Apple Revises One to One Policy, Limits Data Migration to First 60 Days

[MacRumors]

Apple has changed the terms of its retail store One to One service (via ifoAppleStore), which is a $99 program that gives Apple customers personal training lessons on Mac usage from an Apple employee.

The new terms state that One to One customers must initiate the included Data Migration services within 60 days of purchasing a One to One membership.

One to One members are entitled to Data Migration services for one (1) Mac purchased from an Apple Retail Store, Apple Online Store, or 800-MY-APPLE, if requested within the first sixty (60) days of your membership, including any renewals. Data Migration includes the data transfer of files from your old computer (PC or Mac) to your Mac.

Previously, Data Migration could be requested at any point during the year-long One to One service term, but a late migration can be more complicated than a migration that is initiated directly after purchase.

Completing the data transfer a while after the initial purchase can lead to difficulty and confusion for both the staff doing the transfer and the end user who is still learning to navigate around a Mac computer.

With the shift to digital software distribution, Apple is also now requiring that One to One assistance with software installation occur face-to-face in a Personal Training or Open Training session rather than as part of the Data Migration process.

Article Link: Apple Revises One to One Policy, Limits Data Migration to First 60 Days

[Klae17]

Stop taking away our perks. I was already pissed off enough about Apple canceling the iPod program! Greedy bean counters.

[guzhogi]

Does Apple offer a 1-to-1 training thing for companies, schools, etc.? I'm an IT guy at a school and I think some of the staff would really like being able to go in for training.

[frayne182]

How hard is it to transfer data a few months down the road? After all they only hire someone who is a "genius"

[needfx]

sounds rational, but they should consider implementing another service; [Mergation], the lovechild of merging & migrating

[JDee]

$41 billion in profit last year and they take away silly things like this.

They don't think the customer will notice as well!

[alksion]

A little off topic, but I think their retail stores, especially in malls, need some expanding.

For instance, two separate Genius Bars at opposite sides of the store. One dedicated for iOS devices and the other dedicated strictly for Macs. The iOS bar being slightly larger in order to accommodate the usual crowd in greater numbers and the Mac bar being smaller due to the obvious demand of iOS device help and repair.

Just some food for thought, but maybe I'll write Tim an email.

[Jessica Lares]

Probably because people were selling them? I know people here at MR were...

[bedifferent]

Originally Posted by alksion

A little off topic, but I think their retail stores, especially in malls, need some expanding.

For instance, two separate Genius Bars at opposite sides of the store. One dedicated for iOS devices and the other dedicated strictly for Macs. The iOS bar being slightly larger in order to accommodate the usual crowd in greater numbers and the Mac bar being smaller due to the obvious demand of iOS device help and repair.

Just some food for thought, but maybe I'll write Tim an email.

Also, hold training sessions and classes in a quiet room or setting. I've had many come back from them stating how difficult it was to hear and learn as the stores are so noisy.

[needfx]

meanwhile, at the other side of the bar

[Val-kyrie]

I don't understand the objections posted here. If a person purchases One-to-One, I would think that data migration would be one of the first things on the "To-Do" list, and 60 days is more than ample for this. . . . unless the objections are based on selling a service (i.e., data migration) which was not intended to be sold, then the objections are merely posturing and whining about the inability to abuse the system.

Enlighten me.

[britboyj]

Originally Posted by bedifferent

Also, hold training sessions and classes in a quiet room or setting. I've had many come back from them stating how difficult it was to hear and learn as the stores are so noisy.

We had this problem at the store we worked at, and extended our One to One hours to two hours before before the store opened and an hour after it closed to accomodate older customers. They'd knock on the glass, we'd open it, they'd train. It was great. They brought us donuts and orange juice like, all the time.

Generally, I agree, but most stores just don't have the space for it.

[needfx]

to all those customers purchasing such services;
have they ever heard of : The Internet?

[Madcowsoon]

Originally Posted by guzhogi

Does Apple offer a 1-to-1 training thing for companies, schools, etc.? I'm an IT guy at a school and I think some of the staff would really like being able to go in for training.

Yes you can purchase one to one for teachers. Contact the business team at your local apple for details. A joint venture might also be an option.

[MaxDrago]

Originally Posted by frayne182

How hard is it to transfer data a few months down the road? After all they only hire someone who is a "genius"

Merging the data from 2 separate users into a single user is a pain. Duplicate files (or different versions), duplicate contacts, duplicate locally stored mail... which Music and Photo libraries are primary. If there's already an iTunes library, which one do you keep and which one do you import data from (usually losing or duplicating playlists in the process). A royal pain. I do this in a corporate environment and it stinks. We issue a new machine, move you to it, and the old machine goes away... No straddling old and new... Always leads to headaches.
It's why the Migration fine print states the machine you're moving to will be wiped if there's anything on it, so the data being moved to it is as it was on the old machine at the time of transfer. The exception is if there are separate users to be Migrated. Adding another user (Migrating John and Mary is already using the machine), no sweat.
If all you want is files not based on things in ~/Library, not in apps that use a database to track what's where (iTunes, iPhoto), etc... no problem. Copy it, move on (then listen to complaints about duplicates for an hour).

[RoastingPig]

only old people do one to ones

[needfx]

meanwhile, in a parallel universe

[charlituna]

Originally Posted by guzhogi

Does Apple offer a 1-to-1 training thing for companies, schools, etc.? I'm an IT guy at a school and I think some of the staff would really like being able to go in for training.

Joint venture

And during the year there's the field trips for teachers

----------

Originally Posted by frayne182

How hard is it to transfer data a few months down the road? After all they only hire someone who is a "genius"

The terms are that they wipe the computer because they use Migration Assistant which creates another user.

The point of offering the data transfer is to set up your new computer. If you've been using it for several months you not need a set up. You need something way more labor intensive. And it's supposed to be used for your new computer, not some old computer running Leopard etc.

That's why the rules. And considering the price you are paying for this AND the training, it's not outrageous rules when you consider that outside folks will charge $10-20 an hour and include that 10 hours the machines were chewing on file copying while they were sleeping

[NT1440]

I think this has everything to do with the amount of time a Genius is allotted with an individual client.

[iMikeT]

Just my personal thoughts, some people should never be allowed to use a computer due to how computer illiterate they are to begin with. No amount of training or a One to One will ever get some people to use a computer properly.

[jdechko]

Originally Posted by NT1440

I think this has everything to do with the amount of time a Genius is allotted with an individual client.

Unless the procedure has changed, this is not an "at the bar appointment". You drop off both machines and fill out a form that lists all files to be transferred. The geniuses in the back perform the actual transfer.

[NT1440]

Originally Posted by jdechko

Unless the procedure has changed, this is not an "at the bar appointment". You drop off both machines and fill out a form that lists all files to be transferred. The geniuses in the back perform the actual transfer.

That's a normal genius bar repair, not the one on one service being described. Two different services.

[frayne182]

lol so many genius talk.

[jdechko]

Originally Posted by NT1440

That's a normal genius bar repair, not the one on one service being described. Two different services.

I know they are 2 different services. But when I worked for Apple and sold a One-to-One Membership, we would have the customer fill out a sheet with what they wanted transferred (Music, Photos, Documents, Email, Mac applications, etc). They'd write down their old passwords and leave both machines with us. Between 24-48 hours later we would call them to tell them their data had been transferred.

On the front end, there was no need for a genius to get involved. As a specialist, I could handle the initial transaction and then hand off the computer to a genius who would perform the migration in back of house. No genius appointments necessary, at least not when I worked there.

[SockRolid]

Originally Posted by MacRumors

The new terms state that One to One customers must initiate the included Data Migration services within 60 days of purchasing a One to One membership.

Uh oh. Just wait until Chinese "consumer rights" groups hear about THIS.