Apple Tops 'Tech Support Showdown' List for Third Consecutive Year

I think they stood by the instructions video's, lol. Video says NO

 

So, I work in IT and I've bought my first Powerbook in 2004. I can say bar none, my experience with Apple's tech support has been far better than anything in I've experienced in the PC arena. Dell used to be like Honda in regards to reliability and service in the 90s. I remember fondly how awesome they were but then they outsourced everything to India and it's been total crap since then. I recently had an issue and the degree of help I get with Apple Care compared to the Lenovo and Gigabyte computers is not even in the same ballpark.

 

So, you're saying that people shouldn't bother with insurance because that's accepting accidents are inevitable? You may never have to deal with tech support, I may never have to deal with them, but it's good to know they're there (and capable) if something does happen.

 

Well that's a defeatist attitude...

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No the complete opposite, I'm saying why can't we be in situation where insurance is not even a thing or needed.

 

This is scary. Makes me think about all my music stored in iTunes and how I could suddenly just lose it all...

 

The time it took for MS and HP is deplorable! They really need to start actually training their reps and not just handing them a manual and telling them 'have fun'. These, from the perspective of most people, were fairly simple questions, imagine if there was a larger problem such as an IP issue that required some commands in CMD or BASH...

My only issue I have ever had with Apple Tech Support was when I called them because their website for the public betas would not let me download (I would sign in, accept the terms, and then it would take be back to the front page of the beta site, and I would just get caught in an endless loop of that) and, after about 2 hours, I ran out of the time that I had allocated for the call. The rep said that she would contact the software engineers and they would email me later, but that never happened. Other than that, though, it has been all rainbows and sunshine the other.. 2 times I have called.

 

My personal experience:

Pros:
1. Polite
2. Attempt to fix issues as best they can
3. Can actually understand the tech support person

Cons:
1. Have never actually been able to fix an issue for me

Others:
1. Rude
2. Attempt to read from a script
3. Hard to understand
4. They are never able to fix anything

I must exclude Dell from the above. I have worked with them in the past with business computers and they were excellent. Recently bought a Dell Laptop for my wife (she finds OSX much harder to understand then Windows 10), and had to deal with tech support, and they were still very good for the situation I had.

Edit: I am surprised there isn't 24/7 tech support from everyone...especially HP.

 

Because there is no way to get in contact with this company for any kinf of support . They just wanna make billions on their own.

 

Literally no one cares about your individual experience. Your experience is irrelevant in the grand scheme of this report. It is what it is. Apple is at the top of the list for customer support. The fact that you had a bad experience does not nullify the results of this survey. No company can EVER satisfy 100% of its customers. In your case you assumed changing your billing info would have no consequences. You were wrong. You should have investigated first before acting.

 

Cuz reality. Humans aren't infallible.

 

I don't believe that's a fair statement to make. Historically, apple's devices and services have been very intuitive. I don't see any 'immediate' reason why someone should assume that changing their billing information would have cascaded into the loss of his/her music.

 

Well, all three of these techs got their training and support in a process that re-dated Cook. In the story immediately below this one, you'll see that under Cook, this apparently winning training formula is changing - at least for genius' and probably in other areas too.

 

My experiences with Dell in the US have either been very good or horrific. I've had 2 Dell desktops, one their cheapest line and an XPS that was a bit more upscale. The cheapo one got a tech whose first solution was invariably to reinstall the OS no matter what the problem was; they apparently were script kiddies who could only answer what was in the script in the exact same order. XPS support was very good - it was clear they had been trained to trouble shoot; but then again I paid more for the machine to get that kind of support. TNSTAFL

 

Couldn't agree more. I've had some terrible experiences with DELL, but compared to the other OEMs they're honestly not too bad overall. It's only when you experience the others that you're a little more patient with Sandeep's 30 minute troubleshooting script. Don't fight it... just let it happen. Haha.

Lenovo are guaranteed to be appalling no matter what the laptop model or what the problem is. Absolute junk company.

 

And in this fantasy world, do they have spaceships that can travel at light speeds? Inquiring minds need to know.

 

The absolute best devices and support of those devices in the business today. Bar none.

 

I would say most of my experiences with Apple Support has fit this description.

Over the past 3 years, I have so many issues with my Apple devices that ended up calling Apple Support, more than the previous 20 years combined. In reality, not one time did they ever actually fix the problem I was calling about.

They were all polite, except for one phone call, everyone was easily understandable, but they never fix my issue. Spot on...

I am currently having issues with my Wife's iPhone's access to our family iCloud for app purchases. I am dreading calling Apple, because I am pretty sure it will end up being a waste of time.

--- Post Merged, Mar 10, 2017 ---

Relax dude, no one is hating on Apple, no reason to run to the defense if them.

BTW, I enjoyed reading the poster's real life experience dealing with Apple Support, so your first sentence is misleading.

--- Post Merged, Mar 10, 2017 ---

I was thinking the same thing.

Apple software is not as intuitive as it once was. Certain things are becoming more simple, but not in a good way, and other things are becoming unnecessarily complex. More and more am I having to go on the internet and look up how to do things on Apple's software. This was common when using other OS like Windows, but not the Mac.

 

My experience has been similar. Apple has tried to make the complex simple in some cases by limiting user customization which means if you don't like how it works you're out of luck. Maps, for example, displays the turn info in big letters at the top of the screen and you can't turn it of or make it smaller. In other cases, things have gotten less intuitive or Apple has changed them from one release to the next.

 

My only significant interaction with Apple's general phone support occurred after my hard drive refused to boot due to errors. I phoned the local apple store as I was without internet due to the dead HD so couldn't google any other company numbers. I was trying to see if I could get copy of DiskWarrior from them - my Mac was way out of warranty by then. Below is (very roughly) how the conversation went:

Me: Hi, my hard drive is refusing to boot and I wondered if you sold DiskWarrior that might fix it?
Store: That's not in our catalogue here, but we may be able to get you a copy, please hold on while I transfer you to someone who should be able to help
Apple: Hi, this is **** how can I help you today.
Me: {repeat original question}
Apple: You know, I'm not familiar with that product. Do You mind if I transfer you?
Me: Sure, go ahead
Apple: Hi, this is **** at Applecare, can I get your product serial number?
Me: Hi, my Mac is long out of warranty, I was calling to try to find a piece of software to rescue my hard drive.
Apple: Sir, I can't talk to you without your serial number.
Me: I'm not looking for support, I'm just asking if Apple sell DiskWarrior and if so who should I call to buy a copy?
Apple: Sir, you are talking to Applecare support in California. If you don't want Applecare support, I'm not sure why called this number.
Me: I was transferred to this number, I'm just trying to find it Apple can sell me a particular product.
Apple: Sir, I can't talk to you without a Serial number.
Me: Can you transfer me to someone who could help me?
Apple: hangs up the phone.

After this, I've been pretty leery about the whole Apple phone support fan club, although on a more positive note the Genius Bar has always been a really good experience for me.

(Eventually got a copy of DiskWarrior and HD was recovered to an external drive)

 

Dell Support is that good? they have a bad reputation!

 

No, support is great for when people who dont know how to maximize the browser window, they call up and apple support talked them through that scenario. Thats nice support.

 

Another good example of this is Disk Utility app. I think it was 10.11 that is was simplified, but they removed very useful features such as software RAID GUI. Another is iTunes when they changed it to the one window UI. They removed the ability to manage playlists by having multiple windows opened at the same time.

You posted a good example of crap that happens, not only with Apple but other support numbers too.

As for the Genius bar, I have not had that many good experiences there.

When my Late 2012 iMac fusion drive started to give me problems, I had to go back to the Genius bar many times. Each time they tested the iMac with their hardware diagnostic tests, it passed. They kept saying it must be software related, so they would wipe the drive and the problem would come back in a few weeks/days. Then the cycle repeated until 12 days before the warranty was over, the drive finally totally broke and they couldn't even boot their diagnostic test for 2 hours. Needless to say, the drive failed. They replaced the fusion drive.

Most tech people would know the problems my iMac was showing was hardware, and more specifically hard drive related. Even the Apple Support techs on the phone agreed it was the hard drive. But at the Apple Store, they said they couldn't replace it if the diagnostics showed it was working.

I told them that diagnostics fail all the time, especially when dealing with bad sectors on hard drives, but it was like talking to a wall.

 

Because in most aspects of life, where you need to rely on other people, products, or companies, there is no absolute perfection. Rather, there are risks which need to be weighed.

That is also why you have support/repair groups within companies that offer complex products for sale to the public.

 

So many times I purchase direct from Apple, knowingly the support I will receive if I encounter any issues with my products. And the times I have had concerns, Apple has never failed me. They stand behind their product line and ensure any issues re rectified. When I receive service like that, I will continue to support Apple for future purchases.

 

I had a similar experience and after complaining to Apple Corporate (In a very polite email) they wound up trying to fix my Mac and when they couldn't they credited the original MSRP towards a new one. I wound up using that to upgrade to a top of the line MBP but could have covered a similar one with a few dollars to spare.