Steve Jobs Personally Resolves Customer Complaint 341
An anonymous reader writes "The Consumerist recently published a story about an Apple customer who went through support hell with a broken Macbook. After escalating the issue up the support chain, and a month wait for his Macbook, the guy gave up and simply wrote Steve Jobs a blistering flame-mail. So, was he surprised when Jobs' executive assistant responded back the next day! He got both a brand new Macbook, as well as his old one to copy the hard drive. The guy also responded in a comment, and he turns out to be a slashdotter! He even wrote a journal entry here about the story."
Did I miss something? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Did I miss something? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Did I miss something? (Score:5, Funny)
You see there is more than one Steve Jobs and thus his "assistants" are in fact copies of himself. Thought Apple was outsourcing manufacturing to China or somewhere else? Nope, just a cover ploy to hide the fact that they have a manufacturing plant filled with Jobses.
Re:Did I miss something? (Score:5, Funny)
All dressed in identical black turtleneck sweaterses, my precious.
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I vote for a pre-emptive nuclear strike on Apple's main campus, just to be on the safe side.
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That could explain the $1 salary... Is there just a main Jobs who's underpaying the hell out of his clones and hording the rest for himself?
Re:Did I miss something? (Score:5, Funny)
Are you guys talking about Steve Jobs? (Score:5, Funny)
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We once had a bachelor party for Jobs. He ate the entire cake before we could tell him there was a stripper in it.
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Anyway, one time I was with Jobs in the back of a pickup truck, along with a live deer. Jobs goes up to the deer and says, 'I'm Steve Jobs! SAY IT!' Then he manipulates the deer's lips in such a way as to make it say, 'Stevejobs'
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Re:Did I miss something? (Score:5, Insightful)
You must be new here... (Score:3)
Re:Did I miss something? (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Did I miss something? (Score:5, Interesting)
It has also survived being dropped from standing height, and having a glass of wine spilled over it.
All that, and it'll run Windows, Mac OS, and Linux. It really has been my dream web development machine, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend one.
This is my first Apple machine, and since buying it I've managed to persuade work to swap my aging PC for a shiny new Mac Pro, which is quite simply a beast.
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Also I doubt that Steve Job's assistant hands out laptops to every unhappy email that gets past the spam filters, so he was likely involved at some point even if it was only to approve the handing out,
What if (Score:5, Funny)
PR (Score:2, Insightful)
And miss out on all that (insanely) great free PR?
Steve keeps it real; mum's the word (Score:5, Insightful)
But the more publicity he gets for doing it, and the more people actually try to email him, the less likely he'll be to read and respond, and the less personal it's actually going to get. It's obvious from the numbers. Part of me hates myself for saying this, and I acknowledge that it's elitist as all hell, but I sort of wish these guys (the ones "in the know" about Steve's responsiveness over email) would keep it to themselves. Because if Steve stops answering his email, that's another piece gone of the old Apple spirit.
Of course, I suppose we must all eventually succumb to inevitability—but there's no harm delaying that end, while possible. So please. Enough. Let me suggest we simply appreciate Steve for keeping it real, and not trumpet it all over the blog-o-spierre.
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So again—and yes, I've come to terms with my implied elitism here—let's not ruin a good thing by blabbering about how amazing it is that Steve repli
I completely agree (Score:5, Interesting)
My situation was extreme. I do NOT recommend emailing Mr. Jobs until fully exhausting the Apple support chain. If you have a problem, ask for a supervisor. If the supervisor can't fix it, ask for "customer relations". Call your local Apple store before sending that email (I did). And finally, after a month of hell, if all else fails, well... do a google search and find his current email address.
But please don't waste the dude's time. I would have the same opinion regardless of the CEO or company.
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(Side note: I've had no problems of my own with Apple's warranty service, but it does seem anecdotally that when things go wrong with AppleCare, they go really, really wrong.)
Re:I completely agree (Score:4, Insightful)
So keep right on flooding Steve with emails. He'll get the ones that he should, and his staff will take care of the rest. Also, I know its unlikely, but have you all considered the possibility that its not really Steve answering those emails? In my experience, the emails that come directly from him are very short and to the point (a few words at most). He probably also has people he trusts to reply on his behalf.
Re:I completely agree (Score:4, Interesting)
I think that might be true of a lot of these big name corporates with very public images. Last time I emailed Mark Cuban, I got a brief but personal response within five minutes. It was appreciated despite the brevity.
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Flame Mail? (Score:5, Insightful)
You can bet somebody got reamed... (Score:4, Funny)
I wonder if Jobs ever sees these emails (Score:5, Insightful)
I've done this kind of thing myself before (Score:5, Interesting)
On the plus side, it's fantastically effective. A call from anyone at that level - or even their PA - will often go to the head of customer services very quickly, and get the issue resolved in far less time than trying to work your way up through a call centre staffed with people who quite frankly don't much care about any individual customer's complaint.
On the minus side, it's not something you'd want to do terribly often - particularly not with one company - as it would rapidly lose effectiveness. And if you find yourself in a position where you've got to do this more than once, even for separate incidents, maybe they don't need your business that badly anyway.
Got to give it to Maynard! (Score:2, Insightful)
the mail I'd have sent would sound 10X more nastier
than what he had sent.
And maybe that's what mattered in the end. The cool
and collected way Mr. Maynard wrote the disgruntled-
customer email must've done the job(no pun intended).
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They've been doing this for years. (Score:2)
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It's a shame Mr. Jobs' personal assistant didn't handle all technical support issues
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This real issue here is... (Score:4, Insightful)
According to "Consumer Reports", Apple has the best customer service of ALL the PC and laptop makers and their quality also beats everyone. If you look at their charts, Apple takes the lead by a wide margin, none of this jazz of they're 8.2 while the closest competitor is 8.1. (Unfortunately, I don't have the issue in front of me to give you guys the real number numbers to show how well Apple rates.)
Now, here's the best, and they're pulling this horseshit!?
Stopping now because I need more coffee.
MIT (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:MIT (Score:5, Insightful)
Let's not overlook the phrase, "raison d'etre" (Score:5, Funny)
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Does not sound so cool to me. (Score:4, Interesting)
One famous manager (I don't remember who exactly though) once said, that if the company's leader performs mere employee's duties then either he does not understand his role or there is something terribly wrong with the way the company operates.
Look at this story: the guy waited for months for the support to handle the problem!
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-Act nicely and the world will treat you like a crap.
-Act like a crap and the world will treat you nice.
Maybe Buda got that whole karma thing the wrong way...
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Re:Does not sound so cool to me. (Score:4, Insightful)
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Dunno about that. I lead a small team of engineers who do internal toolchain support for several of our sites. Most of my job involves allocating tasks and taking care of planing, etc. But every now and again I take a job off the queue and do it myself because (1) it
Re:Does not sound so cool to me. (Score:4, Insightful)
Personally, I find that line of thinking very elitist and in the end self-destructive. Managers who look upon their employees as "mere employees" will not be able to get the most out of those employees. I believe that true management is serving those under you to enable them to do their best.
Regardless, there is a certain point to that statement. The key here is not what Steve Jobs did but what changes will occur in the company to see that he doesn't have to do this again. It is all well and good that he is able to provide good support, but if all of the other support employees fail, it could eventually sink the company.
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If you are a great leader, you do what you need to do to get the job done, and once in awhile that's a matter of low-level work rather than high-level thinking.
-Jeff
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Now, we wait for the Slashdot follow-up story.... (Score:5, Funny)
[DISCLAIMER: every word of this is BS (duh)]
Letters to the top always produce some effect (Score:3, Interesting)
Promptly I got a phone call from his assistant. Unlike Apple they did not fix anything. She offered a 20$ off 2007Deluxe, which is basically the standard discount everywhere from Costco to web downloads. I think they just sold the right to use Quicken name to some bank for a one time fee and Quicken does not care whether I keep the card or not. The bank is really dumb to lose me as a customer. I had charged more than 100,000$ over the years in that card. They should be willing to spend 0.5% or 500$ to keep me as a customer. They just lost me over a stupid 30$ software update I demanded.
I also heard a story about the CEO of Virgin Atlantic (charles bronson?? or was he an actor, God I have bad memory for names) traveling with the public or playing the role of a flight attendent/steward and listen to customers. One Indian guy had ordered vegetarian meals and it was not available. Charles was playing steward on that flight. He made an unscheduled landing at a nearby airport and rented a limo to take the passenger to an expensive Indian joint and flew him first class to complete the journey.
Re:Letters to the top always produce some effect (Score:5, Insightful)
Thats Richard Branson. He does that kind of thing because it gets in the news and it is much cheaper than paying for advertising. He is a similar kind of charismatic leader, though.
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http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,2059430,00.
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[[BADABOOM]]
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Chuck is now coming for you (Score:2)
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Either way, Richard Branson would be there to make money off it, somehow, I'm sure.
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Bill
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His name's (Sir) Richard Branson, and he really is known for being down-to-earth and game for a laugh. I wouldn't call him an actor, but he has appeared in Friends (he sold Joey the hat while they were in London). He's had cameos in a couple of other things, such as the last Bond film.
In one Candid Camera style show, they played tricks on him by dressing up people he knows really well so that he wouldn't recognise them, and t
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Classic!
I got that service from IBM ten years ago (Score:2)
Customer Call centers (Score:2, Interesting)
This might be a special case (Score:5, Insightful)
Lovely delegation (Score:2, Funny)
TOM: That, that's right.
BOB PORTER: Well, then I gotta ask, then why can't the customers just take the specifications directly to the software people, huh?
TOM: Well, uh, uh, uh, because, uh, engineers are not good at dealing with customers.
BOB SLYDELL: You physically take the specs from the customer?
TOM: Well, no, my, my secretary does that, or, or the fax.
BOB SLY
incorrect article title (Score:2)
it's who you are and who you know.. (Score:2)
"I am also an IT Manager for one of the labs at MIT (J's MIT email)."
he wasn't just some guy who walked into an apple store at the local mall..
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"just send them in"
"sir the gentlemen are the first brigade of the first infantry division they won't fit in the building (and they seem upset about something)"
"have all of my callers call me b
Stop the fanboyism (Score:2, Insightful)
"Today the great chairman Mao visited a poor child in the village Mangtung. He gave the child healthy food and read a story. This how out great chairman Mao cares cares for all the people."
Skipping up the chain of command. (Score:3, Insightful)
Around aught-zero my DSL provider was forced out of business by some rather dramatic changes in the DSL market. They had a length of time to shut down and began immediately cutting employees. At the time this was a very fast DSL connection and my bill was on the order of $200 a month. After canceling my service they continued to charge me. I called, of course it would be fixed! It wasn't for month two... then three... then four, every month them charging me only to refund money after many calls on my part and being told the problem was fixed for good.
Month five. They did it again. So I did what any pissed off customer would do, I flew down to their office and bea... er. Found their about page and looked for personal information for company employees listed at the VP level and above. Guess others had done the same, because it was all impossible to find. Then I noticed their board list, sure enough, many of the board members had information available online. So I wrote one, more out of frustration than anything explaining what had happened for the previous five months. Twenty minutes later the CEO of the company called me and assured me the problem would be resolved and then proceeded to offer me an additional refund for my "time spent on their failure".
The point of all this? Even the boss has a boss or someone he is "scared of" or "respects". When you come to the end of a normal process without success, it is okay to escalate to them.
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Because it's cheaper than a lawsuit for fradulently charging you for services not delivered. Make no mistake: He was not interested in making an ex-customer happy. He was trying to avoid a lawsuit.
To be fair... (Score:3, Funny)
Stunned? (Score:2)
I have an original Apple II (not II+) still in my basement (and it still
works!). I am also an IT Manager for one of the labs at MIT.
It would have surprised me if he wasn't a Slashdotter, not that he was.
I don't get it (Score:2)
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Tain't nothing (Score:2)
I thought everyone knew this... (Score:2)
It's not so impressive that executive relations actually fixes things.. It should be embarassing that you have to go that
Well... I heard... (Score:2, Funny)
Steve Jobs doesn't code software or fabricate hardware, he sensually caresses raw silicon until it wants to please him.
Steve Jobs' turtleneck is actually his own sleek yet soft and downy coat of fur.
Chuck Norris almost fought Steve Jobs this one time when Chuck's iPod died on him halfway through the kickass guitar solo in "Freebird," but Steve used his powers to not only repair Chuck's iPod, but also did a reality-restore poin
Corporate Executive Relations (Score:3, Insightful)
Please, everyone, don't abuse it. I've had a couple of issues that the regular AppleCare folks weren't taking care of properly, and those issues were promptly resolved by the friendly people in Corporate Executive Relations. I'd hate to see them lose their effectiveness because they're being bombarded with things that ought to be going to regular AppleCare.
My own Apple support story.... (Score:4, Interesting)
Apple promptly shipped me a postage-paid return mailer to send it back in, but I had to wait several *more* weeks for a second unit!
Then, shortly after receiving the second (working, thankfully!) unit, Apple announced a voluntary battery recall. Knowing the problems people had with other batteries splitting open, etc. - I called in to get that taken care of. I had to send in my original battery, which I did, but the replacement they provided refused to charge at all! I tried to get it resolved at the local Apple store, but after getting the big runaround (make an appointment to talk to us at the genius bar, drive home, and come back hours later, etc. etc.), I was simply told they had no more batteries in stock so they couldn't help me! Ugh! Why wouldn't they simply tell me that when I first came in, instead of the bull-headed refusal to speak to me until I made that appointment and came back later!?!
Then I called in to Apple, only to wind up arguing with some guy who tried to tell me I wasn't allowed to get free phone support because I had my laptop longer than 90 days and didn't pay for AppleCare! WTF?! I was asking about the BATTERY they JUST sent me, not the laptop itself! He finally did swap the battery for me, but only after a condescending attitude and an insistence I understand this was only being done because he was "making a 1 time exception" to their policy.
By this time, I was really getting pissed off at the way Apple's support seemed to be rapidly going downhill! But at least I had a working notebook for a while. That is, until one day, my bluetooth suddenly quit working! It was still within warranty by a month or so, so I gritted my teeth and called Apple. They made me give them my CC number first, but did walk me through some steps (including making a new user account in OS X to see if bluetooth would come back that way, which it didn't). Then they agreed it was defective and had me ship it back to them again.
I sent it off the next morning after receipt of their mailer, bracing for weeks of waiting AGAIN. The next morning, I had a box sitting on my doorstep when I was heading off to work. Huh? My notebook! I was REALLY pissed this time. (Obviously someone screwed up and didn't get it delivered properly, or Apple messed up and sent it back without even looking at it!
Was this service so prompt this time because Apple realized I had so many issues, and/or because I posted about all of it to several well-read forums? I'll never know - but THAT was TOP-NOTCH service!
the other way this could have played out.. (Score:3, Informative)
Mac genius fixes macbook the same day.
rejoice.
Sometimes, going to the top works.. (Score:4, Interesting)
Much more recently, I had trouble with a web site hosting company that I've had a site with for several years. They changed management and I started having serious trouble with the mail server where we have about 70 email accounts. For several days I tried to work through their phone support (Philippines - Very nice, Polite, easy to understand), but couldn't get the problem fixed with the server in Atlanta. I finally got escalated to email exchanges with a sysadmin, who wasn't getting the problem resolved either. I took a shot at guessing the email address of the CEO given that I now knew the pattern of their email addresses and got a quick response directly from him stating that I would be getting a phone call ASAP from their director of customer service and the head sysadmin. The calls came as promised and the problem got fixed quickly.
So sometimes getting to the top guy works, but I use it sparingly as it can be overdone, too.
He took care of me a couple of years back, too... (Score:3, Interesting)
A couple of hours later, one of his assistants called me. He had all the info on exactly what had happened to that sales order, and explained the whole thing to me. The next morning, my new iMac arrived at my office around 9AM, even before the pickup was ready to go of the old one.
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Re:Personally? (Score:5, Insightful)
Hmmm...I can't seem to find the page on Apple's website that explains how to escalate your problem past the Customer Service monkeys when you can't get it resolved. How is that superior customer service? I think the problem is that we're so used to crappy service that when we get *any* service at all it's considered "superior". I, for one, am not about to applaud Apple for "going above and beyond" when the thing that necessitated it was a complete failure of the system in question.
Re:Nice, but (Score:5, Funny)
And if ... (Score:5, Funny)
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Exactly, it seems the submitter did not even RTFA:(emphasis mine)
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The point is Apple, and apparently Steve Jobs as well, still understands that they are there to serve people and not people serving them. As long as Apple rememembers this, they will continue to take the high end and most profitable customers.
Oh, and I would believe the "Apple has an insignficant market share" argument... Apple is taking the most profitable cus
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I'm sure having the address slashdotted will mean it is less useful; they'll probably stop