Apple Inc, and Making Things Right

This has been a very interesting week for Apple. Little did I know that my experience was not an isolated incident, not just at the Christiana Mall retail store, but across the board worldwide.

The iPhone 3G server/activation problem was not the only (surprising) stumble for Apple. Mobile Me has been something of a shocker. I have friends who have the service and most where disappointed, yet hopeful for the future. But as one person noted, this is not a free service, but one that will run you for 100.00 to 150.00 per year.

By Tuesday and Wednesday, Apple was in full apology mode, in regards to both products. These problems yielded something that I've rarely seen at Apple. Humility. I think they realized they are not bullet proof and the halo can definitely be tarnished if you don't continue to work at making it shine.

Trial users received extended trial versions of Mobile Me and I actually got a call from the manager at the Christiana Mall, asking me to come in because my wife's iPhone had not been properly activated (keep in mind this is a 2 hour drive for me). When I got there they where as busy as ever, selling more iPhones. The manager came out, talked with me and apologized for what had happened. He had one of his employees activate a new iPhone (properly) for my wife and presented me with a "Gift Card" to make up for all the trouble.

What I found most interesting is that the sales person that the manager had assigned me (Gary), remembered me from the previous Friday and knew what a bad experience I had and said, "man, most people flip-out when things go wrong. I appreciate that you just stuck to the basics and focused on a solution. I actually thought that was a cool way to handle the situation. I'm glad that we can make up for what happened. It's not just about the business, it's the relationship that people have with us and we want that to be a good one."

I left the store, satisfied and happy with Apple again. They took responsibility for what had happened and made sure that I was treated right. They've earned my respect back, which makes me happy. I really do enjoy my Apple products.

Jaye