There is one thing I'll say for the employees at Apple Store Boston: If they are anything like Bradley was with me (and so far they have been), they will not rest until an issue is resolved with a definitive solution. Give credit were it is due.
I say "a definitive solution," because Brad had premised his session with me with something like "I'll do my best" and we went on from there. I would've been content although still upset with Apple if Brad had done his best and ended our session with "it is beyond my pay grade" "it is beyond my knowledge base" or even "you need to call this number" because that would've closed a few leads to follow, but Brad did better---he went beyond what I expected him to do. He spent time and looked at my problem as a personal challenge. Brad sought counsel from other staff and when Joshua at the chat center took my call(?) Brad ran interference for me as I was in need of a rational mind after all the headaches I'd been through.
This is the way to keep valued customers both loyal and delighted to interact with a company. The average shopping experience is almost always delightful, but when things go askew, as they are wont to do, most company's employees are ill equipped by training and by design, to view the post customer as valuable as they view the pre/potential customer.
It's almost like employees work on a commission basis where demerits are handed out for spending time with people who have already dropped a few $$$$$$ as opposed to people who are looking to spend $$$$$.
Unlike the macrumors.com forums admin/moderator who was obnoxiously officious while posing as an expert on all things Apple, the real Apple employee listened to me before assuming I was a total idiot. It was only later on that I confirmed my idiocies.
Why mention the macrumors.com forums admin/moderator? Because (an edit: I think the fool at the site in question has banned me. --- go figure. lol ) before I walked into the Apple Store in Boston I had sought out online advice on different mac forums. I figured Apple's site was being overrun and they had either taken down the chat link or I'd overlooked it somehow (it was later found on the page for: cancel). The forum at macrumors.com was almost totally useless. I say "almost" because it did lead to something of value. The validation of the idea that many of the mac addicts in the world are just a bunch of officious nit wits.
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here is where anyone can find the chat page link:
- Now I know logic would dictate if you wanted to CHAT about a password issue you might assume you could select any of the links, but nope...yesterday I had to select Cancel. Today the CHAT link is on all pages. Just click on any of the dynamic links on gthis page (Member name & Password | MobileMe Mail ... etc.). Yesterday I think the CHAT link came and went as if you needed a roll of the dice to come up 7 or 11..
The past week or so the internet was full of people asking both valid and amazingly simple questions about issues involving Apple's roll-out of mobileme. I still say Apple dropped the ball on this one. (I blame the programming folks who's lives in plastic bubbles/cubicles must be the real world equivalent to Dante's Ninth circle).
Why some people accept the crap that happens when programmers delusions meet the real world, is beyond me. Through the years I have had more issues than I care to remember with programming snits who just can't grasp the fact that the world of designer plans and logic formula will not always work because people are not data.
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Did I forget about chalkings?
Nope. lol
I mentioned it to Brad afterwards but I don't think he payed much attention to my ramblings. As it were, another customer was being helped by Brad while I waited for the longest minute in history. The CHAT form connection replied that somebody would be happy to assist me and that I would be served in a minute. This minute was enough time for Brad to help another customer with a problem iphone. The iphone was tested, a new phone was given under his almost expired warranty, and more. Then Joshua appeared. And the world became brighter...I got access to Apple's servers and my product.
Now for a huge backup off of Apple's severs.
I'm not complaining about history's longest minute, just making light of it. I know how busy they must've been at the Apple Chat with all the customers screaming that the mobile me push had become a ruuuuuuuun.
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ps, Brad, if you're out there (apostrophe correct) don't be shy. You can sign up and comment---anonymously or by name.
this one's for you and the lovely young lady who was walking around the store with the laptop in hand and who came over as we were mentioning apostrophes.
What's This All About?
The Typo Eradication Advancement League (TEAL) is dedicated to a more perfectly spelling union.
This March through May, we, sworn members of TEAL, will be taking a road trip around the country to stamp out as many typos as we can find, in public signage and other venues where innocent eyes may be befouled by vile stains on the delicate fabric of our language. We do not blame, nor chastise, the authors of these typos. It is natural for mistakes to occur; everybody will slip now and again. But slowly the once-unassailable foundations of spelling are crumbling, and the time has come for the crisis to be addressed. We believe that only through working together with vigilance and a love of correctness can we achieve the beauty of a typo-free society.
The itinerary is as follows:
Whole of March: From Boston to San Diego, via the steamy South
Much of April: Up the West Coast
Late April - Mid-May: From Seattle, through the Northern plains and mighty lakes, to New England once again
