Apple - Think Twice

a) ordered an iPod nano. Apple missed the delivery date by nearly a week, because they had outsourced the delivery to some unreliable company in Glasgow. I had left the country by the time it arrived.

b) I want to purchase a new 21.5" iMac. Store here in Zurich doesn't know when they'll have stock and suggest I phone each day. I said if I order online could I deliver it to the store. No was the answer. Then I said I would miss the delivery as I work - so asked which courier would be used and would I be able to visit their base to pick the iMac up. The guy in the store was unable to answer. I can't find anyone to contact via e-mail either.

I don't see Apple as a customer focused company.

If it were a software problem Apple would probably not be replacing any screens at all or even performing a screen test.

Yes, but you don't always want to do everything the customer wants. I mean, maybe this is a defect in the screen, in which case, you are right that apple should probably fix the test.

but, maybe this is just how those displays work. Maybe this level of ghosting is simply the best you can do with the technology Apple used to have the screen made?

In that case, it's really a problem of setting expectations.

The problem is that even if you provide the exact same product and support to 100 customers, you will have 1 who will demand more support time than the rest. At some point, you need to decide how much effort you want to put in to that customer.

I mean, the problem with those 1 out of 100 customers? they do complain to their friends, like this guy did.

So yeah, you don't want those customers? but you also need to fire them in a reasonable way. "I'll give you your money back if you go away" sort of thing.

If you are a company that really values your customer service reputation? maybe you don't want to fire the 1 out of 100 customer. Maybe you want to eat that cost. but you do want to fire the 1 in 1000 customer. There is a point at which you need to say 'no, enough' just because of how much money one user can cost you.

(Again, I think the best way to handle it is to apologize sincerely (because, after all, it could very well have been an undetected defect in your product) give them a full refund, and point them at your competition. I think Apple may have a hard time doing that, though.)

> Worse, passing a test doesn't magically change the state of the world and make these problems disappear. Turning to the customer and explaining, "there is no problem because you passed the test" does not alter the customer's experience at all: the ghosting still exists.

The point of the test is to determine if your problem is with the customer, or with the product. Maybe there is a certain amount of ghosting on all of these screens, and most people just don't care? in that case, the test is a way of saying "this guy is so sensitive that we don't want him as a customer."

What I want to know is what the hell OP is doing replacing the screen? I mean, clearly, this is within apple's tolerances, so why does he think a new screen would be better?