Apple store blows...

[mbabauer]

Everyone has their right to vent once in a while but we should do it with correct knowledge.

Your right...and had you actually read what I wrote, you would see my actual complaint was with Apple, not the carrier. Apple first did not tell me it would take 24 hrs to actually get the package to the carrier, then it did not mention that 1-day shipping did not include weekends. Then, it hung up on me with a rude message saying they are far too busy to handle my call.

To the second point, here is a tip. Instead of saying "1-day shipping", how about "1 business day shipping" or something like that. A little better choice of words would save a lot of people like me a lot of heartache. Its purposly worded to make one believe that the package would arrive next day. I am not sure if apple gets any kick-back for getting people to choose this option or not, but it sure seems like it.

 

[leekohler]

I think you people missed the point entirely...

First off, I know it was 'my bad' for leaving my power cord...I can live with that.

Second, my beef is that its not clear ANYWHERE on the site that the item in question takes a full 24 hours for someone to get off that fat lazy a$$, walk over to a shelf, pick up a box, put a lable on it, and hand it to a FedEX guy. Any yes, I do have experiense working in a warehouse. In fact, my father was a warehouse supervisor for two large distributors. This is a process problem.

Third, I order a LOT of stuff on the net. Most places I have ordered things from guarantee that if you order prior to some set time, say 2:00pm EST, they will ship same-day. We live in a modern world, and such things are possible now.

Forth, and this is pointed to the package carriers, why is it so hard to believe people want stuff delivered on the weekends. I work for a bank, and people would roit in the streets if we told them they couldn't get thier money until Monday! And before you jump the gun, no, it wasn't ALWAYS like that. I remember at one point in time people had to pay extra for ATM access, they were not 24-hrs, and most, if not all, were physically attached to a brick-n-mortar bank. Times change, processes improved. Now, most banks even have weekend hours with live people.

Fifth, as stated, this was a vent session. Do I expect Apple to change their policy, nope. Do I think FedEX or UPS will ever go 24-hr, think again. It still doesn't make the situation any easier for me, the customer, who was trying desparately to give my money to them for service.

BTW, $17 for a 1lb package over night is REDICULOUS, especially if that does not include weekend delivery. USPS delivers on Saturday for a whole lot cheaper than that.

Then you did the right thing by cancelling your order. Do yourself and the poor people at the online Apple Store a favor and don't order anything from them again. People like you are exactly the types who take time from them delivering good service to polite customers.

Having been in the restaurant business in the past for 20 years (no longer, thank God), you are exactly the kind of person I would kick out of a place I managed. I absolutely refused to deal with people who were angry or yelling over some rule that we had. I would try to please them once and if that didn't work I would ask them to leave (with the owner's blessing, BTW). My good, regular customers were never about to suffer a lapse in service because someone didn't like this or that policy.

Honestly not trying to be nasty, but "ventings" such as yours really get me going sometimes.

 

[aquajet]

Second, my beef is that its not clear ANYWHERE on the site that the item in question takes a full 24 hours for someone to get off that fat lazy a$$, walk over to a shelf, pick up a box, put a lable on it, and hand it to a FedEX guy. Any yes, I do have experiense working in a warehouse. In fact, my father was a warehouse supervisor for two large distributors. This is a process problem.

If I am not mistaken, all products offered on Apple.com are labeled with an estimated ship date. I just checked on your power adapter, which says "Ships within 24 hours". Sometimes it might say "1-3 business days" or "3-5 business days".

Fat, lazy ass? I think you need to get a grip. We're talking about two multi-national corporations here trying to get your power adapter to you. People usually try their best to be on time, but sometimes their estimate is wrong. Sometimes it's late, or even early. Common sense tells me that if I need something in a timely manner, and I have a choice of going to a brick and mortar store or an online store, then...

 

[floriflee]

Also, I would think that it's wise to remember that you're most likely not the only one making orders so they may be trying to serve other customers while serving you as well. I'd like to hope that they're not being lazy, but just being busy.

 

[mbabauer]

For example, I don't think Apple says anywhere on their site that orders received by "x" time will ship out the same day.

Your right, it doesn't...my bad. Instead of actually giving the customer some expectations, lets just leave EVERYTHING up in the air. I mean, if we don't set any expectations we can't miss them, right? Its my assumption, though, that if I order a pizza, the pizza parlor would start working on making my pie ASAP. I think thats a far assumption here, too.

And overnight delivery, via FedEx, UPS, or even the USPS, involves putting a package on a PLANE. Planes have limited space onboard, which is why sending something overnight usually involves some measurement of the volume of the package, rather than its weight.

Oh really? I thought they used one of those transporter devices from that movie 'The Fly'. I am not an idiot, and was pretty aware of the fact planes were involved, especially since I have seen the planes at the airports. The problem with this statement is that it does take in account that most companies like UPS, FedEX, or DHL have MAJOR investments in lagistical analysis. My brother in law happens to do this sort of work for Vistacon. They know how many packages they expect, worst case, and have planes to cover it. They also probably make deals with passenger carriers like Delta to use their unused cargo space for situations where they get a swarm of deliveries. I can't tell you the last time a carrier has actually missed their scheduled dropoff time, and in fact the last time I shipped UPS they told me an estimated delivery at 11:30, and my doorbell rang at 11:27.

In fact, most 2nd or 3rd day delivery service uses the same methods of moving packages as overnight delivery, but with more "slack" in the process. They might fly a package part of the way, and then drive it the rest of the way.

Oh, I'll go one better. I had some books delevered UPS ground from Amazon, and was watching the tracking. The package, for whatever reason, made it to Orlando in record time, I want to say it was < 24hrs, but sat there for like 3 days. Its almost like they purposefully slowed it down just to make it closer to the real 5-day delivery.

Listen, I really don't mean to sound like a prick, and to be honest, I probably wouldn't have even brought it up had Apple not hung up on me when I called, followed by a sales rep that didn't seem to want to help me in one way. Would I have been dissapointed, sure, but I would have gotten over it. The tipping point was that automated message followed by a dial tone. To me, thats just nutz.

 

[aristobrat]

To the second point, here is a tip. Instead of saying "1-day shipping", how about "1 business day shipping" or something like that.

Did you read the column right next to the "Next Day Shipping" radio button that says "Next Business Day (after shipping)", or did you eyes just fly right over to the $17.00?

 

[aristobrat]

The tipping point was that automated message followed by a dial tone. To me, thats just nutz.

Yeah, that does suck.

Usually the logic behind that business decision (as explained by my state's DMV which does the same thing if you call them when they're slammed) is that once the hold time reaches a certain critical limit (45 minutes, for example), they consider it pointless and too expensive to keep adding calls the queue.

They aren't going to meet their customers expectations either way (i.e. the customer is going to be pissed if they're kept on hold for that long, or pissed if they're hung-up on and told to call back), so why pay for the long-distance charges to keep them on hold.

Not saying I agree with that, just saying that at some point it's a business decision, and that's one potential reason for the nutz.

 

[hulugu]

...snip...

It's interesting, because it entirely depends on where the object is when you order it.
For example, I once ordered an iMac at 3:00 and it showed up at 10:30 the next day, which was just spooky.
This week, I ordered an iPod (2nd-day air) on Tuesday and it arrived on Thursday.

In both of these cases it took less than a day to get it to FedEX, however I did notice that after I ordered my iPod, the system said I wouldn't get it until Friday at 7:00 pm. I was pissed for a minute because I wanted it for the weekend.
I checked the site the next day and the date and estimated delivery time had changed to Friday at 10:00. And then it showed up.

My point is, the estimated shipping time is an estimate based on where the item was (a MacBook Pro in Taiwan is going to take longer than an iPod in Cordova, CA) and when you ordered it. You can't expect your order at 5:00 Pacific to be delivered as fast as something ordered at 10:00 am.

 

[mbabauer]

Then you did the right thing by cancelling your order. Do yourself and the poor people at the online Apple Store a favor and don't order anything from them again. People like you are exactly the types who take time from them delivering good service to polite customers.

Did I call them and bitch them out? Did I raise my voice to the person on the phone? Did I walk into an Apple store and show my ass, throwing things and having a violent temper-tantrum? I did none of these things. What I did was login to a web forum that has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH THE ACTUAL COMPANY APPLE CORP, and post a rant to exhaust frustration to a situation I thought sucked, thinking hey, maybe someone else thought this sucked too. If you felt it wasted your time, then you had the option of not reading it. Simple as that.

Oh, and BTW, when I do have dealings with companies, yes, I do have "expectations". I also try to make sure I undertand the policies prior to my patronage, especially policies about RMAs and defective products. Its possible that I missed something as to Apple's policy for shipping a product, sure. When I called, all I was trying to do was verify if the estimated delivery time was right or not. I was promptly told, and I quote, "Due to high volumes in reponse to recent Apple products, we cannot take your call.", in which case I was hung up on. But when I pretended I wanted to place a new order, well, they had time for that. THATS what really pissed me off, this "We already have your order, so screw you" attitude. The other stuff that happened was just some little annoyances that added fuel to the fire. And even after that, once I DID get ahold of an actual person, I was cordial and simply asked him first if there was ANY way to get it shipped same-day, and after he said no I asked politely for him to cancel the order. I never once raised my voice, or asked him to do anything crazy like drive it to me in person, nada.

I think there should be some expectations that if you call for status and/or help on an existing order, you would actually get to talk to a person without getting hung up on first. I was fully content in the fact that if Apple couldn't get my adapter by Friday, I would have driven into town and got one Saturday.

 

[hulugu]

Oh really? I thought they used one of those transporter devices from that movie 'The Fly'.

That would suck, if I ordered DVDs from Amazon using that system my wife's Romantic Comedies would get mixed up with my DVDs.

'What the hell is Kate Hudson doing in episodes of Battlestar Galactica?'

 

[hulugu]

Did I call them and bitch them out? Did I raise my voice to the person on the phone? Did I walk into an Apple store and show my ass, throwing things and having a violent temper-tantrum? I did none of these things. ... I think there should be some expectations that if you call for status and/or help on an existing order, you would actually get to talk to a person without getting hung up on first. I was fully content in the fact that if Apple couldn't get my adapter by Friday, I would have driven into town and got one Saturday.

Your reaction was absolutely understandable and Apple's system should allow you to talk to a human being and get the status of your order.

I think leekholer misunderstood what you were saying and thought you're rant was similar to how you might have acted on the phone or at the store. Some people do switch into 'raving-lunatic' mode the minute something goes wrong.

Again, Apple's shipment system is reasonable, but their phone customer service leaves a lot to be desired. Good luck in the future.

 

[LethalWolfe]

Oh, I'll go one better. I had some books delevered UPS ground from Amazon, and was watching the tracking. The package, for whatever reason, made it to Orlando in record time, I want to say it was < 24hrs, but sat there for like 3 days. Its almost like they purposefully slowed it down just to make it closer to the real 5-day delivery.

Maybe they just had a rush of higher priority packages that kept bumping yours down the queue?

You really just need to relax a bit, IMO. The power adapter wasn't some mission critical item you had to have before leaving the country on a big business trip in a 2 days or anything like that. If this gets you so worked up yer gonna have a freakin' heart attack when something actually bad happens in your life.


Lethal

 

[aristobrat]

What the hell is Kate Hudson doing in episodes of Battlestar Galactica?'

Hopefully Helo. He's hot.

 

[mbabauer]

Again, Apple's shipment system is reasonable, but their phone customer service leaves a lot to be desired. Good luck in the future.

Yeah, I have ordered things before, and usually its not a problem. Well, usually I am not in a rush either, but hey, thats life, right?

I did have some problems when I ordered my MBP, though. I ordered my MBP shortly after keynote, and watched as people who ordered 2-3 days after I did were posting great picts of them opening their new box and playing with their laptops, all while mine sat on a dock in Shanghai. Apple was very appologetic, and even through in some gift cards to the apple store for my trouble. Apparently some trouble with customs was holding my laptop up, and I ended up getting it about a week later. In this instance, though, I called, got a person, and they actually helped make things right. The real pisser was that they shipped my 23" Cinema display and the Apple Care box right after I ordered, so they both sat on the floor mocking me. The MBP was my first mac, so I had nothing to hook the display up too. My wife is a photographer, and has used them for a while...I was using Gentoo Linux, but got tired of the hastles of supporting it.

In another instance, I ordered my wife's PowerBook G4 1.67 literally the DAY before they announced Tiger. I called up, told the person on the phone I wanted to get in on the free Tiger upgrade, and they totally owned the situation and helped me out.

So, for the most part, Apple has been pretty good at making things right.

 

[yg17]

Anyway, $17 for overnight delivery seems about standard. Even sending an overnight envelope with just a few pieces of paper in it costs almost that much.

Yep. Express mail through USPS (overnight) is $15 for a standard 8x10 envelope that holds a couple sheets ot paper. $17 for overnight for a bigger, bulky package is a steal.


FWIW, I just got FedEx shipping rates for a package, 5 pounds, 10in x 10in x 10in dimensions (which I think is fair for a power adapter+padding, and an underestimation of the weight if anything) going from Memphis (where my last Apple accessory order shipped from...or maybe it was Nashville. Close enough) to Orlando, with $80 (cost of power adapter) in insurance. Standard overnight is $50.82. This is for the average joe to ship something. So either Apple has one hell of a negotiation with FedEx for $17 overnight, or they're taking a huge loss on shipping. Either way $17 is an absolute steal and is definitely something you should not be complaining about

 

[xPismo]

Hopefully Helo. He's hot.

best part of this thread hands down. lol.

 

[KingYaba]

Let's go rant on the Dell store. I hear they have snotty people too.

 

[clayj]

<rate info snipped>

It kinda chaps my ass that big companies like Apple, Sony, Dell, etc. get these AMAZING rates for shipping stuff via FedEx, UPS, etc., but if you ever have to ship anything BACK, you don't get the same rates yourself. It's gotten to where if I do have to ship anything back, I insist that they provide me a prepaid shipping number. Sometimes it works (Crucial), sometimes it doesn't (Sony).

 

[mbabauer]

It kinda chaps my ass that big companies like Apple, Sony, Dell, etc. get these AMAZING rates for shipping stuff via FedEx, UPS, etc., but if you ever have to ship anything BACK, you don't get the same rates yourself. It's gotten to where if I do have to ship anything back, I insist that they provide me a prepaid shipping number. Sometimes it works (Crucial), sometimes it doesn't (Sony).

Oh, Sony is the WORST at it. I had a $300 sony home phone with answering machine, the nice one with the jog dial, 2 line support, etc, etc. The phone numbers in memory would started getting corrupted. First you would be "John Smith, 904-444-5555", next time it would be "J4@n !mit%, @04,$44,55^8", and next worse, and so on. Sony wanted me to pay to ship back the phone, under warantee mind you, let them take at least a week to figure out what was wrong, then maybe get a phone in say 2 weeks. So, I say "So, you sale me a phone that is defective, an 'I' have to pay to send it to you and be without a phone for 2 weeks", and the customer service guy starts arguing to me that the phone is not defective! What do you call it when you phone starts making up its own name and numbers? This was one time I did get irrate with the person on the phone. The retail store I bought it from told me they couldn't do anything about it because I had it for more than a month (I think it was 3 months old), that it was between me and Sony.

In the end, I ended up buying a new one from the original store, putting the defective one back in the box, and returning it. Was this the right thing to do, probably not, but hey, let Target try to deal with Sony...I had enough.

This was the LAST Sony product I bought.

 

[hulugu]

Hopefully Helo. He's hot.

I took me way longer that it should have to get this.

 

[hulugu]

It kinda chaps my ass that big companies like Apple, Sony, Dell, etc. get these AMAZING rates for shipping stuff via FedEx, UPS, etc., but if you ever have to ship anything BACK, you don't get the same rates yourself. It's gotten to where if I do have to ship anything back, I insist that they provide me a prepaid shipping number. Sometimes it works (Crucial), sometimes it doesn't (Sony).

Huh? When I had a problem with a laptop Apple shipped out a box with the shipping already paid. I just packed the box, called the shipping company (Airbone?) and out it went.

 

[Counterfit]

It kinda chaps my ass that big companies like Apple, Sony, Dell, etc. get these AMAZING rates for shipping stuff via FedEx, UPS, etc., but if you ever have to ship anything BACK, you don't get the same rates yourself. It's gotten to where if I do have to ship anything back, I insist that they provide me a prepaid shipping number. Sometimes it works (Crucial), sometimes it doesn't (Sony).

Both times I sent my PowerBook in for service, shipping was free (which I guess they take care of as part of the warranty). And early in its life, I had called them up with some other problems (one got fixed with a reinstall, the other was cosmetic anyway), they shipped a box overnight, which included the return label. Additionally, Nintendo sends out a label for in-warranty repairs, you only have to package the item.