(photo credit: Apple.com)
You know I love a good deal. But sometimes, I think the real deal isn’t in how much you save – but in the complete package – the quality (and value) of product and the customer service.
Here’s my story . . .
My horrible history with computers – My last laptop was not an Apple. It WAS a great bargain, a great deal, and definitely a good workhorse. . . but only for about the first six months I had it. It soon had problem, after problem. I paid for warranty, after warranty and for nearly four years I spent hours on the phone with tech service, having tech people come to my house, and finally having the entire computer replaced under my warranty. The new laptop (which they replaced for “free”) seemed to be headed for the same cycle – crashing very soon after receiving it and I just couldn’t bring myself to invest any more money or time into trying to make it work. I didn’t have time for the nonsense. Without a computer, I can’t work. After four years of paying for “fixes” my computer that had started out as a “deal” wasn’t such a deal after the hundreds of dollars for warranties and the time I spent trying to get it fixed.
So we decided to pay a little more for an Apple – After months of research and saving, we bought an Apple MacBook Pro from the Tacoma Mall Apple Store. It was a MAJOR purchase for us, our biggest of the year. We hemmed and hawed over it. We researched it. We saved, we scrimped, we saved some more. We were looking for a fast and efficient computer – so that when I sat down to do my work, I didn’t have to wait for my computer to catch up. Because the less time I spend working – the more time I can spend with my family. It was love at first type. It was beauty right out of the box. 🙂 We paid extra for AppleCare which is Apple’s warranty program. It covers a lot and it came highly recommended by all my Apple friends.
Two weeks later, the unthinkable happened. I was working at a table with my 10-month-old daughter on my lap. She swung her arm and knocked a very, very full travel mug of hot coffee across my brand new MacBook Pro. I jumped up – none of the coffee touched her (thank goodness!), but it had flooded my computer. The screen went dark and the computer went dead. I flipped the computer upside down and coffee just poured out of the keyboard and every crevice of the machine. My first reaction (besides crying) was to Google, “Does AppleCare cover spills” but of course my computer wasn’t working.
My husband was recovering from achilles tendon surgery. He had just had surgery the day BEFORE, so I wasn’t about to hop in a car with my laptop and run to Tacoma to get it fixed. After a quick Google search, I put it in a big roasting pan and surrounded it with white rice hoping the rice would extract the liquid (I didn’t have anything to lose and besides taking it apart and drying it out, I didn’t have any other ideas).
(photo credit: Apple.com)
The Genius Bar. It was three whole days before I made it to the Apple Store. I had found out that spills were NOT covered under my AppleCare warranty. I knew they didn’t owe me anything. I didn’t know what I was expecting, but I was hoping they could help me some how. I made an appointment with the Genius Bar, which is the tech support available in store. A nice kid name Andrew introduced himself and I replied, “Hi, I’m Heather, I need a miracle.” He smiled and said he’d see what he could do. I explained what happened, he listened. I told him that I knew spills weren’t covered under the warranty and I knew it was my fault and I knew they didn’t owe me a thing, but I’d sure appreciate his help. He said, I’ll take your computer into the back and see what I can do. I sat and waited. He returned. . .
My computer was FRIED. It was completely gone, beyond repair. The coffee that powered me everyday had done the exact opposite to my computer. Andrew said, “It’s bad. It’s really bad. It’s completely soaked and spills are not covered under the AppleCare warranty. But we are going to take care of you today. . . we’re going to replace it for you.” Pick up my jaw from the floor. What? I thought I’d get a 1-800 number to call or I’d pay a lot of money to send it in for repair. But no, they said, “we’re going to replace it for you.” And they did. I walked out 15 minutes later with a brand new MacBook Pro – no hassle, no fees, no slap on the wrist. Just a “We’ll take care of you.” Did this still happen in today’s economy? I guess so.
Why do I tell you this story? For two reasons:
- My number one reason for sharing my story is I think good customer service should be applauded, recognized and shared. Our society is quick to criticize when companies don’t perform, but do we recognize them when they go above and beyond? I think we should.
- My second reason for sharing is – sometimes it makes sense to pay more for quality products and customer service. Although I’m obviously a cheapskate there are certain times when I want to invest my money in products and companies because of the customer service and the quality of the products I receive. In the end, I think I’m actually spending less because I’m not being charged every time I contact Apple. And time is money – I want simple solutions from real people when I’m having trouble.
This is why I’ll be an Apple customer for life. Besides my now undying love for their products, they took care of me. As a company they empowered Genius Bar Andrew to make the decision to take care of me. He didn’t have to go through a huge chain of command to do what he felt was fair. He was empowered to provide amazing customer service. And you know what? He still is! I went in this last weekend because my charger was acting a little funny and he replaced it for free, with a smile.
Thanks for listening to my story. I’m not telling you to go out and buy an Apple. I’m just encouraging you to consider when making a purchase are you going to be taken care of? Will saving a few bucks come back to bite you down the road when you need service or assistance? Sometimes it just makes sense to spend a little more to invest in the companies we want to stay in business.
I’ve also had above-and-beyond customer service with Subaru, AT&T, AAA Washington and Costco – to name a few.
What companies do you think go above and beyond when it comes to customer service? Will you pay more if it means you’ll be taken care of?
Disclaimer – This is just my story. Apple does not guarantee that they’ll return a computer if you spill a big, hot cup of coffee on it. In fact, they say it’s not covered. I think they knew that I had the computer only a couple weeks and I wasn’t trying to cheat my warranty for a new computer. Don’t tell them Queen Bee told you they should exchange your computer. Apple didn’t know I was a blogger. Apple didn’t sponsor this post. Apple just took care of me and I wanted to say thank you by recognizing them publicly for this. Steve Jobs – you’ve done good things, you’ve built an amazing company, you’ll be missed.
Susan says
I don’t believe that’s true
Johnny Aderall says
I’ve had good experiences with Apple and AppleCare in general, but not with regard to this. In fact, I had the diametrically opposite experience after spilling a mug of starbucks on computer. Apple informed me they would not cover any spill-related damage and wanted a base fee of $755 just to take the computer in for service. I have a 7 month old macbook pro. Naturally, I did not take them up on this generous offer and I’m using the caffeinated machine hoping it won’t spontaneously crash one day.
Jennifer says
Great story. Apple is notorious for their customer service and this is another shining example. I loved how you made the distinction between Andrew just being helpful and the fact that Apple has empowered their employees to make decisions in the best interest of the customer. Love it!
We had great customer service from Samsung. Our tv had the bulb go out just 2 weeks after the warranty was up. When we called Samsung’s service line to find a repair center the representative voluntarily extended our warranty by 4 months so that we would have the opportunity to get it repaired for free. Awesome!
Peta says
I work for AAA 🙂 We do our best to make customers happy!
Heather says
I will pay for an AAA membership every year. It has paid for itself every year I’ve had it. They are amazing!
Maegen says
I agree 100% about Apple and the Genius Bar.
They are terrific.
My problems have been smaller, but is is Such a relief to be able to say, “Take my baby and fix it,” and have them immediately know what to do.
I also think “Genius,” is the best job title ever.
Heather says
I know, I’d love the job title Genius. Wouldn’t that be awesome?
Ashley says
I’ve had the same experience with Apple, and because of it, I will definitely purchase their products in the future! I’ve always been a PC girl, but on my next computer purchase, I think I’ll be switching over to a Mac.
I’d had my iPhone for almost a year when the power button stopped working – meaning that if my battery died, I couldn’t turn my phone back on! I went to the Apple store in Tacoma and it turns out it can’t be repaired. Although my phone was still under warranty, the power button issue was a gray area and they didn’t have to replace it…but they did, without me even having to ask! This happened the same week I had to purchase a brand new transmission for my car, so $4000 later, I was ready to cry at having to spend another couple hundred to replace my phone. I went home and bragged to all my friends so they would know how awesome Apple is!
Customer service is a HUGE part of the culture at my employer, so I have really high expectations for other companies. Apple exceeded my expectations, and that is why I will be going back!
Chip says
Eight years ago we decided to buy a new car after spending thousands of dollars annually on maintenance for the used cars that we owned. After much shopping, we finally purchased a Hyundai Sonata. The major consideration was the 5 year, 60K mile bumper to bumper warranty. On our first trip to Seattle we noticed that the air conditioning quit working abruptly. When I took it into the dealership, they called me out to the car to show me the problem. Evidently a vehicle ahead of us had kicked up one of those reflectors that you see between the lanes. It had somehow managed to fly into the front gap on the bumper directly into the air conditioning core. The bad news was that this was a “road hazard” not covered by the warranty. I wasn’t surprised since I have absolutely the worst luck with cars and service. They told me since I only had 1500 miles on the car that the dealership was going to cover the parts AND labor. The final bill was $1800 and they didn’t charge me a cent. I have been a loyal customer of that dealership ever since and we are now on our third vehicle purchased from there (and each of our daughters have also bought cars from them). Sometimes it pays to be great at customer service.
maria vaughn says
Totally agree! I love my mac. The genius bar people are always very helpful and they do take their time with you. excellent service always!!!
celia says
I love this story. These kinds of things make me feel great about life.. 🙂
Danyelle says
Les Schwab Tires and Nordstrom are great for customer service. Les Schwab has some great sales, and their techs are so helpful. I worked at Nordstrom in college. They make everyone go through customer service training.
Stacy says
I wish les schwab service was as good as when les was alive. After my last 2 trips being horrible was not going to make a 3rd visit. And it’s not just me but I have friends that have dealt with the same bad service. Love apple though great customer service.
Gena says
Toilet paper. To be honest, I HATE cheap toilet paper that falls apart, dosn’t absorb, or the two ply splits when you pull at it! Nothing is worse. Not to mention the card board tp.
Danyelle says
That’s why my house is “where you hang your tp.”
jamie says
I love Amazon. They sent me a shiney new kindle after mine was knocked off my bed by my 7 yr old and the screen got cracked. Cracked screens are NOT covered by warrenty but they sent me a shiney new one and even shipped it 2 day and paid the return shipping for me to send them my broken one back. I called to see if I could send mine in and pay to get the screen replaced had no thought of them just sending me a whole new one at no cost.I went from being so upset that it was broken to completly happy in a matter of seconds.