Would you speak up?

[Patriot24]

Situation: you are at the Apple store and overhear/see another customer purchasing a product that you know (according to rumors, anyway) is due for refresh imminently. Do you say anything?

I was in the store today playing with an Air to pass the time while the wife was shopping for clothes down the way. A family was shopping for a notebook for their daughter that is going to college in the fall. They were purchasing a 13" Air. The salesperson did inform them about Lion, but of course can't comment on rumors of refresh, etc.

I thought about casually mentioning that the Airs are due for refresh anytime...but I didn't. Ultimately I decided that they seemed very excited about their purchase and didn't seem to care much about specs. I didn't want to rain on their parade or put the salesperson in a situation where it appeared he was not knowledgable or misleading the customer. Also, if the refresh comes later than expected I could have really inconvenienced them.

I think the only time I would actually say something would be if I overheard a customer specifically ask about refresh or spec bumps and I had something decent to go on. I would definitely caveat that I don't have firsthand knowledge and that I am operating exclusively off of rumors on the Internet. It might sound kind of goofy to someone that isn't in tune with the whole Mac rumor scene - "I read on the interwebs..."

Have you/would you ever say something? How did it go?

 

[WillEH]

I'm the kind of person who would say something, but then again I'm not super techy, so I'd struggle explaning to the person why they should wait. I'd be like, "just wait, a new one is coming out soon!!"

 

[ibcj]

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Yes I'd say something, but preferably not in the presence of the employee. Actually I've mentioned things like this before. Let the decision be with an educated consumer.

 

[sporadicMotion]

I've done it three times. Only once did the person care. The average user isn't going to notice. The average user doesn't give 2 hoots about what's in it.

 

[barryf43]

I actually had that situation several months ago, right before the refreshed MBPs came out. I ran into a friend at an Apple Store helping his friend, whom I didn't know, buy a MBP. There were rumors of a refresh coming virtually any day, which turned out to be true. However, I decided not to interfere. Like you, I didn't want to put the salesman in a bad spot, nor my friend. Plus, I didn't know the guy, and if he's willing to buy the laptop without doing his homework, so be it. Now, if it had been my friend who was buying the laptop ...

 

[And1ss]

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Yes I'd say something, but preferably not in the presence of the employee. Actually I've mentioned things like this before. Let the decision be with an educated consumer.

If the customer seems completely clueless, then I might do the same as this poster, but I'd say my thing as neutral as it sounds.

 

[urkel]

I'll say it if theres 3 people in line in front of me and I know there's only 2 iPads available.

Other than that, what people buy is none of my business. Stores have return policies if someone really feel ripped off, but for the most part the average consumer doesn't know or doesn't care.

 

[XX55XX]

I did it at a Best Buy once. Warned a guy that new Intel processors (Core Duo) were coming out in a few weeks and told him to avoid the Pentium M. He brushed me off.

 

[FX4568]

Definitely.
When 65 year old grandpa was saying that the MBA wasn't good enough for his needs, I told him to give it a try.
He called me 10 days later and said thanks and gave me 20 bucks felt good helping someone ^^

 

[PaulWog]

I've never had to actually do this... but I guess I would if the person seemed approachable. There's always the risk (as mentioned above) of the situation being annoying/awkward/pointless, if the person simply doesn't care about what you say... or doesn't understand... or doesn't want to get advice from you.

I've found that ignorance is usually bliss, though. People tend to enjoy their product so long as they don't do their research, and don't in the near future after purchasing their product do their research. So long as they are in the dark, the product is usually enjoyable (unless if they start having major problems). I doubt the daughter will get the 13 inch Macbook Air and start going "jeez there isn't enough processing power in this laptop!".

 

[Patriot24]

I've never had to actually do this... but I guess I would if the person seemed approachable. There's always the risk (as mentioned above) of the situation being annoying/awkward/pointless, if the person simply doesn't care about what you say... or doesn't understand... or doesn't want to get advice from you.

I've found that ignorance is usually bliss, though. People tend to enjoy their product so long as they don't do their research, and don't in the near future after purchasing their product do their research. So long as they are in the dark, the product is usually enjoyable (unless if they start having major problems). I doubt the daughter will get the 13 inch Macbook Air and start going "jeez there isn't enough processing power in this laptop!".

Yeah, that was my conclusion (ignorance is bliss). I love helping people, so it was really a question of whether or not it was my business to say anything. In this specific case, I knew that they probably couldn't care less about specs. She was so happy to be getting a Mac. It would've been a shame for me to take some of that away from her with my nosiness IMO.

 

[swingerofbirch]

I've done it at best buy after the sales person leaves. But it's to correct all the misinformation they've given. The last time I was there the salesperson told the woman that Mac batteries don't last long and a replacement battery is a few hundred dollars. He also was trying to sell her on some Mac antivirus software (don't remember the name). It seemed like he was not even interested in talking out of his a** in a way that would have encouraged her to make a purchase. Seemed odd to me. On the other hand, the woman had a laundry list of complaints about the last computer she bought, and she kept yammering onto the salesperson about some computer she bought somewhere else and everything that was wrong with it. With this woman, I tried to correct the information about the battery, but I never got a second when the sales person was away. Other times, I've talked to customers and talked to them at greater lengths about Macs.

I don't go to Apple Stores, so no experience there. If I did, I would advise a fellow customer of updates, and I'd probably even do it in front of a sales person, as long as the sales person and customer weren't still having a conversation.

 

[FieldingMellish]

You never know if that buyer had a plan in mind. Maybe it was crucial to get a computer. I once had an issue when my mac laptop went kablooey and I needed something fast. Bought a Mac laptop, never thinking about product cycles. As it happened, a refresh occurred the VERY NEXT DAY. I found out and was so cheerfully met when I called about an exchange. But it goes to show that a person might have extenuating circumstances that a do-gooder's intervention could have been an annoyance.

 

[palpatine]

i'd tell them about the refresh. but, i wouldn't give them advice. i'd just say that current mba owners give it rave reviews, and for many people will be more than enough of a machine for years to come, but there is a refresh due any day if they want to wait and see it. either way they are getting a great computer.

 

[flycats]

I'd very likely say something, probably in front of the apple employee just to see how he/she responds.

The others are right though. I think the typical buyer will just continue on with the purchase.

 

[TrollToddington]

I don't care what other people buy / want to buy. If no-one asks for my opinion I'd rather stay silent. After all, information costs money, and they are not spending my money after all.

 

[Wormald]

There's no harm in quickly telling someone what you know - it's up to them to make their choice.

Might be a bit awkward for everyone involved, but wouldn't you like to be informed if you were the rookie buyer on the cusp of a purchase?

 

[redhot47fl]

Definitely.
When 65 year old grandpa was saying that the MBA wasn't good enough for his needs, I told him to give it a try.
He called me 10 days later and said thanks and gave me 20 bucks felt good helping someone ^^

FX, a bit OT but did Grandpa buy the 11" or the 13"? I ask because I'm a 65-year-old grandpa who's poised to buy the refreshed 11", though I have lingering concerns about the 11" screen size for old guys like me.

 

[ZipZap]

I did it 2 weeks ago. Apple sales person was pushing...and then stepped aside for a second. I simply told the women that new models were due in the next month (or so) and if she could wait...might be worth it.

 

[Oppressed]

I had a similar situation happen to me just yesterday. A girl was going to college this fall and needed a notebook to travel to class and to use the Office suite on it. Even though she commented on how light the Air was the employee steered her towards the MBP claiming the specs would blow the air out of the water. I wanted to speak up on several issues such as the ease of taking it to class and that she wouldn't need the extra specs for just Office, and the fact that they were going to be refreshed soon. I decided against it this time, but I may change my mind next time.

 

[maclaptop]

Why stick your nose in someone else's business. Certainly you must have better things to do, than to get involved in something that does not involve you.

Or then again, perhaps you don't. I know some old ladies that have nothing better to do than give their opinion and get into places they don't belong.

They thrive on the chaos it brings.

 

[vodouman]

Put yourself in the position of the person buying it.

If someone came up to you in the shop when you were about to buy something and told you the product you were about to buy is old or *insert reason here*.

It is cringe-worthy.

This happened to me in an airport once; I was late leaving my house for a plane so my girlfriend and I rushed into the quietest shop we could find to grab some sandwiches and drinks for the flight as we had to skip breakfast and lunch.

I grabbed a paper, a drink and a prawn mayo sandwich, all of a sudden this guy taps me on the shoulder and starts insisting that I choose a different sandwich because he was just looking at them and the date was almost out. I felt awkwardly obliged to obey him as he stood around waiting for me to put it back as he told me about the perils of airport food and having food poisoning.

Don't be that guy.

 

[Cheffy Dave]

FX, a bit OT but did Grandpa buy the 11" or the 13"? I ask because I'm a 65-year-old grandpa who's poised to buy the refreshed 11", though I have lingering concerns about the 11" screen size for old guys like me.

Well, I'm 63, love my 11" MBA, have no problem with the screen size,on that or my iPad, love them both.

 

[Akamatsu]

Didn't do it

I was at the Apple store in Tokyo (Shibuya) around the last half of May and a young woman was buying a MacBook Air. I was tempted, but kept my mouth shut. I'm glad I did, because had i done so, and she would have heeded my warning, she would still be waiting.

 

[ritmomundo]

It happened to me once at a Best Buy, just before the 2010 MBA update. I was playing with the old model MBA, and a lady was interested in buying it. Of course I knew that something should be coming out soon thanks to MR, so I showed the lady MR's Buyer's Guide on one of the machines there, and where it said "Do not buy, updates soon," but I dont think she understood, or really even cared, about what I was showing her. She actually looked at me like I was some kind of weirdo. Oh well, it made me feel good that I tried at least. I would have regretted walking away, knowing that I could've said something and didn't. I think 2 weeks later, the new ones came out. Oh well, sucks for her.