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Appropriate compensation for 9+ hours @ Apple Store, $800, and still no solution?
- Thread starter mattcube64
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wow can't really believe this kind of reactions.
Either you are living in another world or you have nothing to do from your life (am not saying this personally, but to people who have this kind of reaction).
If he was not a ******** about the mistake to the genius (and he doesn't seem, as he said he was polite and understood that it wasn't their fault), it's totally normal they offer some kind of compensation.
They "made it right" about their mistake, true. And it's just normal. But what about all the time lost by the OP for Apple's mistake? So in your opinion that's worth absolutely nothing?
Am glad you enjoy spending your weekends in Apple Store waiting for mistakes to be repaired
Why did you voluntarily spend 9 hours at the store?
I think because he needed his phone for work and wanted to be there alongside while a solution was being worked on. There could have been some pretty sensitive information on the phone .. or OP wanted to ensure that another mistake wouldn't happen and if so he was there to catch it right away!
And seriously people saying that don't expect compensation, why not?? OP didn't muck up, Apple did. OP could've easily endured losses because of a mistake he didn't have anything do.
It would be a different story if OP were in Canada and got a phone there and blamed the US Apple stores but no the mistake on Apples part and they should do whatever it takes to rectify it.
Haha - this came back from the dead, huh? Got a bunch of quote notifications today.
Just to clear up a couple quick points -
This was 100% Apple's fault that my phone didn't work. They admitted it. They gave me a phone that was locked to a different carrier when I brought my first one in (which, fwiw, also stopped working - power button - through no fault of mine). After two Apple store visits and a visit to AT&T, and them all getting on the phone with each other - nobody could figure out a solution.
Secondly, I had to stay in the store because they kept coming back out every 45 minutes or so to ask a question. What really frustrated me, is sometimes they'd ask stupid stuff, such as "we need proof of purchase of the original phone" to which I replied I bought it from Apple, so they can look it up. They tried to send me away when they said they couldn't look that up (yeah... okay) - but I just hopped on a demo MacBook and pulled up my order history on Apple.com. But yeah - they had no idea how long it was gonna take - even said "just a little bit longer" multiple times. The Apple Store is about 45 minutes from my house, so I wasn't gonna just drive back home. Also - like I said, didn't see much a need to as I had no idea at any point it was gonna take much longer.
***
I did send the manager an email as he requested. I'll even share it here but remove individual details. Unfortunately, I never heard back and so I forgot about it and moved on - like I said I would in the letter.
For those of you thinking I demand compensation; please understand I wasn't demanding and I wasn't entitled. I eventually dropped it. But was hopeful Apple would offer me some type of apology for wasting my time. Some people think that's just something you have to put up with occasionally - and honestly, I'd agree - that's life. But at the same time, I know if I wasted someone's time for 9 hours, I'd try to make it right within reason. *shrug*
***
Good afternoon; I hope the day is treating you well. First off, I'd like to thank you and your team for the effort they displayed working through my rather unique situation this past Sunday. As you likely recall, I had previously received a replacement iPhone 5 from Apple when my sleep button wasn't functioning properly. While the phone treated me well, it began giving me SIM validation issues after restoring it - and it seemed no combination of help, phones, or SIMs from AT&T or Apple could rectify the error.
Few employees would ever grow excited to be approached with a near-unfixable problem, especially as the day's hours slowly pass by. So, I want to extend my gratitude for their patience and their willingness to assist me and listen. While the issue couldn't be resolved in the store, it was only 24 hours or so later that a carrier update was pushed to my phone. I don't want to get too happy, but I'm growing confident my phone has been "fixed." I'm hopeful it doesn't rear its ugly head in the near or distant future.
I hope I've made it clear that I know the employees helping me this past Sunday carry no fault in my eyes. With that said, I am quite frustrated with Apple as a whole - and do feel if there is blame to be placed, it is on said company. The initial phone I had that stopped working did so without carelessness on my end, and in any case, whether it be because of the supply line, a distributor, a shipper, a computer, or the final employee that gave me the replacement at your store back in Novemeber; I was given a phone I absolutely should not have been. Ultimately, this wasted a good portion of my Saturday and most of my Sunday - all the while I had an nonoperational phone. Bad stuff happens, things break, and issues pop up - it's life and I'm aware. But part of the allure of an Apple product - what justifies its premium price and has instilled much of my brand loyalty (countless computers and iDevices - currently two iPads, a retina MBP, and this phone) - is its ease-of-use along with swift support at a physical location which is company-run.
Eventually, the only temporary solution was one I had come up with - to buy an unsubsidized phone before leaving and using it until my "old" phone was fixed. I plan to return the unsubsidized phone sometime this week, hopefully tomorrow; but it did put an ~$800 dent on my usable funds.
My intent is not to whine or make a big fuss - I know, without doubt, that you - personally - are not the reason for my troubles. But I do believe calm, formal complaints can be helpful. Whether you can pass my issue up the chain, make note for future changes, or just keep these things in mind in the future - I hope that similar problems can be prevented for future customers.
You had offered me some level of compensation for my wasted time on Sunday, but I told you I wasn't interested if I walked away with my phone working that day. Otherwise, I would reach out to you. As I've noted, the solution was not reached by the time I left. I don't want to be that guy that screams and carries on - blaring that the customer is always right - just go get a free toy. That's not my style. I'd like to share that I've had my eye on one of those XL Jawbone UP personal fitness bracelets; and if there is, indeed, something you can do to render a significant discount on such an item, I wouldn't turn it down and it would be appreciated. But if you cannot, I won't lose sleep over it, it will be forgotten, and the other points in this letter stand.
In any case, I'll stop with this lengthy novel. Again, I hope all is well - and am hopeful these situations don't happen again.
Just to clear up a couple quick points -
This was 100% Apple's fault that my phone didn't work. They admitted it. They gave me a phone that was locked to a different carrier when I brought my first one in (which, fwiw, also stopped working - power button - through no fault of mine). After two Apple store visits and a visit to AT&T, and them all getting on the phone with each other - nobody could figure out a solution.
Secondly, I had to stay in the store because they kept coming back out every 45 minutes or so to ask a question. What really frustrated me, is sometimes they'd ask stupid stuff, such as "we need proof of purchase of the original phone" to which I replied I bought it from Apple, so they can look it up. They tried to send me away when they said they couldn't look that up (yeah... okay) - but I just hopped on a demo MacBook and pulled up my order history on Apple.com. But yeah - they had no idea how long it was gonna take - even said "just a little bit longer" multiple times. The Apple Store is about 45 minutes from my house, so I wasn't gonna just drive back home. Also - like I said, didn't see much a need to as I had no idea at any point it was gonna take much longer.
***
I did send the manager an email as he requested. I'll even share it here but remove individual details. Unfortunately, I never heard back and so I forgot about it and moved on - like I said I would in the letter.
For those of you thinking I demand compensation; please understand I wasn't demanding and I wasn't entitled. I eventually dropped it. But was hopeful Apple would offer me some type of apology for wasting my time. Some people think that's just something you have to put up with occasionally - and honestly, I'd agree - that's life. But at the same time, I know if I wasted someone's time for 9 hours, I'd try to make it right within reason. *shrug*
***
Good afternoon; I hope the day is treating you well. First off, I'd like to thank you and your team for the effort they displayed working through my rather unique situation this past Sunday. As you likely recall, I had previously received a replacement iPhone 5 from Apple when my sleep button wasn't functioning properly. While the phone treated me well, it began giving me SIM validation issues after restoring it - and it seemed no combination of help, phones, or SIMs from AT&T or Apple could rectify the error.
Few employees would ever grow excited to be approached with a near-unfixable problem, especially as the day's hours slowly pass by. So, I want to extend my gratitude for their patience and their willingness to assist me and listen. While the issue couldn't be resolved in the store, it was only 24 hours or so later that a carrier update was pushed to my phone. I don't want to get too happy, but I'm growing confident my phone has been "fixed." I'm hopeful it doesn't rear its ugly head in the near or distant future.
I hope I've made it clear that I know the employees helping me this past Sunday carry no fault in my eyes. With that said, I am quite frustrated with Apple as a whole - and do feel if there is blame to be placed, it is on said company. The initial phone I had that stopped working did so without carelessness on my end, and in any case, whether it be because of the supply line, a distributor, a shipper, a computer, or the final employee that gave me the replacement at your store back in Novemeber; I was given a phone I absolutely should not have been. Ultimately, this wasted a good portion of my Saturday and most of my Sunday - all the while I had an nonoperational phone. Bad stuff happens, things break, and issues pop up - it's life and I'm aware. But part of the allure of an Apple product - what justifies its premium price and has instilled much of my brand loyalty (countless computers and iDevices - currently two iPads, a retina MBP, and this phone) - is its ease-of-use along with swift support at a physical location which is company-run.
Eventually, the only temporary solution was one I had come up with - to buy an unsubsidized phone before leaving and using it until my "old" phone was fixed. I plan to return the unsubsidized phone sometime this week, hopefully tomorrow; but it did put an ~$800 dent on my usable funds.
My intent is not to whine or make a big fuss - I know, without doubt, that you - personally - are not the reason for my troubles. But I do believe calm, formal complaints can be helpful. Whether you can pass my issue up the chain, make note for future changes, or just keep these things in mind in the future - I hope that similar problems can be prevented for future customers.
You had offered me some level of compensation for my wasted time on Sunday, but I told you I wasn't interested if I walked away with my phone working that day. Otherwise, I would reach out to you. As I've noted, the solution was not reached by the time I left. I don't want to be that guy that screams and carries on - blaring that the customer is always right - just go get a free toy. That's not my style. I'd like to share that I've had my eye on one of those XL Jawbone UP personal fitness bracelets; and if there is, indeed, something you can do to render a significant discount on such an item, I wouldn't turn it down and it would be appreciated. But if you cannot, I won't lose sleep over it, it will be forgotten, and the other points in this letter stand.
In any case, I'll stop with this lengthy novel. Again, I hope all is well - and am hopeful these situations don't happen again.
I'm not sure, maybe the manager was right to offer some kind of compensation.
I work in an industry where if I screw up, I, or the company I work for, has to pay for it. This thread got me thinking about this a little, I mean, why do big corporations get a pass?
Everyone wants your money, if they screw up when you're trying to give it to them and waste your time (what you use to make the money you give them in the first place) you should get something for it. It's not entitlement, it's how you value your time.
I think there should be a limit, lets say anything over 90 minutes and then a meter starts running. Every company should do this. I was on the phone with FiOS for almost 2 hours because of their screw up, then again for an hour and a half. Literally my choice was either pay more money because some lady didn't process my order correctly or waste almost 4 hours of my free time talking to them.
I had to go to an Apple store to get a replacement iPhone 5 (my first one's screen clicked and they couldn't get the 2nd one activated during the first visit). All in all, this one issue took about 3 hours and two trips about 5 days apart from each other.
I think it really goes back to how you value your time, and how the company you deal with values your time. Mistakes will happen, that's a given, I don't expect little bumps in the road to be compensated, but 9 hours and $800 out of pocket for someone else's issue is A LOT for something you just want to buy and use and already paid for.
I think as consumers we should hold any company we buy stuff from to a higher standard, especially when dealing with time and money.
I work in an industry where if I screw up, I, or the company I work for, has to pay for it. This thread got me thinking about this a little, I mean, why do big corporations get a pass?
Everyone wants your money, if they screw up when you're trying to give it to them and waste your time (what you use to make the money you give them in the first place) you should get something for it. It's not entitlement, it's how you value your time.
I think there should be a limit, lets say anything over 90 minutes and then a meter starts running. Every company should do this. I was on the phone with FiOS for almost 2 hours because of their screw up, then again for an hour and a half. Literally my choice was either pay more money because some lady didn't process my order correctly or waste almost 4 hours of my free time talking to them.
I had to go to an Apple store to get a replacement iPhone 5 (my first one's screen clicked and they couldn't get the 2nd one activated during the first visit). All in all, this one issue took about 3 hours and two trips about 5 days apart from each other.
I think it really goes back to how you value your time, and how the company you deal with values your time. Mistakes will happen, that's a given, I don't expect little bumps in the road to be compensated, but 9 hours and $800 out of pocket for someone else's issue is A LOT for something you just want to buy and use and already paid for.
I think as consumers we should hold any company we buy stuff from to a higher standard, especially when dealing with time and money.