about purchasing some cables on top of the purchase I had just made)

Assistant(4) was rather rude and I had to politely remind her that the customer is always right, so she went off in a huff, without apologising, to get assistant(2).
Assistant(2) returned and I don't recall him apologising either, at this point I just wanted to get out of the place with my new, hopefully up to date, computer.

The installation of Yosemite took an eternity and it then transpired that several programs, that are standard on a mac, also needed updating.

My apple ID had been asked for when the installation began and it was accepted without any problems but when I tried to update the programs there was a problem with my ID, it was not accepted. This was puzzling as it had worked fine up to that point. I then had to wait while assistant(2) went to the rear of the store to find out what was going on. He eventually returned and said the problem was fixed.

At that point I just wanted to leave because the updating of the software was taking too long and I decided to do the rest at home.
I bought the cables (£37.95) then left and decided I would finish all the updating the next day.

The next day I started updating but there were problems and I kept getting error messages so I kept having to restart and try again (I lost count of how many times I did this), I also purchased a program from the app store without difficulty (Pixelmator £20.99). Then I tried to buy another app (Logic) but the app store would not accept payment.

The next day I continued updating and went to my bank to see if there were any problems with my account, there weren't.

Now begins my fruitless attempt to get the problem sorted with apple.

I tried phoning several times but was stuck in a queue each time, I used up most of my phone credit (I estimate I used £10), I just could not get through and kept having to hang up in the hope that I would not have to wait so long the next time I tried.

I then tried contacting apple on line and was told someone would phone me.
I spent most of the afternoon being transferred from one person to another and waiting in phone queues, I spoke to 5 different people, 2 of which assured me that the problem was fixed, it was not.

As of now the problem is still not fixed, it is a problem at apple's end, I know this for certain as I have used my card with other retailers on line without a problem.

As it stands I am not going to buy anything from the app store/itunes (it won't let me...) and the physical store again and I plan to tell everyone who will listen to and read this tale of woe to think twice before using Apple.

You have lost £139.99 (the price of Logic) and £199.99 (Final Cut Pro) - these are the two apps I would have bought but apple don't appear to want my business I will also no longer download music from itunes.

A lot of people ask me advice on what are the best solutions in both hardware and software, I will tell them of my negative experience with your company and provide them with the best possible solution which presently Apple can not provide.

Sincerely,

Mr *******

You're the kind of customer which makes me glad I've left retail behind. Regarding your in-store experiences:

1) The MacBook Pro in question was released prior to Yosemite so short of staff physically ripping open a brand new machine and doing a manual installation, how was the software meant to magically appear? Regarding the download itself, consider that there are usually two networks in the standard Apple Store. One "Demo" and one "Store". They both run a little slow considering every machine on the shop floor is connected to one of them and the other is being used by almost every customer in there.

2) You weren't being fobbed off or passed along to the second assistant. Apple Stores have a "Personal Setup" table specifically for this kind of thing and staff which are scheduled to help customers there. It's just part of the customers journey, Specialists in the Red Zone simply facilitate questions and process sales. Personal Setup is there to merely get you up and running not answer in depth software questions.

3) Leaving a customer is not a sackable offence. You will be passed to the appropriate member of staff who is given a designated area of the store depending on their schedule. The customer is always right? Here you clearly aren't.

 

[Renzatic]

Apple are advertising macbook pro's on their website as having Yosemite, not Mavericks, their advertising should not misrepresent the products they are selling, I think a look at the "Misrepresentation of Goods Act 1967" might be in order.

That depends. Are you talking about Apple.com, as in the computers you order directly from the website, or the physical Apple Store site?

 

[AX338]

Always one.

 

[VI™]

I for one would not want Yosemite right now with the bugs that are being reported. I'd prefer to have a computer that works.