So, I'm considering sending this complaint letter to Apple. Although kind of long, I'd be interested in your suggestions or comments. Am I being ridiculous? Here's the letter:
To Whom It May Concern:
As a loyal Apple customer, and one who knows first hand the company's dedication to customer satisfaction, it frustrates me to have to write this letter.
Beginning with an Apple II+ in the early 80's, and continuing through my brief employment as a "Mac Specialist" at the __________ location under the direction of then manager _____________, I, like many, have come to understand that Apple's product superiority is surpassed only by its customer service. It is, therefore, with this backdrop that I am writing this letter to express my dissatisfaction with two recent experiences at the _____________ store.
The first was when I went to the store last week due to the fact that my iPhone charging cable had stopped working within my first year of ownership. I spoke with an employee named, "Drew," (who I believe was a concierge) who explained that the decision to replace a defective charging cable is considered on a case by case basis, seemingly based on a subjective determination of whether the visible "wear and tear" appears "normal." I explained to Drew that within the first two months of owning my phone, the rubber wire housing began to detach from both ends of the cable, thereby exposing the wires, and that I had not abused the cable in any unreasonable or unanticipated manner. As an attorney, the only abuse the cable receives is placing it in and out of my briefcase. Please know that my father, who is also a professional, an iPhone owner, and all around Apple junky, experienced the same problem with his cable. Notwithstanding my explanation, Drew chose not to replace the cable. As you may imagine, I was quite surprised by this encounter, as it was hugely inconsistent with my previous Apple experience. I left disappointed and drove the fifteen minutes to the ______________ Apple store where "John," a manager, did not hesitate to replace the cable. As you may imagine, by that time, it was not about a $20.00 part, but rather a matter of principle.
My second disappointment came last night when I accompanied my sister and brother-in-law to the same Apple store to help answer some of his questions, familiarize him with a Mac, and to likely help him purchase several computers in order to upgrade his dental practice from PC to Apple. When we arrived at the store at 7:00 p.m., there was a line of approximately fifteen people outside the store waiting to purchase an iPhone 3GS. One of the staff members outside, whose name I don't recall, refused to let us in the store to allow my brother-in-law to look at a computer due to the fact that the store was, "understaffed," and because he did not want to have to stay past closing that evening like he, and others, had to do the previous night due to iPhone sales. However, a view into the store revealed only a handful of customers, mainly situated in the back near the Genius Bar. We explained to the employee that my sister had hired a baby sitter that night for the sole purpose of coming to the Apple store to provide her husband the opportunity to familiarize himself with a Mac, and to purchase several computers, if possible. Given the fact that the entire front of the store was effectively vacant, and we were the only non-iPhone customers interested in coming into the store, we pleaded with this employee if he would please allow us just a few minutes to browse the computers so that I could explain and demonstrate to my brother-in-law the benefits of the OS X operating system. Sadly, we were denied entrance to the store and my brother-in-law left very discouraged by his first Apple experience.
Please know that I do not feel that I am entitled to preferential treatment. I do, however, feel that both recent incidents at the ____________location, while not egregious, do represent poor customer service choices. At the risk of sounding arrogant, my brother-in-law and I are not the types of customers that your company would want to alienate. Mike was prepared to spend upwards of $10,000.00 that evening to upgrade his entire dental practice. Should he choose to still do so, you will likely have a customer for life who will, no doubt, spend handsomely in the future. Aside from encouraging my law firm to convert our office to Mac, I can think of five acquaintances off the top of my head that have purchased an Apple computer at my suggestion in the last two years. Do I think Apple's stock value will rise and fall based on the decisions made in these two instances? Obviously not. However, I do believe a large part of Apple's success and atypical loyalty derives itself equally by its products as much as it does its thoughtful consideration of its customer base.
Therefore, if this letter accomplishes nothing else, I would hope that it would cause you, the store manager of ___________, to remind your employees of a lesson imparted to me by my former boss at Apple, and that is the company's commitment to customer satisfaction and hopefully an encouragement to exercise reasonable judgment in the future.
To Whom It May Concern:
As a loyal Apple customer, and one who knows first hand the company's dedication to customer satisfaction, it frustrates me to have to write this letter.
Beginning with an Apple II+ in the early 80's, and continuing through my brief employment as a "Mac Specialist" at the __________ location under the direction of then manager _____________, I, like many, have come to understand that Apple's product superiority is surpassed only by its customer service. It is, therefore, with this backdrop that I am writing this letter to express my dissatisfaction with two recent experiences at the _____________ store.
The first was when I went to the store last week due to the fact that my iPhone charging cable had stopped working within my first year of ownership. I spoke with an employee named, "Drew," (who I believe was a concierge) who explained that the decision to replace a defective charging cable is considered on a case by case basis, seemingly based on a subjective determination of whether the visible "wear and tear" appears "normal." I explained to Drew that within the first two months of owning my phone, the rubber wire housing began to detach from both ends of the cable, thereby exposing the wires, and that I had not abused the cable in any unreasonable or unanticipated manner. As an attorney, the only abuse the cable receives is placing it in and out of my briefcase. Please know that my father, who is also a professional, an iPhone owner, and all around Apple junky, experienced the same problem with his cable. Notwithstanding my explanation, Drew chose not to replace the cable. As you may imagine, I was quite surprised by this encounter, as it was hugely inconsistent with my previous Apple experience. I left disappointed and drove the fifteen minutes to the ______________ Apple store where "John," a manager, did not hesitate to replace the cable. As you may imagine, by that time, it was not about a $20.00 part, but rather a matter of principle.
My second disappointment came last night when I accompanied my sister and brother-in-law to the same Apple store to help answer some of his questions, familiarize him with a Mac, and to likely help him purchase several computers in order to upgrade his dental practice from PC to Apple. When we arrived at the store at 7:00 p.m., there was a line of approximately fifteen people outside the store waiting to purchase an iPhone 3GS. One of the staff members outside, whose name I don't recall, refused to let us in the store to allow my brother-in-law to look at a computer due to the fact that the store was, "understaffed," and because he did not want to have to stay past closing that evening like he, and others, had to do the previous night due to iPhone sales. However, a view into the store revealed only a handful of customers, mainly situated in the back near the Genius Bar. We explained to the employee that my sister had hired a baby sitter that night for the sole purpose of coming to the Apple store to provide her husband the opportunity to familiarize himself with a Mac, and to purchase several computers, if possible. Given the fact that the entire front of the store was effectively vacant, and we were the only non-iPhone customers interested in coming into the store, we pleaded with this employee if he would please allow us just a few minutes to browse the computers so that I could explain and demonstrate to my brother-in-law the benefits of the OS X operating system. Sadly, we were denied entrance to the store and my brother-in-law left very discouraged by his first Apple experience.
Please know that I do not feel that I am entitled to preferential treatment. I do, however, feel that both recent incidents at the ____________location, while not egregious, do represent poor customer service choices. At the risk of sounding arrogant, my brother-in-law and I are not the types of customers that your company would want to alienate. Mike was prepared to spend upwards of $10,000.00 that evening to upgrade his entire dental practice. Should he choose to still do so, you will likely have a customer for life who will, no doubt, spend handsomely in the future. Aside from encouraging my law firm to convert our office to Mac, I can think of five acquaintances off the top of my head that have purchased an Apple computer at my suggestion in the last two years. Do I think Apple's stock value will rise and fall based on the decisions made in these two instances? Obviously not. However, I do believe a large part of Apple's success and atypical loyalty derives itself equally by its products as much as it does its thoughtful consideration of its customer base.
Therefore, if this letter accomplishes nothing else, I would hope that it would cause you, the store manager of ___________, to remind your employees of a lesson imparted to me by my former boss at Apple, and that is the company's commitment to customer satisfaction and hopefully an encouragement to exercise reasonable judgment in the future.
) and doesn't ask for anything un-reasonable.
