Apple and the World

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
I want to ask those of you living around the world about the state of Apple in various countries to see if there is consistency or much diversity in sales, support and what-not.



My question comes from some bad news I heard today: my local reseller was suddenly told by Apple Japan earlier this month that they could no longer sell Apple products; many electronics shops will lose the ability to carry Apple products.



This particular shop had suddenly been spotlighted by Apple Japan two years ago as a great source of sales and Apple provided them with a special display counter and TV very similar to those found in the mini-stores. Reps also visited twice a month for several months. Visits dwindled, then stopped. The display counter was suddenly removed. Now, all Apple products are being removed (Macs and iPods). The in-store Softbank Shop (the carrier) will likely continue carrying iPhones... or will they?



Also, my question has roots in experience with Apple's Call Center in Japan. Quite simply, they suck. They are well-known, by customers and salespeople, to provide very poor service (while the US center has won awards); many salespeople cringe when they need to call. The last time I dared to call the Japan Call Center, after years of bad experiences, they asked if my question was about an Apple product; I was calling about iPhone OS 3.0 and had stated that specifically, twice. It's almost like, "Thanks for buying; you're on your own!"



Having had a very high percentage of Apple products with hardware issues (out of the last 7 Macs I've bought, 4 were replaced at least once), I've often wondered if quality control for products shipped to Japan was different from those shipped elsewhere or whether they were selling refurbished machines as new.



The replaced machines were replaced by the reseller, at their loss, not Apple's. The reseller had also provided me with a care plan that was much less than Apple Care and extended a full five years. The last machine I bought from the Apple Online Store in Japan (with Apple Care) was very reluctantly taken and repaired, but needed repairing again, for the same problem, twice (keyboard came unglued; I was once told that my typing was likely too heavy). The resellers here provide better service and support for Apple's products than Apple Japan does themselves, but that is now coming to an end.



One note here: in Japan, there are at least two Apples. One is Apple Japan. They run the Online Store and (until now) have sold products through various outlet around the country. Apple USA actually operates five brick and mortar Apple Stores. All of these, however, work with the Apple Call Center Japan, run by Apple Japan (out-sourced to a group of PC users).



I love Apple's products (their design and function) but I have serious questions about quality control, support and general business practices here in Japan. With the loss of my local reseller, my future purchases will likely be fewer; I will not, under any circumstance, ever deal with the Apple Japan Call Center again. I also expect Japan's sale's figures (already fairly unimpressive) overall to drop with the loss of electronics shops as sales points for Apple products. I wonder when Apple's quality control and service and support in Japan will match the level of their products.



Reading the threads about the delay in the iPad's world-wide distribution, I noticed (not for the first time) some Brits complaining that Apple's prices in the UK are higher than elsewhere. From this, I can discern that Apple is not equal across Europe. What about other countries? What about other aspects than just price? Quality control? Service? Support? Availability?



Also, is there anything we can do? I would love to write Steve, but don't know how best to word my message.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 8
    I have the opposite experience here. I've had excellent service both in the reseller shops and at the service center. Also I've had great experiences with quality of all the Apple products I've bought here (about a dozen iPods, three laptops and a few peripherals). I've had to repair iPods two or three times. With one exception, the only laptop issues I've had have been the well known issues, though it seems I had all of them, badly -- paint peeling on the TiBook, cracked white MacBook case, swollen MacBook battery, frayed chargers (both magsafe and the TiBook charger), and unusable Superdrive (fixed it myself with repeated lens cleanings). But whenever these fixes were under warranty, Apple fixed them quickly. The exceptional laptop case was way back before they had a repair center in Hong Kong and I had to send the laptop to Singapore in a pre-paid box, and they ended up giving me a new TiBook screen when they easily could have argued that there was user damage (which there was).



    Add to that great pricing here -- US retail, no markup, no tax -- and there's really nothing I can complain about.
  • Reply 2 of 8
    Hi Tonton. Glad you're happy. My local reseller once really took pride in selling Apple products, and they were good at it. They seemed to have gotten treated pretty badly by Apple Japan on this one and did not seem happy at all.



    I'm not happy because I lose my local shop, affordable care for five years and excellent service. Their service has been far superior to Apple Japan's in every way, for far less. Now if I want to continue being an Apple customer, I either have to take my chances with no extended care, or pay a premium for service I know is horrible.



    ---



    Update: there is a Premium Reseller in town so I went to visit them today. They will remain untouched by the changes and will serve as a one step between the customer and Apple Care (run by Apple Japan). So, though I will pay for Apple Care, I will only have to deal with the Premium Reseller; they will do the rest as needed. This means that getting care will be a little pricier and reduced to 3 years, but I will deal with humans.



    It seems that most electronics shops in Japan will lose the ability to sell Apple products. Only those with certain licenses will continue. Must mean there has also been a problem at the reseller level that we're not aware of. Though that may be the case, I will stand by my comments that Apple Japan is a bad company and is in serious need of fixing. When the the Apple walk-in stores opened in Japan and were operated by the US Store, I felt that Apple was beginning to deal with Apple Japan. This month's moves might be a further in-house dealing where Apple Japan is having to clean up their act. We can only hope.



    Now if only the premium reseller could get a Genius to visit a couple of times a month...
  • Reply 3 of 8
    Spoke with an Apple user over dinner tonight who had some interesting thoughts.



    She went to her regular shop last week to order a new Mac but was told she couldn't. The shop had no explanation except that Apple Japan suddenly halted sales. She visited another shop but was surprised to see the Mac display had been removed completely. She finally went to the Premium Reseller and though she didn't buy (see below) she asked about what was going on.



    The first shop couldn't say anything other than Apple Japan had suddenly pulled its products. The Premium shop knew about the movements, but they also couldn't explain what was going on. Lots of heads were being scratched, she said.



    The potential customer, based on a lack of full explanation and seeing a retreating Apple presence, now worries about the stability of Apple in Japan and chose not to buy an Apple. Tomorrow she will go back to the first shop to look at PCs, for the first time in over ten years as a solid Apple customer.



    She said that this behavior on Apple Japan's part, regardless of the reason (whether an Apple problem or a reseller problem), was worrisome and looked very bad for the company, especially right before a new product release.



    This user is aware of the difference between Apple USA and Apple Japan and she also has been dissatisfied with Apple Japan's Call Center.
  • Reply 4 of 8
    Sorry for your troubles with apple. I'm surprised by the quality issues. I'm writing on a 7 year tibook from 2003. This is my only pc. It has worked great. I'm not a road warrior so it looks brand new. I've never called apple care or bought extended warranties. Most consumer experts say don't buy extra warranties. I've only had it serviced once at a apple store for a kernal panic. Bad ram. They took care of it.



    In canada, apple is pushing out the independent resellers. Those that remain are mostly AV specialists or camera specialists. There are about half a dozen apple retail stores in canada. The big box stores have given apple prominence in their stores. Usually its a table of their own. This wasn't the case during the dark ages.



    I keep hearing of quality issues with the ipod. I don't have one. It never lasts forever. And they keep pushing the applecare like they expect it to break.



    Presently, pricing is very close to the US price. Not always the case. But the mac is still overpriced. And looks ridiculous gouging when compared to a pc. Just recently I got into a dicussion with an apple rep at a chain store. I was baiting him about apple prices. Why no mac under $1000? There's the mini. Yeah, but you're charging premium prices for old core 2 duo technology. I must have ticked him off. He regurgitated the often heard apple talking points. blah blah blah.
  • Reply 5 of 8
    Visited my reseller today and met the manager. He seemed quite angry with Apple Japan; he had not received any real explanation for the move. Got the distinct impression that the company will not carry Apple products again, even if asked; this is one of the largest retailers in Japan. Apple Japan seems to have upset quite a few people with this move: most of their resellers in Japan and all of their staff members.



    The Premium Reseller also said they had received no explanation. So, neither place could explain what was going on to customers, adding to worries and frustration all around.



    It is starting to look really bad.



    ---



    Rumor has it that at a shop a customer had placed an order and they had processed it with Apple Japan and received a shipping date. They received a phone call wherein the order was cancelled and they were told that they could no longer sell Apple products.



    A pretty rude and crappy way of doing business.



    ---



    With all the discussion going on in another thread about the board selection, I'm surprised nobody feels stronger about the actions of the company and its sister companies around the world.
  • Reply 6 of 8
    Stopped by another reseller this morning, a new shop in town, that has Macs and iPods on display. Although not listed on Apple's homepage as a reseller (possibly because it is a month-old shop, but the Apple page was just redone this week), they have heard nothing about the withdrawals of Apple products from other shops and thus assume that they will continue to carry them. They will check.



    I thought that this move by Apple Japan might in part be a move to get more people to buy Apple Care. This new shop, however, provides a 3-year coverage plan at no extra cost, making them cheaper than my current shop (if you plan to replace the machine within 3 years). If you live close to one of these electronics stores that will sell Apple stuff after this month, you are lucky. Most people, however, don't.



    The staff I spoke to was a Mac user who professed to loving Macs. However, he could not recommend them to customers... because he has had trouble with quality control and the Japan Call Center.



    Will stop by two shops this afternoon. They should be on the cut list.
  • Reply 7 of 8
    Talked to another shop... they were also suddenly told that Apple products were being pulled, except possibly for iPods (they aren't sure). They were a bit surprised and put off by the timing and haste, but not necessarily the reality: many of their customers are switching to PCs from Mac; sales simply weren't high for Macs.
  • Reply 8 of 8
    Finally, it makes the news:



    http://www.marketwatch.com/story/jap...ods-2010-04-27



    They only suggest Apple US asked for it to happen. They didn't mention how irritated a couple of the retailers are; spoke to another today.
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