I’m an Apple user. I don’t think everyone in the world needs Apple products and I won’t try to convince you to to buy overpriced, shiny gadgets. That said, I will tell you why I love this company.
Today, I scheduled an appointment to have my iPhone and AppleTV checked out – both of which were having issues. As I was driving towards Kenwood Mall, where the Apple store is located, I noticed traffic was especially terrible. Things became clear when I saw that the traffic lights near the mall were not working. Eventually, I got into the mall parking lot and I was on my way in for my appointment.
But the mall wasn’t normal. All of the stores to my right were normal, but all of the stores to my left had no electricity. It hit me as strange. Half with power, and half without. The majority of stores without electricity had pulled down their gates and the employees were sitting in a dark space looking confused. That’s when it hit me…dangit…the Apple store is on the left too. They’re not going to be able to help me and I’ve just driven 30 minutes for nothing. I thought I’d better check it out and see if the power would come back on soon.
Then I walked up on this scene…
A store without power, dark and closed, but all of it’s employees outside trying to help people. As I looked around, I noticed more and more Apple employees all over the place. Many of them had taken customers with computer problems to working electrical outlets all over the mall. Just because they couldn’t fix the computer in their store, or sell anything, didn’t mean they weren’t going to help their customers.
I walked to the food court and there were Apple employees everywhere. They had devices plugged in anywhere they could find power, and they were fixing people’s computer/iPad/iPhone problems on the fly. It was impressive. Especially compared to all the other stores who had locked everything up and took the opportunity to NOT help anyone.
Apparently the electricity was out for over two hours. It came back on while I was there. I went back to the Apple store and there was a massive line of angry people. The crowd was eventually calmed by hoards of Apple employees who went person to person to see if they could help with whatever needs right then. A guy came up to me and fixed my phone and another guy’s phone at the exact same time. Then, they took me inside the store, and replaced my AppleTV for free even though their system still wasn’t up and running.
And that is why I love the Apple company.
That makes me an all warm and fuzzy Apple user. <3
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I’m already a big Apple fan. Everything I’ve ever bought from them has been about 95% flawless in design and function. No other gadget comes close.
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Another reason why I love this company!!
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And people wonder why I love Apple. I’ll gladly pay more for their brand of customer service, thanks…
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I love Apple products but was disheartened to hear the This American Life podcast where they visit Foxconn in China and reveal mistreatment of workers.
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Dl says:
February 17th, 2012 at 10:45 pm
@Scissorbill, They didn’t report mistreatment of workers, the report will be out in a month. Look up Foxconn.com or Wikipedia to see all of the companies that use Foxconn to make so many of our products, Apple is only one.
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The Guy says:
February 18th, 2012 at 4:29 pm
@Dl, The Fair Labor Association (FLA) states that Apple is the only consumer electronics company to meet their strict standards. Not only that, but they have some of the best off-shore labor conditions out of any company in the world.
Stop listening to the Media and actually read the report when it’s released. Sadly, you’re referencing speculation. Cherry-on-top: ScissorBill is correct.
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I was at a mall one time when the fire alarm went off. As we walked around outside we were upset to see how many stores still had employees and patrons inside (restaurants, department stores, etc.) Those that had left were mostly standing around by the doors. We were very happy to see that the Apple employees actually had all left as a group and had been waiting on the far side of the parking lot. Nice to see that at least one company had a procedure in place that took everyone’s safety into account.
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Yes they have the best Customer Service I’ve ever seen, when my Samsung phone started on fire, in my pocket, burned me and started my oxygen tube on fire, which thankfully was put out before it exploded and killed or hurt us all badly, the only response that I got was that AT&T would prorate the Iphone4S for me, my first and now not last Apple device so I guess I should thanks Samsung for the Apple phone not being burned It was very scary..
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How the hell are they able to hire the best people right “down” to that level of the company? I remember reading that someone handed Steve Jobs an organization chart and he just tossed it out. Maybe they see every role as important and want “a-players” from top to bottom. It seems to even be true for their foreign suppliers and manufacturers. I mean, they have paid for the education of 60,000 assembly workers. Inspiring.
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While Apple products are overpriced, they have the best build quality and customer service to support it. Old MBP lasted 6+ years (still going) with no major issues. They also replaced my old laptop charger and my girlfriend’s broken iPod without hesitation. That’s why I keep coming back to them.
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Thought you might find this video interesting…
your example is the implementation of Apple’s belief core.
Interesting!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4ZoJKF_VuA
charmedbychoice.blogspot.com
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They aren’t “overpriced” – they are priced for the value they deliver. At $499, my iPad was a bargain for what i’ve been able to do with it.
Your mileage may vary, of course – in which case you may not value it as much as others. If you look at the bill of materials – their competitors can’t even BUILD one at that price point, whereas Apple makes a nice profit on each iPad while still selling tens of millions of them.
Because customers value them.
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The real question is, did you take the pictures for this blog with your iphone?
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It’s been quite long since I read your blog. I miss it!
I only have 1 apple gadget, and it’s an Ipod Nano I bought 3 years back. It’s pink that’s why I love it!
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