Apple Dominates Consumer Reports' Tech Support Ratings

[3282868]

no not just hang up but say sorry we can hep you cause your mac warranty was over a month ago. then they tell me if i buy the extended when i can come here and ask for free then they will help me.

Ok, now I call b.s.. As an ex-Apple "genius" and then corporate employee, an "extended warranty" doesn't exist. One of the first points as an Apple employee: never refer to the "Apple Protection Plan" as a "warranty". Once the three year APP ends, it is NOT renewable. HOWEVER, Apple will still answer questions and service products outside that APP, the consumer simply pays the costs for parts and repair.

Do you live in North America? If not, I may understand your stance as from what I've been told Apple's E.U. customer support hasn't had the best track record. Apple is aware of this and is working arduously at strengthening their international support.

 

[goobot]

Yeah, even I have to state that is misinformation. As I recall, back in the days of Windows XP and Vista, customers were charged $45 per phone call for Microsoft customer support. Thankfully I've never had to wait for tech/help support at Apple, not once. Even phoning the local Apple store for assistance I was given help over the phone. Perhaps I'm at an extreme end of the average user experience, but Apple has listened to their consumer base with regards to improving their customer support. Apple admitted out-sourcing to non-North American call centers and Apple discontinued doing so at the demands of some of their customer base. From what I understand, this is not the case with Microsoft. Then again, Apple has a much smaller user base, which makes it easier for a company to control the quality of their tech/help support.

yah ms was bad but recently got better. anyway since this is a apple site none of you will tolerate my opinion. so ill just stop posting. tho in COMPUTERS apple is good

 

[philosopherdog]

Dropped iPod Touch REPLACED Today, 48 Days Out of Warranty!!!!

Just today I went to my local Apple Store with a broken iPod Touch out of warranty and they replaced it! Sweet. VERY SWEET! It's a g2 with a home button that wasn't working and a clicking, loose right side of the screen. I was asked if I dropped it. I admitted I had. The iPod was 48 days out of warranty. REPLACED BABY! I'd like to see Dell do that, or HP, or Sony. Forget it. I love the whole Apple Store Genius thing. It's brilliant to be able to actually shake hands with somebody that will look at your gadget. Sure it's not perfect, but it's way better than speaking to some flunky in an Indian call centre (no offence to our Indian brothers and sisters) who's answering questions from a script. Been there done that.

 

[LagunaSol]

Surely this survey didn't factor in the fact that you can have your birthday party at the Microsoft Store. Your birthday party!!!! Shouldn't that count for something?

 

[FoxyKaye]

To give credit where it's due, I've hardly ever had problems with phoning Apple support - usually by the second tier, I get what I need. It's the so-called "Genius" Bar that I've given up on and use our local Apple authorized repair facility.

 

[Eidorian]

To give credit where it's due, I've hardly ever had problems with phoning Apple support - usually by the second tier, I get what I need. It's the so-called "Genius" Bar that I've given up on and use our local Apple authorized repair facility.

A new Apple authorized repair facility opened up just over a mile away from my home. It's a much nicer trip than going the 25 to the Apple store.

The Genius Bar and phone support have been hit or miss in my experiece. They can be arrogant and condescending or extremely valuable. I'd rather deal with the local shop than corporate in the future.

 

[azazel-]

yah ms was bad but recently got better. anyway since this is a apple site none of you will tolerate my opinion. so ill just stop posting. tho in COMPUTERS apple is good

Now now, it's not that. It's just what you were saying wasn't making sense. Now that it's been clarified a bit, it's a little clearer.

 

[scottness]

Surely this survey didn't factor in the fact that you can have your birthday party at the Microsoft Store. Your birthday party!!!! Shouldn't that count for something?

Perfect! I'm going to having my birthday party at the MS store!! I hope I get the new MBP for my birthday at the party.

 

[bossxii]

This is why no matter what issues their hardware may have, they take care of the customer. Dealing with someone that speaks english is worth something to me.

 

[chadley_chad]

Not so great!!!!

Yeah, great service till something goes wrong!

My iMac power supply blew on a Sunday, called Monday only to have to wait till the following Friday to book an appointment just to take it in for repair. Repair then took 16 days; and after checking after day 10, hadn't even made it to the repair bench yet!

Sorry, but as much as I love my Apple kit, nearly 4 weeks for a power supply repair is just ridiculous! Any increased productivity my iMac has given was wiped out in one blow - a PC would have been repaired same day or within 48 hours max! Now had to spend another £130 to extend the wty in case it goes again.

Not so hot Apple!

 

[Winni]

Consumer service. The one thing that I never needed. Could we please see the ratings for business service instead and how good Apple's four hours-same day-on site service is? Because that's the only service that I care for in my job when the server hardware fails.

 

[kernkraft]

I called them about a week ago. I wanted to do something in Automator or alternatively in Terminal. First I spoke to a chap with Indian accent. He didn't even know where Automator was. Then I called them again. This time it was an Irish guy. He tried to help, but he couldn't.


They might know basic stuff about basic iLife. But if you want serious help, even going to an Apple Store can be a waste of time. I tried it. This was the last time I purchased an AppleCare.

From now on, It's YouTube, Mac OS X Bible and MacRumors for me.

 

[marksman]

All that money goes somewhere.

Yeah people want to complain about the price of apple products but you get some real value and worth with it.

I know people want to spend $349 on a laptop and get top notch support but that is not the way the world works.

 

[3282868]

Yeah, great service till something goes wrong!

My iMac power supply blew on a Sunday, called Monday only to have to wait till the following Friday to book an appointment just to take it in for repair. Repair then took 16 days; and after checking after day 10, hadn't even made it to the repair bench yet!

Sorry, but as much as I love my Apple kit, nearly 4 weeks for a power supply repair is just ridiculous! Any increased productivity my iMac has given was wiped out in one blow - a PC would have been repaired same day or within 48 hours max! Now had to spend another £130 to extend the wty in case it goes again.

Not so hot Apple!

E.U./U.K. Apple customer support is not the greatest. Apple, Inc. is aware and is strengthening their customer support through increasing Apple's number of local Apple stores as well as increasing and improving their telephone service and support.

Apple Protection Plans in North America also allow Apple authorized third party repair facilities to make on-site diagnosis' and repairs. My father, who is wheelchair bound, could not bring his iMac into the local Apple store for repair. Apple allowed for an authorized repair man to diagnose and repair the iMac (which was the result of a failed Western Digital 320 GB hard drive) within 24 hours. This was not simply for my father's medical predicament, this is stated in the Apple Protection Plan clause.

Also, as I stated earlier, "As an ex-Apple "genius" and then corporate employee, an "extended warranty" doesn't exist. One of the first points as an Apple employee: never refer to the "Apple Protection Plan" as a "warranty". Once the three year APP ends, it is NOT renewable. HOWEVER, Apple will still answer questions and service products outside that APP, the consumer simply pays the costs for parts and repair."

 

[Droid13]

Good stuff but...

... I wonder how well they do in the UK compared to the competition? My personal experience with them has been that if I am near an Apple store and the problem is simple it's a day to a week fix but otherwise my machine is out of action for over a month (no kidding) and has to be posted away.

Dell's next day onsite that I got 4 years of for £10 (special offer) is much better in comparison.

What's everyone else's UK experience?

 

[tetravus]

My Macbook pro had a noisy fan problem and it was diagnosed and the fan replaced in 1 day. I'm very pleased with their support. Sure, I have to bring the laptop to Apple but it sure beats mailing it and waiting for weeks.

 

[125037]

That is racist. Why can't you just say american? Andrea Jung is on Apple's board of directors. I bet that irks you huh.

Not all Americans who can speak perfect english are just all white...

It IS a racist statement but I'm not. And I'm not going to try to justify it because this could turn into a huge fight and, quite frankly, I am sick of getting banned.

Yes, you are right, not all speak perfect english and I could have worded it better but I still feel the same.

And NO, that doesn't irk me. I work in the ghetto (for real) and I deal with a ton of blacks and "lower class" patients all day so I am far from racist.

 

[Jaro65]

This is one of the reasons I have stuck with Apple over the years. I don't dread having to call customer service, because I know they will actually help me. Heck, they even talked my 70 year old father through a diagnoisis once.

I know what you mean. Same here.

 

[alent1234]

Yeah, even I have to state that is misinformation. As I recall, back in the days of Windows XP and Vista, customers were charged $45 per phone call for Microsoft customer support. Thankfully I've never had to wait for tech/help support at Apple, not once. Even phoning the local Apple store for assistance I was given help over the phone. Perhaps I'm at an extreme end of the average user experience, but Apple has listened to their consumer base with regards to improving their customer support. Apple admitted out-sourcing to non-North American call centers and Apple discontinued doing so at the demands of some of their customer base. From what I understand, this is not the case with Microsoft. Then again, Apple has a much smaller user base, which makes it easier for a company to control the quality of their tech/help support.

with MS you're supposed to call the PC maker. only if you buy the retail version of Windows do you get a free support call within the first few months.

the enterprise support is $245 a call which is an awesome deal considering how much Oracle and others charge. 10 years ago the support was awesome. last time I called a few years ago for SQL Server, it was OK. some cases it was great, other cases it was like talking to a brick wall

 

[alent1234]

For anyone who cares, if you go to Dell's support website and do an online chat with tech support you will have a much, much better experience. You don't have to worry about the accent problem and you don't have to sit on hold for hours (just minimize the window and it will popup when you finally get someone on the other end). I have done this several times for myself and friends during football games and never had a bad experience. I'm not trying to start an argument, just trying to give PC people some helpful information.

the HP server support people can speak english very well. last time i called for a $40,000 tape backup library we have, the guy was in Guatemala and i thought he lived in the US. he spoke just like anyone i meet on the street

 

[3282868]

with MS you're supposed to call the PC maker. only if you buy the retail version of Windows do you get a free support call within the first few months.

1. Most PC manufacturers are not fully knowledgeable in software, especially Windows OS.

2. The first few months of tech support aren't enough for a few years of usage, especially when Microsoft charges per phone call.

Apple offers three years of coverage with their Applecare Protection Plans. Aside from throwing your product out a fourth floor window, everything is covered for a one time fee. Seems to be a much better deal, rather than having HP or Dell pass you off to Microsoft, who then may pass you back to the hardware manufacturer, and round and round it goes (which has happened).

 

[zingo01]

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[zingo01]

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[zingo01]

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[RazHyena]

One thing I do believe in is Apple's tech support. It's truly stellar.