Apple delivers the best customer service in the business. Again
By The Prodigal Fool, published on 31 March 2010
A few months ago we praised Apple for its superb customer service. After developing a fault with our Mighty Mouse, we called the company for support. They immediately apologized for our inconvenience, shipped a replacement and told us not to bother returning the defective unit. A minor problem admittedly, but one which was resolved in the space of a five minute phone call. No stress, no questions. We were impressed. Very impressed. But we couldn’t help thinking – and remarking in our subsequent post – that surely things wouldn’t be so easy if it was our top of the line MacBook Air that had developed a fault.
Well, last week, we got to find out.
About a month ago, we noticed that the bezel around the screen of our favourite laptop had started to become detached in parts. There was a noticeable gap between the bezel and the screen in about three areas where, if you pushed, you’d find the bezel sticking back to the screen for a second before becoming detached again. Odd. It was a bit like wallpaper after water damage.
We believed that this was some kind of manufacturing defect because our Air has never been mishandled or suffered any kind of drop or knock. Having said that, we were concerned about the response we were going to get from Apple. The unit was still well within the 12 month warranty period but we could see how it would be easy to argue that this sort of ‘damage’ could only be caused by some sort of mistreatment. Had we dropped the unit? Had it got wet? We weren’t looking forward to the confrontation that we thought was inevitable.
Well, the first thing to note about Apple’s customer service is how cleverly it’s organized and scheduled. Not for Apple customers the indignity of queuing for ages or wasting time being passed from pillar to post (both of which we’ve suffered at the hands of Nokia for example). No, Apple has thought this through properly: you book appointments with their genius bar via their website.
Now, admittedly, it was a week before they had a free slot but that didn’t seem the end of the word. When we arrived at the designated time, a helpful store employee greeted us, checked us off her list (they have all appointments listed on their iPod touches), and apologised that they were running a little late. She sat us down in a waiting area and during the 10 minute wait that ensued twice returned to apologise and gives us an update on how much longer she expected it to be. Ten minutes passes quickly when you feel looked after.
So, to the crux of the matter: when we got to the Genius Bar, what was the reaction?
In short, outstanding. The genius examined our Air very carefully before launching into a detailed explanation of the various ways in which this sort of thing can occur on a MacBook Air. If he wasn’t a proper expert in his subject matter, he was doing a very good impression of one. It was unlikely to be a manufacturing defect, he explained, because of the way these screen are made. Much more likely, he said, the damage was the result of the unit being put under pressure (like squashed into a carry-on bad as ours has been on a couple of occasions!). He gave us a slew of examples of the different ways in which customers had caused similar damage to their MacBook Airs. Our heart sank. We hadn’t walked in thinking that this could possibly be our fault but his explanation was sounding plausible. Just as we wondering how expensive a new screen was going to be, our Genius delivered his unexpected conclusion: regardless of how the damage was caused, since the Air was still under warranty, Apple would be happy to replace the screen for us for free. For free. No questions asked. No hassle. No problems.
Now, in all honestly, we still don’t believe that we caused the damage but we can absolutely see that, in Apple eyes, it’s quite possible that we did. So, the fact that they are willingly – happily – going to replace the expensive screen is a superb testament to the company’s approach to customer care.
And here’s the key here: that day was an expensive one for Apple, they’ll have to shoulder the cost of a new screen. But in the long-run, like all good customer service, it’s a worthy investment that will more than pay off for them. We walked out feeling like this company cares about us as a customer long after they’ve cashed our cheque. We walked out more likely than ever to buy from them again, convinced that when you buy into Apple you buy into a premium experience in every regard and happy to recommend them to all our friends. And that includes you dear reader: buy Apple, don’t hesitate. They’re simply the best in the business.
Apple delivers the best customer service in the business. Again
A few months ago we praised Apple for its superb customer service. After developing a fault with our Mighty Mouse, we called the company for support. They immediately apologized for our inconvenience, shipped a replacement and told us not to bother returning the defective unit. A minor problem admittedly, but one which was resolved in [...]
3 Responses to “Apple delivers the best customer service in the business. Again”
-
Mark
19 April 2010
Yes, thats Apple for you. Of course, it is relatively easy to do that for your customers when they pay the equivalent of two laptops for your device.
But, I was happy when my motherboard got replaced years ago in a macbook that had video issues.-
I know what you’re saying about the cost of Apple products. They’re certainly not for everyone for that reason. But I would say that firstly – like for like – they’re not nearly as expensive as they used to be and secondly, I’m very happy to pay a little more for a better all-round ownership experience.
-
The Prodigal Fool
3 April 2010
UPDATE: Having originally told us that the MacBook Air repair would take 2-3 weeks, Apple called just four days after my trip to the Genius Bar to say that it was fixed and ready for collection. Superb.