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Does Apple take feedback submissions seriously?

P

Paper Airplane

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 29, 2016
2
1
Unicorn Candyland
Hi,

I'm sorry if this post is in the wrong forum, but I didn't know where to post it, and my experience does involve a Macbook Pro.

I want to keep this post as ambiguous as possible so that I don't call-out the specific Apple Store that someone and I had problems with.

The short of it is, someone and I had less-than-stellar experiences at a local Apple Store for a Macbook Pro service. I decided to complete and submit a detailed feedback on Apple's site: https://www.apple.com/retail/feedback/

So my question is, does Apple actually read and take store feedbacks seriously?

I know that I'm coming off as entitled with this, but it angers me when someone I care for has a bad experience.

As a side note: Even if Apple doesn't read the feedback, submitting it was a bit cathartic for me. Haha.
 
I've never felt like sending feedback to Apple helps. I've sent in countless bug reports on beta iOS versions and the bugs are rarely fixed. I've stopped bothering to provide feedback now since I don't feel like it does anything.
 
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Sometimes the lack of response can certainly lead people to think that they don't listen or care. Tbh, I have no idea. I've had some interactions with apple, and based on what I sent in, and them contacting me. I'd say they do.
 
Apple does read feedback and take it on board, but based on feedback they it may not be a priority to them..

eg a visual issue (icon messed up, windows etc or non technical issue) will be less priory than bugs reporting via feedback.

At least that's what Apple told me over the phone.
 
I submitted a bug I found in Motion on the Feedback page and wrote I had made a recording of the bug happening if they wanted it. Someone at Apple contacted me a few days later and asked for the movie. Other times, I called Support and had a few back and forths while they tried to identify the bug. At least one bug I found was fixed a couple months later and the most recent one I found I was told engineering had replicated my finding and were still investigating it. So, yes, they do look at the feedback and if it ends up a priority for them, they will contact you. I would imagine an issue with a ProApp would get more attention since the audience is more concentrated and the team wouldn't get nearly as many posts as the iPhone team, for example.

With regards to store feedback, I suppose Apple reads them but because there are so many unreasonable people in the world, I think it would take a bunch of similar major complaints for anything to be done.
 
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In the retail stores, they'll tell you your feedback totally matters but ultimately I think they feel on deaf ears when you actually submit something.

Apple doesn't care about what its users think, that would mean Apple would have to admit it was wrong and made some mistakes and that's something they're generally too proud to do.
 
BillyMatt87 said:
In the retail stores, they'll tell you your feedback totally matters but ultimately I think they feel on deaf ears when you actually submit something.

Apple doesn't care about what its users think, that would mean Apple would have to admit it was wrong and made some mistakes and that's something they're generally too proud to do.
Click to expand...
It's not like they ever did something they said they weren't going to do...like release larger sized phones...
 
maflynn said:
Sometimes the lack of response can certainly lead people to think that they don't listen or care. Tbh, I have no idea. I've had some interactions with apple, and based on what I sent in, and them contacting me. I'd say they do.
Click to expand...
from experience, no they don't (unless it's to benefit them) !
 
They reached back to me several times after I left a feedback about iWork for iOS (Conversion to iOS butchered my old Keynote '09 presentation), sent profiles to install to run diagnostic tests. Another time, I wrote about iOS 12 breaking communication of MacOS X Lion to Camera Roll photos. When I installed IOS 12.4 the issue was gone and in fact Lion still reads iOS 12 Cameral Rolls better than the newer Mavericks.

With that said I do believe that they choose to ignore much more, including feedback about some good but (going to be) killed features.
 
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maverick28 said:
They reached back to me several times after I left a feedback about iWork for iOS (Conversion to iOS butchered my old Keynote '09 presentation), sent profiles to install to run diagnostic tests. Another time, I wrote about iOS 12 breaking communication of MacOS X Lion to Camera Roll photos. When I installed IOS 12.4 the issue was gone and in fact Lion still reads iOS 12 Cameral Rolls better than the newer Mavericks.

With that said I do believe that they choose to ignore much more, including some good but killed features.
Click to expand...

I'm surprise they helped you with Lion, iWork 09' etc.
Are you in USA?

I experienced, both in UK and AUS, for the last 3+ years, all I got was a blunt: "we don't support your old version of OS X, iWork/iPhoto... anymore, as these have been discontinued".
 
rvcasa said:
I'm surprise they helped you with Lion, iWork 09' etc.
Are you in USA?".
Click to expand...

No, I talked about iWork for iOS and that Keynote for iOS failed to correctly open one of my presentations I put many efforts to having it built with Keynote '09 (transitions, smart animations, some fancy builds - all was gone in Keynote for iOS).
 
Sorry but I'm calling BS on the posts where people claim they submitted bugs and never heard feedback. I have an email sitting in my inbox right now letting me know that my wifi issue was addressed in an updated beta and I've also gotten calls (yes legit calls) from Apple from an issue when upgrading to one of their desktop OSs (Sierra maybe?) that I posted on their website.

My guess is the users claiming "Apple doesn't care" either

A. Didn't submit a good bug/feedback report. Many people are guilty of this. The more detail the better.

B. Are talking about an issue many others have had so not everyone gets contacted back but the issue gets fixed in an update.

I get that it's trendy to hate Apple but it's not fair to slam someone for something that isn't accurate.
 
richwoodrocket said:
I've never felt like sending feedback to Apple helps. I've sent in countless bug reports on beta iOS versions and the bugs are rarely fixed. I've stopped bothering to provide feedback now since I don't feel like it does anything.
Click to expand...

No reason for a form, it it didn't do anything. They don't just concentrate on you... they have many problems to face for everyone,
I'm sent feedback to Apple, and things have been fixed in future versions..

(..while in later versions, have failed again)

Most noticeable, the error on iOS reporting when setting up mail that "IMAP server is incorrect" or other server details, but you know they are because when you ignore, Apple mail connects ok anyway. (mostly happens I believe with Gmail and Apple mail app), so hopefully they have finally fixed that, and it will not be repeated.
 
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If I have a store issue -as I did with Apple 5th Avenue in December 2016- I emailed Tim Cook with a firm yet polite detailed list of the three failed iPhone activation attempts and how rude & unprofessional the staff were to me.

Almost a month later, the 5th Avenue store leader reached out and wanted to make things right. He did.

As far as current feedback, I will definitely send something through that form, but I have to email the brass again about hardware issues that I hope they will resolve. Again, I will be firm but polite.

Apple have almost always made things right in my case, which is why I've continued to use their tech. I am rather hesitant to upgrade anything right now though given recent experiences.
 
I’ve submitted feedback before and to be honest it does seem like a waste of time.

If you had a bad store experience though I’d definitely email the store, or if there’s no email I’d ask to speak to a manager at the store itself. The online forms and feedback apps probably go into some kind of global pool where everything is averaged out and not auctioned individually.
 
Believe it or not, apple is a business. apple has grown into a huge multinational company with many levels of support etc.

Feedback submission is always good. Whether it falls on deaf ears depends on who is on the job during their minimum wage shift or whether the person wants to make the effort to do their job (or just get through their shift and go to Starbucks after with friends). Typical things...

It depends who reads, or takes the call. Nothing new...
 
If you complete a post-retail store survey, they are flagged accordingly. The store and district management takes feedback very serious. The employees see their feedback as well.
 
Paper Airplane said:
Hi,

I'm sorry if this post is in the wrong forum, but I didn't know where to post it, and my experience does involve a Macbook Pro.

I want to keep this post as ambiguous as possible so that I don't call-out the specific Apple Store that someone and I had problems with.

The short of it is, someone and I had less-than-stellar experiences at a local Apple Store for a Macbook Pro service. I decided to complete and submit a detailed feedback on Apple's site: https://www.apple.com/retail/feedback/

So my question is, does Apple actually read and take store feedbacks seriously?

I know that I'm coming off as entitled with this, but it angers me when someone I care for has a bad experience.

As a side note: Even if Apple doesn't read the feedback, submitting it was a bit cathartic for me. Haha.
Click to expand...
Based on some of the replies to this thread, I assumed you hit a bug. Apple definitely takes Store feedback seriously.

My advice, don't give any stratified answers. You were either satisfied or you weren't. 0 or 10.
 
They do matter. Apple does listen, but it depends on what types of feedback you give them.

I had quite a few times when watching product launches or WWDCs, and when Crag or someone else says something, and I jump, wholly smoothie that's ME!. They changed it!

They probably judge based on priority, feasibility, cost of change, impact on users and impact on products.

If your feedback is just an opinion like the scrollbar is too bright or too round..., etc. Then they will probably take note and fail through the cracks.

If your feedback points out a real reason why Apple Maps fails in Shanghai (e.g.) for a very specific reason and why that reason renders it impractical to use, and it is verifiable and plausible, and how they can very easily fix that issue, then they, for sure, will act on it.

Also, please do note that there is a difference between store/retail feedbacks and technical feedbacks. I've only made technical feedbacks, so I don't know how retail feedbacks are handled. To me, if I have a complaint, I will just complain until I am satisfied. The store resolution manager will deal with you and if you are articulate you defend your case well with rules, Apple guidelines, contracts, and local consumer laws, then they will always give you a formal response, which you can either take or refute further. Apple is a big company and its retail employees are very well trained. You don't even need to take them to court most of the time, they just know what works and what doesn't. Due process is held in all cases.
 
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They wrote back to me several times in the course of the last 12 months but that was mostly iWork for iOS team and one time this year considering issues loading certain fonts on the iWork for iCloud site in Safari 9.1.3 from the responsible team. I never got messages from other teams.
 
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