The dawn woke up the sub-editor in me. Length, not content: An article about one customer's woes with defective Apple computers fresh out of the box got an initial response which was a welcome frost from my machine when the temperature in Paris topped the 43 C mark.
What happened then was a lesson in managing to keep friends and — just perhaps? — influencing people.
To sum up the Apple-rant, I've taken delivery of five Macs in about six years. Three of them (two iMacs and a PowerBook) had mechanical problems. When the PowerBook's CD-DVD mechanism wouldn't give back the software installation disk even under torture, that "minor" defect was the last straw.
I posted the tale because it was high time to try to help other customers given cavalier treatment by Cupertino and its foreign offspring.
A gift for a disappointed daughter to make up for cancelled holidays, the Powerbook went to the AppleCare Center in Paris on Monday.
"Please don't make a fuss," the Kid implored. "You know it embarrasses me so!"
"I'll only make a very small one. It's not their fault. The real problems are at the top. Right at the top."
There's nothing like a little fuss to get others telling their own sob stories.
One man lugged in an alarmingly noisy PowerMac. He had the sleeveless jacket and bearing of the professional photo-reporter:
"I buy about 50 a month. Three out of seven need repair."
Still, I told him, "technicians and dealers I've talked to bring it down to around one in 10 for new machines."
"Ah," was his view. "Those are the machines that need totally refurbishing."
After Apple's icebath, I warned that another article was imminent, even sent a draft and a chance to respond to three unanswered questions.
Reminder:
"How do defective Macs like this get on to the market?
"Why is Apple support increasingly often unworthy of the name?
"And what do you, Apple, plan to do about it?"
Exchanges remained courteous, even genuinely cordial, but it would seem that the best the executive relations chief, Apple France, can manage in writing is this (*French at end):
"Sir, "I think that as a journalist you have the right to express yourself in citing the real facts; transformed or interpreted, [they] can be damaging to people who are perhaps not necessarily the cause of your problems. But it's the job and I can't rebuke you. "For my part I don't adhere to this kind of criticism and prefer to find a solution to problems raised. We have a press service to whom you can make known your discontent. "I will thus stick factually to the problem of your 12" Powerbook whose DVD reader ejects badly, according to the recording made on our hotline on 08/08/2003. "In principle this is reparable. to my knowledge, it is not a major problem. i suggest (if nobody has done this already) you drop off the Powerbook at the following address: AppleCare 8 Place Boulnois 75017 Paris "Your machine will be taken in charge and will be returned to you within 48 hours. I remain nevertheless at your disposal in the event you are not satisfied.
Article comments
1 - Phillip Winn
Actually, Dell tries to have a reputation in some parts of turning out finely-crafted machines as well, so the comparison is perhaps more apt than your realize.
I'm astounded to hear of these high failure rates. I've got a 17" iMac, and three of my brothers have recent macs as well (a 15" iMac, a dual-G4 tower, and a 12" PowerBook), and we've all had no problems. Scratch that, after 11 months, my SuperDrive started rejecting CDs, and they replaced it quickly and cheerly, free of charge. So I guess I and my family have so far been lucky.
All companies suck eventually, but Apple has generally sucked less than most. Even given your horrid experience, I still hold Apple is high esteem, for now. :)
2 - Jim Carruthers
You're really Jean-Louis Gassee, aren't you? Go ahead, admit it, I won't tell anybody.
While the failure rate of Apple products isn't higher than other computer makers, it is still too high (a ten percent failure rate is on the low side). However, blaming poor customer service in foreign operations on The Steve isn't right.
While we can debate Insanely Great vs Greatly Insane, what should be discussed is why computers can't be made to be as reliable as a teevee set, microwave oven or breadmaker. Y'know appliances.
3 - taliesin
Fair points, both of you, thanks.
I'm mildly surprised anybody could face a second such piece!
Jim, that Steve must and should delegate responsibility -- though Gassée once had strong views about whether he actually did ;) -- is something I quite agree with. It was in part Cupertino's unwillingness to do this that turned what could have been a great African adventure into a partial failure.
Along with Bill's interest in education (in SA, 1997) and, err, philanthropy.
But does Cupertino allocate sufficient resources to its foreign operations?
I haven't asked the fellow, but I doubt that Gauthier and his colleagues here would have, for a while, sold computers that weren't up to North American standards if they'd had more of a say in the matter.
Thanks for the link -- and your debating topic.
I'm not geek enough to know whether it's possible to make computers as reliable as toasters.
But I certainly wouldn't buy anything but a Mac.
4 - Jim Carruthers
But does Cupertino allocate sufficient resources to its foreign operations?
As a Canadian, I'd have to say "no way, eh?".
I've only ever had one lemon Mac experience, an LC 520 which was fixed promptly and has served for years (despite the promise of an easy upgrade to a Powermac motherboard never materializing -- and the design was so sweet, just a single board that plugged in, and they never used it).
However, of all of the Macs I have bought and registered (let's see, both at home and in workplaces about 20) I've never got an official response from Apple Canada. I did once get a call when I was working a PolyGram Canada, two blocks away from Apple Canada. I was having a wonderful chat with this woman about new products I'd registered, and I mentioned I was only two blocks away. She said she was in Texas. Quel drag. I was a founding member of MAGIC, a Mac based BBS, and in all my years with them, Apple Canada had no clue what to do with their fans and how to treat them as customers. For retailers, generally they are horrid, and you get caught in a ping-pong between distributor and retailer neither of whom really like customers. There is one retailer here in Toronto, where I've spent $5K, who tried to screw me for $45.00. I'll never shop there again.
However, Macs are great, now if we could only get rid of the idiots who sell and service them.
5 - fbz
it's interesting that i had quite a nice time with apple customer service in paris through the same place boulnois address (after calling applecare in the states ahead of time of course, that way my applecare ticket had been opened. also, i brought along my proof of applecare papers when i moved to france). applecare france even replaced my battery which at the time was "no longer a french apple care policy" even though battery replacement for lack of charge time was still covered in the US.
cheers,
fbz