Apple's "poor" customer service

I've read about Apple's poor customer service in several places, most recently on the O'Reilly Radar. My problem with these reports is that I've experienced the exact opposite. In my experience, Apple has great customer support. (As late as 2005, the industry agreed with me.)

Ever called AppleCare's support line? I can't remember the last support technician with whom I talked that wasn't competent on the technology and treated me like someone that actually knows my way around a computer. It's probably true that the Genius Bar support technicians can be snooty, as some report, but for the majority of people who dial for support, it's a non-issue.

When you call a company for support, you want two primary things:

1. A support technician with the competence and desire to help and
2. A system that tracks your issues so that they don't get lost.

For me, Apple is nearly flawless in these two critical areas. Apple is always very quick on turning around hardware repairs, too, which is another critical component of support.

But perhaps I've had the few good experiences that Apple has to dole out? Your experience, please....

[rturk]

I agree, Matt. I was thinking the same thing all morning as the Apple news trickled in! I'm a somewhat advanced Apple fan, having purchased seven iPods, two Minis, one iMac, four laptops, Apple TV, and three iPhones. Statistically, I've got better chances of having a bad customer service experience than most people.

Yet, I've gotten nothing but fantastic support from Apple! I've never had a device failure that wasn't fixed immediately by a trip to the Genius Bar, and, incidentally, I've never had to wait at the Bar here in Los Angeles either. I think about the worst you could say about the interactions I've had is that the people at the stores seem a tad 'cooler-than-thou' at times, which is sort of irritating.

Ross

[keifer5448]

Matt and Ross - Of course each of our experiences are just that, our own. Regardless, I feel compelled to share with you my recent experiences. I've been an Apple owner since Macintosh Color Classic, and since then, Apple products have found their way into every part of my life. I've even convinced many of my friends to make the switch. But for the past month, I've been trying to get a confirmed defect fixed, encountering incompetence from entry level associates to genius admins to the repair facility to Apple corporate. I always expect excellent service, so I'm often left wanting more at most places. But I recognize that I demand too much. But, in this case with Apple, I couldn't be more shocked at every turn. Back in the early 90's, I felt as if Apple needed me as a customer and brand advocate. Now, I feel as if they don't even want me to own their products.
-Keith