Please read this if you plan on sending feedback to Apple

[whenders0n]

I don't think the retail employees are to blame. Sure, there's a lot of FUD in the forum, and perhaps some of the employees are not telling you the truth (although I think this is the case far less often than this discussion might imply). Let me assure you: the Apple Store employees only want to make you happy. Their only job is to sell you a computer and make you happy about the purchase. Everyone here already wants to buy - so all the employees want or need to do is make us happy. Now that being said they are of course human and perhaps prone to say somethings they shouldn't in the face of the being asked questions they don't know the answers to over and over, in more and more intense (and – if some of the posts on the forum are any indication – threatening) manners.

Thus, the real problem is that everybody wants one and the Apple Stores are being kept completely in the dark as to when everyone can get one. It is a problem that the stores do not get any indication of when their stocks will ship and be received. If Apple is going to play the hype card and build up so much demand, they need to make sure that they have good systems in place to meet the demand or at least supply solid information when that is not possible. If you feel it worthwhile and necessary to submit feedback to Apple, I encourage you to focus on this as your complaint, and not any incidents or anecdotes from Apple Store employees who are not doubt doing their best to make due with nothing to go on. In my view, it is this lack of information that is a failure on Apple's part, and anything else is just mud in the water.

 

[gsmumbo]

Great post. I agree with you 100%. I work at Best Buy so I know how it is to constantly be berated because we don't know when we will get something in. Apple is trying the best that they can but the fact is the retail employees just don't know. If you as a customer won't take that as an answer, then expect some employees to mis-inform you. They should tell the truth that they don't know but not all people handle well under pressure.

 

[Ryuukumori]

Great post. I agree with you 100%. I work at Best Buy so I know how it is to constantly be berated because we don't know when we will get something in. Apple is trying the best that they can but the fact is the retail employees just don't know. If you as a customer won't take that as an answer, then expect some employees to mis-inform you. They should tell the truth that they don't know but not all people handle well under pressure.

DUDE! When you sent in an application to Best Buy online, how long did it take you to get a response from them? Sorry to be off subject here, but I sent 2 applications over the past 8 months and no response.

If it was hard, I might get a job at Guitar Center and learn how to use GB really well on their MBPs (and maybe upcoming MBAs).

 

[whenders0n]

Great post. I agree with you 100%. I work at Best Buy so I know how it is to constantly be berated because we don't know when we will get something in. Apple is trying the best that they can but the fact is the retail employees just don't know. If you as a customer won't take that as an answer, then expect some employees to mis-inform you. They should tell the truth that they don't know but not all people handle well under pressure.

Yeah. This post was partially motivated by my own experience as a Mac Specialist at an Apple Store. My co-workers there were (are) so great - its a really, really awesome place to work and everyone loved nothing but making customers happy.

 

[3nm]

no offense, but you need a topic sentence / thesis statement.

but yeah, in general apple stores' specialists are nice folks.

 

[noservice2001]

sorry... dont agree....

employees are apparently in on it...

 

[whenders0n]

sorry... dont agree....

employees are apparently in on it...

To what end?

 

[noservice2001]

this end...

I don't think the retail employees are to blame.

the Apple Store employees only want to make you happy.

It is a problem that the stores do not get any indication of when their stocks will ship and be received.

for example.. how can the Columbus OH store have stock on early monday AM when there weren't Sunday deliveries?

why was one guy told they only had 4 MBAs when he checked one was a 1.6/80 and the next day the sames sales person recognized him and said all 4 were 1.8/ssd?

 

[treacle]

I was a Mac Genius at Apple and am now an ACN and one of the biggest non corporate customers at my local apple store. They really don't tell employees anything. The only ones who really know are the inventory and management people and they are also under strict orders from apple.

If you guys really wanted a MBA fast you should have ordered on the 15th. I did and now I'm typing on mine.

 

[noservice2001]

If you guys really wanted a MBA fast you should have ordered on the 15th. I did and now I'm typing on mine.

maybe if you lived on the east coast....where you have 24/7 stores.... if you live on a tropical island in the middle of the pacific ocean... the apple corporate store gets things faster....

 

[bjdraw]

I understand that they are usually in the dark, but this is no reason to lie. I reported to Apple that an employee lied to me and down right made me mad, when all he had to say is, "we don't know when we'll get them".

The truth isn't that bad.

 

[kyleen66]

for example.. how can the Columbus OH store have stock on early monday AM when there weren't Sunday deliveries?

It's entirely possible to have deliveries by 8:00 A.M. with FedEx.

That may or may not be the case here, but it's possible if the store doesn't open until 10:00 A.M.

But there does seem to be so many stories running around with the retail stores that it's impossible to get a correct answer out of them. I tend to blame it on being misinformed and/or thinking anything sounds better than "I don't know."

 

[aristobrat]

for example.. how can the Columbus OH store have stock on early monday AM when there weren't Sunday deliveries?

FedEx Priority Overnight Service, the same way the got their iPhones initially resupplied.

 

[roland.g]

It really has nothing to do with demand and hype. Apple annouces product. Lots of people want them. Some people pre-order, some say they'll get the first to arrive at store, maybe think that will be faster, maybe thinking they also want to see a demo unit first. Then Apple starts shipping about 2 weeks later as expected. People foam at the mouth wanting to get their hands on one, calling everyday trying to get status updates of when stock will come in. People are unrelenting in understanding it is a new product and Apple is trying to fill demand through many distribution channels including pre-orders, stores, demos for stores, and other retailers. During ramp up only so many are going to be available right away. And this is certainly not a PSIII or Wii type incident of too much demand that really never gets met. In 2 or 3 weeks Apple Stores and online will have constant availability and this will all be a thing of the past.

 

[roland.g]

FedEx Priority Overnight Service, the same way the got their iPhones initially resupplied.

Apple doesn't get Monday deliveries, they ship Monday for Tuesday, that is why so many products are launched on Tuesday.

 

[aristobrat]

Apple doesn't get Monday deliveries, they ship Monday for Tuesday, that is why so many products are launched on Tuesday.

FWIW, my local Apple store gets deliveries every day except Sunday.

 

[noservice2001]

FWIW, my local Apple store gets deliveries every day except Sunday.

us too...