Just a few months ago, we put Apple in the Top 10 High Tech/Web Stocks of Past, Present and Future. Today we’re asking, could Apple’s golden era be over?
Let’s see.
Apple’s iPhone lasts a mere 40 minutes?
Apple TV loses out to XBOX 360?
Apple customer service reminiscent of Dell, Seagate, HP customer service? Yep, maybe even worst.
If there’s one thing I know, it’s service. I spent 18 months (and one day!) doing customer service at the nation’s largest credit card issuer. I’ll spare you the war stories, but when I left, my index score was 149. You can always measure a company’s success in the marketplace by how on or off the ball their service is, and how their employees handle themselves.
I’ve never been a Mac guy. I’ve used a PC for basic office use, our editors at WatchMojo.com use Macs, “naturally.” I am even toying with the notion of “upgrading” to a Mac soon. Not so, not anymore.
While Dell and HP know that they create and ship boxes and don’t kid themselves, Apple tries to sell an image, a brand, a feeling, so when their CSRs drop the ball and the company fumbles, it hurts them twice as much, shattering the facade.
It’s one thing for John Dvorak to say that someone told him the iPhone lasts a mere 40 minutes, it’s another thing for an AP writer to say that the Apple TV is no XBOX 360 (Bill Gates just named his next son Sven, so he can shout “Sven, son”). All right, that was lame.
But not as lame as Apple’s CSR.
We ordered an Apple Airport Extreme Base Station. Extremely crap, I might add. When we wanted a more robust router, my colleague - the Mac fiend - suggested Apple’s product.
Frankly, my initial thought was: music players? Ok. Phones? Maybe. TVs? Sure, why not.
But routers that double up as hard drives and quasi-servers? Give me a break. Isn’t Apple stretching itself a little too thin? What happened to Steve Jobs’ razor-sharp focus? Did greed and hubris soften that edge?
I indulged him, we got one, it was a disaster. Judging by the feedback on the Apple site, it’s a hit or miss: people love it or hate it. Judging by the ultimate feedback, I think Apple had some quality issues with a batch, because eventually when I gave my serial number to someone, they acknowledged it was, well, crappy. But more on that later…
After spending some time setting it up, the thing would crash, and when it would not crash, the laptops (PC or Macs) could not read the hard drive. But everyone could print. Yippie!
I’d spare Apple, frankly, but then today came the last straw. A call to customer service to a) replace or b) get a refund.
I made the mistake of calling the number provided on Apple’s invoice. I spoke to &$%^#$%#%^*&. No, that’s not a swear word, I could not make out the agent’s name. I figured, no worry, I am sure Apple will leave me happy as a clam.
But &$%^#$%#%^*& needed a case number, so I was referred to another line. Note that everytime I was transferred, I felt deeper into a shell and the voice on the other line grew weaker and weaker (does something really grow weaker? Yes, Apple, like all companies that suffer from hubris as they expand, but more on that).
From &$%^#$%#%^*& I was transferred to Andrew. Andrew was kind enough to forward me to someone else: Rebecca, who then sent me to Jerri. From Jerri it was Wendy. Wendy sent me to Steven. Steven, or Stephen, or St&$%^#$%#%^*&en told me that I needed a case number… and to get one he would have to - “STOP!” I shouted, adding: “I know, I need a case number, but the good news is that &$%^#$%#%^*& referred me to Andrew, who in turn referred me to Rebecca, who then sent me to see Jerri, then Wendy, now you, so let’s try to make this the last phase of this circus of disservice insanity.”
Steven, to his credit, finally spoke to a member of management, came back to tell me I’d have to wait some more, and then managed to come back telling me that indeed, based on the serial number, they had sold me a crapbox, and that I could send it back in the next couple of days for a refund.
It’s a good thing, cause I would hate to have to say negative things about Apple. Of course, between now and the next 48 hours, a lot of things can happen before they send me an email. Who knows. Hopefully nothing bad will happen.
But what’s the lesson here?
1. When I called, I have every intention of asking for a replacement. But the fact that I was a hot potato and Apple failed at First Call Problem Resolution (something, by the way, I pitched to my bosses in 1998 as a lowly CSR at the nation’s largest financial institution) means that I never want to have anything to do with them. We’ll keep the Macs for editors, but trust me, I’ll find something other than a HP or Dell or Apple to buy next for myself, and for our growing company.
2. Apple has begun its long delayed descent. It’s nothing personal. It’s just the way that it is. Apple’s stock says a lot:
December, 2000: $8.50
April, 2003: $7.10
February, 2005: $45
April, 2007: $94
In other words, in 7 years, the company’s stock has grown tenfold on the strength of their computer sales and their digital music players, the wildly successful iPods. But much the same way that MSFT had Windows and Office (two trick pony), Google had search and advertising (two trick pony) I think that deep down inside, the real and fake Steve Jobs know full well that it will take a massive hit to keep that stock rolling.
MSFT could not do it. Google, it does not look like, could do it. Both are monopolies to varying degrees (let’s toss in “allegedly” to make our lawyers happy).
I don’t think Apple will be able to do it. John Dvorak and Peter Svensson say that they won’t do it. I don’t really know or care if they are right, but what I do know is that due to Apple’s hubris and thinking that they can launch any product in any market and win any client, they put out a clunker and then added insult to injury by refusing to help me ship back their crapbox… translation: no Apple TV or iPhone for me, and going forward, no Mac or iPod.
Judging by the tone and handling by their service team, I’d assume I’m not alone. The shield has been broken. Apple is on the descent.
How you like them Apples, Steve?
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