Apple slipping, but still leads Dell and HP in tech support satisfaction

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  • Reply 21 of 38
    macrulezmacrulez Posts: 2,455member
    deleted
  • Reply 22 of 38
    SPIN IT....DJ Jazzie DED!!!!!!! Like no other can.
  • Reply 23 of 38
    oskiooskio Posts: 60member
    To be honest I have had instances of horrible service from Dell and Apple but never from HP. That is just my luck.



    I shipped a laptop back to Dell for repair and they shipped me my repaired laptop....only a different model. Took another week before they just ended up crediting me and sending me a new laptop of the same model. I have had several good experiences but that pretty much turned me off Dell.



    I went into the Apple Store to get a new DVD drive on my iMac. It was two years old and died. Their response, "Sorry, Apple doesn't sell parts, but we can put a new one in for $xxx." I can't remember the actual cost but do remember thinking it was about 4 times the cost of a standard slot load drive. "Ok" I asked, "can you tell me the part number or where can I buy a drive that will fit." Their response, "Apple doesn't sell parts." And that is all he would repeat. Not even a..."I'm sure there are probably websites out there that might have that answer." or a "If you really want to do it yourself, which I don't suggest, you can check the Internet." Nothing but repeating "Apple doesn't sell parts." Seriously, I think he was brainwashed.

    I have had several other great experiences with Apple where the tech or salesperson shared info that helped me as a customer a lot more than Apple as a company...and that is why I still go back.



    I have had to send several things to HP and call them on the phone a few times and have to say it has been flawless. Quick repair and short productive phone calls. I still recommend them to anyone who says they want a Windows machine.
  • Reply 24 of 38
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Damn_Its_Hot View Post


    Wow - My exp here (in the USA) has been just the opposite. Hold times (queued up) are normally short for me (a min or two) and never had a rude representative - I have had a couple that it took a minute to explain that "yes, I already tried that to no avail" but calls have been excellent - I have never used enail/IM so I can't comment on that.



    Unfortunately, it's not just the telephone. In Canada, I haven't had good service in store more than a handful of times. The agents and geniuses are rude, haughty, and buggers to work with. I'm not sure what's wrong because it's not like Canadian service is worse. Apple store folk, however, are horrid.
  • Reply 25 of 38
    justflybobjustflybob Posts: 1,337member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by studiomusic View Post


    That's what happens when you start getting big time into the masses.

    Some people will never be satisfied. And some people are just too dumb to navigate automated phone menus.



    I always thought that this would happen once Windows users switching got to the high point it is today.



    There are always going to be those that are used to doing something a particular way, and will blame everyone around them if they cannot continue to perform whatever function in the manner they were used to on their previous POS.
  • Reply 26 of 38
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Damn_Its_Hot View Post


    Wow - My exp here (in the USA) has been just the opposite. Hold times (queued up) are normally short for me (a min or two) and never had a rude representative - I have had a couple that it took a minute to explain that "yes, I already tried that to no avail" but calls have been excellent - I have never used enail/IM so I can't comment on that.



    Unfortunately, it's not just the telephone. In Canada, I haven't had good service in store more than a handful of times. The agents and geniuses are rude, haughty, and buggers to work with. I'm not sure what's wrong because it's not like Canadian service is worse. Apple store folk, however, are horrid.
  • Reply 27 of 38
    justflybobjustflybob Posts: 1,337member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by shigzeo View Post


    Unfortunately, it's not just the telephone. In Canada, I haven't had good service in store more than a handful of times. The agents and geniuses are rude, haughty, and buggers to work with. I'm not sure what's wrong because it's not like Canadian service is worse. Apple store folk, however, are horrid.



    Wow. Forum deja vu!
  • Reply 28 of 38
    The report does concern me. Mostly because I was not surprised to read about it. I have been around Macs for 20 to 25 years. So naturally I have had to deal with support of some type in that time.



    I have noticed it is harder just to find the right person to contact.



    For example

    One support person kept sending me to Apple support links. Problem was they had nothing do with the issue I was dealing with. He had not read my eMail to him. After the second time of this I gave up and called by phone to Apple customer relations. It took about 10 minutes to finally get to the right person , after that the issue was resolved in about 5 minutes.



    To be fair though, when compared to the support delivered by my mouse maker and my printer maker (2 companies) at least Apple is approachable. Instead of hiding behind a wall of red tape, self-help and endless waiting on Hold.



    Honestly I feel Apple will find it very hard to avoid slippage in this area, Reason the cost of quality support is enormous.



    PS Want to Try Hard to get customer support. Try " eBay " Forget it.
  • Reply 29 of 38
    The level of support I have personally had has been a mixture.

    Some excellent some not so hot, but generally I give it a 8 out of 10, the same cannot be said for my mobile carrier, ISP or cable service.



    Here is a breakdown of my Apple experience:

    1. Power cord connector issue with my 4 year old MBP (out of warranty), was quoted about $120 Australian, but then the guy at the Apple shop said there may be a recall, there was, and I got a replacement for free. Great, very impressed, very trustworthy of Apple. 10/10



    2. Transfer Apple care for 2 iPods to friends overseas, either the person at customer services was not trained up, or the procedure in place needs re-working. 5/10



    3. Registration of my Apple products, either online or through telephone has been okay, not perfect, and eventually all was rectified, but took ages to be reflected online. 6/10



    4. Lost App purchases on my iPad, iTunes dept were fantastic. 10/10



    5. iPod battery issue, was mucked around a bit, got an new iPod touch, but it too is having issues, have given up, as now out of warranty. Could have been dealt better, 7/10



    6. Called tech support on a few issues, the wait time was minimal and the advice top notch 10/10



    So in all I have been quite satisfied with the level of support.

    If they are slipping, it may be down to increased hiring of people and the training may have slipped due to time constraints. This can be rectified easily enough, and I'm sure Apple have procedures in place for such an eventuality.

    I cannot comment on other computer industry support as I only have Apple products.
  • Reply 30 of 38
    penchantedpenchanted Posts: 1,070member
    I have fortunately had only good experiences dealing with Apple support.



    It is interesting to consider the following in the context of this survey:

    http://www.9to5mac.com/49420/apple-r...visor-programs
  • Reply 31 of 38
    But wait! I thought that, since Apple had stopped outsourcing this stuff, everything should be hunky-dory!? No more fake-accented foreigners to deal with?



    /sarcasm



    (Don't get me started on the incomprehensible homegrown accents -- and lack of basic competencies -- that I have repeatedly come across. And not just at Apple).
  • Reply 32 of 38
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by shigzeo View Post


    Unfortunately, it's not just the telephone. In Canada, I haven't had good service in store more than a handful of times. The agents and geniuses are rude, haughty, and buggers to work with. I'm not sure what's wrong because it's not like Canadian service is worse. Apple store folk, however, are horrid.



    I didn't know there was a city called Canada in Korea. I think he was referring to Canada the country. I have called apple a few times over the past 10 years, and have always been satisfied. Little or no wait times, and the questions and problems were always resolved. While I don't have any experience talking to geniuses but everyone else in the stores were very helpful and knowledgeable.
  • Reply 33 of 38
    macrulezmacrulez Posts: 2,455member
    deleted
  • Reply 34 of 38
    I'm not surprised the figures went down, I recently had to call Apple for help with an iTunes query and spoke to what can only be described as two of the thickest, most stupid Americans I have ever had the displeasure to speak to. First of all they couldn't understand that Apple in Europe is not the same as Apple in the US (TBH I think they thought Europe was just another US state). I never got anywhere with the first person (a first ever for any call to Apple which in the past has been always exemplary) so I asked to speak to someone else; they were just as bad.



    My guess is that Apple has increased the size of their call centre staff substantially (or outsourced to cheaper suppliers) and instead of having people who understand what you are talking about, now employ people who follow a much more tightly controlled script list but who don't know one end of a bar of soap from a toothbrush.



    I miss the Apple of 2005 which was the best year in my opinion - the year I switched away from the dreaded PC world. Now Woz has gone so many things are losing something...
  • Reply 35 of 38
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by studiomusic View Post


    That's what happens when you start getting big time into the masses.

    Some people will never be satisfied. And some people are just too dumb to navigate automated phone menus.



    as more and more people have apple products this seems natural. and you have to remember that apple designs for the dumb, i mean the technically challenged, so can't be angry when they don't understand the complexities of using a phone.
  • Reply 36 of 38
    penchantedpenchanted Posts: 1,070member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SwissMac2 View Post


    I miss the Apple of 2005 which was the best year in my opinion - the year I switched away from the dreaded PC world. Now Woz has gone so many things are losing something...



    Woz has been gone for over twenty years. I'm failing to see your point in this regard.
  • Reply 37 of 38
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by studiomusic View Post


    That's what happens when you start getting big time into the masses.

    Some people will never be satisfied. And some people are just too dumb to navigate automated phone menus.



    I think you hit the nail on the head.



    I just hope they don't respond but trying to "dumb things down"... that's usually start of making a product completely useless.
  • Reply 38 of 38
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Prof. Peabody View Post


    It seems like a gigantic flaw in this survey that it only included telephone service. It appears from the way this is worded that it doesn't track IM or email based support.



    I don't know about down in the US of A, but in Canada, Apple's phone support is some of the worst I've ever experienced. Huge wait times, hold "music" that is just high pitched static (and amazingly it's been that way for years!), rude representatives, hang-ups, etc.



    For that reason I *always* try to deal with support issues using IM or email, which I would rate as "fantastic" and "good" (respectively).



    Apparently you have never called Dell support in India. In a thick Indian accent, They answer saying My name is Brian, how may I help you? Then they read the steps to solve your problem very fast so that through the accent you only catch the jist of what they are telling you, so you constantly have to stop them and tell them you can't make out what they are saying. Then after you get your instructions, they give you their extension number to call "them" back if you need further help. The number never goes to them. You have to go through the entire explanation again to a new guy named Kevin. I have better luck using on line techie forums to solve problems. Is Apple tech phone support better than that?
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