[cbsteven]

OK, here's some background. I ordered a PBG4 500/256/30gig Build-to-Order laptop from the AppleStore on Jan 10th, one day after the keynote. At that time the AppleStore was quoting "30 days" for ship time. As everyone knows, about a week or so later a delay occured that pushed it back to "45 days".

A couple days ago on the 24 I called AppleStore to see what was going on. I was told that the delay had been cancelled for early orders, and was 21 days.

Today, the 26th, I called again. This is where the fun begins. First I talked to Jane:

- Jane tells me that there is now a 45 day wait period on all orders.

For confirmation, I call back about 10 minutes later and speak to Angela:

- Angela tells me that the wait time is 30 days, since my order was a BTO machine. She tells me that non-BTO machines are about 21 days. She says she just got out of a meeting where this was the topic, and my laptop should be set to go out by the end of January.


This seems reasonable, but I call back 10 minutes later to see if I can get another confirmation. This time I talk to Joel:

- Joel tells me that it should go out next week. He says that there is a 21 day wait period for BTO machines and a *30* day wait period for NON-BTO machines.

This seems illogical, so I call back again in 20 minutes. This time I talk to Bill:

- Bill tells me the reverse of what Joel told me, that its 30 for BTO and 21 for Non-BTO. He says to expect it in the first or second week of February.

This seems more logical, but its still a totally different answer, so I call back one more time. This time I talk to Joyce:

- Joyce tells me that it should go out in 30 days. 30 days from when I ordered it? NO, 30 days from NOW, so I should expect it at the end of February.

This is TOTALLY different, so I request to speak to a supervisor. I got put on the line with Chris:

- Chris tells me that Joyce was incorrect. It will go out 30 days from the time of ordering, and non-BTO machines are 21 days from the time of ordering. BUT, these are not just days, these are BUSINESS days. So, I should expect it at the end of February.

Scroll back and count. Thats six, count em SIX different people, and six different responses. Five of them in one two hour period. This is ridiculous. I don't mind waiting, I just want to know HOW LONG I have to wait.

Cullen

[mr_sonicblue]

Ha, I watched this all unfold on IRC.

------------------

[tooki]

Umm, "Angela" and "Bill" gave you the same answer, as did "Chris," although he did specify how they intended to count days. Six people, 4 answers. Still unacceptable, but typical for Apple, which frequently invents ship dates from thin air.

tooki

Oh my god!

I wonder what cbsteven expected from calling Apple SIX times. No one can give you a reliable prediction on when you are going to get your piece. This is simply not possible with 20'000 orders already placed (as far as I've read) in a production line outside of the house. But I'm bothered about the way Apple treats customers by creating expectations on models supposed to be available very soon. (see new G4s, iBook, Airport...)

I've been shopping around here in Switzerland in a few stores and placed my order at the store which had the shortest waiting line in order to get my TiPB with the first delivery. Applestore has not fulfilled orders earlier than any other store in the past. At least not here in Europe. A friend of mine had to wait two full extra months for his iBook and Airport device when regular stores were already selling that stuff over the counter.

is there anything sadder that someone could do on a friday night?

i have a stock 400Mhz on order, it'll come, when it comes.

Sounds like my Dual 533 G4 saga...

we won't get into how I ended up getting that instead of a dual 500 i'd originally ordered. But I ended up changing my order to a dual 533 w/ Radeon & SCSI on about the 10th of january. I call this Tuesday to see if there's any shipping info yet... I'm told the machine is ready to go, but a freakin' SCSI card shortage is causing the delay. I call back yesterday and am told nothing about SCSI cards, and they can't find out any info.

Apple does need to put a little more effort into how well informed their customer service personnel are.

[tooki]

Then remove the SCSI card from the order -- you can get a Formac Ultrawide SCSI card for the same price!!!

tooki

I've worked for technical support and customer service for a number of years at one of the nation's largest ISP's (no, not the evil one) and before that at a golf components company (hey, golfers need tech support, too!). I can tell you this cbsteven--you are now the butt of many stress-relieving jokes around the watercoolers at Apple, real and virtual.

It's amazing how many people don't realize the comprehensive tracking that happens when you call somewhere for service or support. Not only do they record that you called, but THEY ENTER EVERYTHING YOU SAY IN THE COMPUTER. Not only that, but EVERY PREVIOUS CALL'S NOTES ARE AVAILABLE (AND REQUIRED TO VIEW) FOR YOUR NEXT CALL. Maybe this will even chill you more--THERE IS SPACE FOR ADDITIONAL COMMENTARY BY THE REPRESENTATIVE.

In other words, every operator you spoke to saw what an impatient psycho you were and immediately muted your call to tell their neighbor (who was probably the previous rep you spoke to given most call center layouts) they were lucky enough to get one of psycho customers on the phone. Really, this is quite a privilege in some cases to be able to say, I finally got to talk to customer X!" It seals your membership in the call center community and allows you to participate in necessary stress relief. Your commentary sections are probably chock full of pithy remarks, wherein reps try to outdo each other with witty sarcasm about you. Oh, and were you transferred needlessly or delayed from getting to the appropriate person? Another badge of honor and source of amusement (especially given that we also know how aggravating the menus are that you have to wind through to get to a live person in the first place). Some customers become so notorious that you just need to mention their username (we rarely refer to customers by name) to elicit guffaws. Oh, and that "supervisor"? Probably a regular employee designated to handle "escalations" that day, most likely sitting at a desk within eyesight of the rep you were speaking to (standard call center practice--do you really think actual managers are going to take every psycho's call? How would they get work done?).

Though perhaps I'm being a bit to sharp here, these kinds of behaviors exist in every call center across the land--this post is not a joke. Maybe this seems horrific, confirming all of your worse fears and complaints about call centers, but ask yourself what questionable strategies you have to use to deal with the stress of your job? Phone operators have the third highest stress level among occupations, after lawyers and doctors. We gotta take steps, people.

So next time you call a company five times in one day, know that we're watching . . . and laughing.

[Destin]

Ah yes, I remember when i ordered my Cinema Display. I was literally the very first order placed (they put me on hold untill the very minute they were allowed to take orders). It took so long for them to actually ship it, that my credit card had changed expiration dates (over 3 months). I called to let them know this, and they told me they had to 'take a new order' which pushed me to the bottom of the shipping queue! Can be you believe that!? Anyway - after much bitching (as youd expect) i got things straightened out... but believe me, it took more than a few calls to do it. Oh - and it didnt end there. The one they sent me was defective. I sent it back to be repaired (another 3 week wait) and they sent it back to me claiming it wasnt broken - along with a $30 inspection fee! So, I bitched more, took pictures of what was wrong with the darn thing, emailed those to a representative, and then they decided to do a "capture" of my display because they had never seen such a defect before. They finally admitted it was broken and sent me not one but TWO new Cinema Displays! Soon after, I got a phone call from Apple when they realised what they had done, so I sent one back. All this time Apple censored my ranting posts on their forums. BTW - I love the cinema display - no problems after that, but MAN!

[cbsteven]

I was fully aware that they were probably aware of the number of times I'd called and were possibly making comments. That's why I was polite to everyone.

[Dan Szwarc]

I think it's funny how people expect the "just announced" models to be at their doorstep immediately given Apple's history of late shipments.

Why call 6 times in one day? Is that gonna make it arrive sooner?

I have a stock 400Mhz on order, it'll come, when it comes.

You are wise and patient. All Apple users should be the same.

[cbsteven]

If you were to read my posting more carefully, you would discover that I was not even remotely complaining about the length of time I had to wait for the new product. I was complaining about the level of customer service at the Apple Store.

Destin- Technically speaking you have no obligation to compensate apple for their mistake. You have no legal duty, nor could they sue you since it was THEIR mistake.. I would have kept it and told them they could send an apple rep to pack it up and take it away.. But thats just me.

Originally posted by Destin:
Ah yes, I remember when i ordered my Cinema Display. I was literally the very first order placed (they put me on hold untill the very minute they were allowed to take orders). It took so long for them to actually ship it, that my credit card had changed expiration dates (over 3 months). I called to let them know this, and they told me they had to 'take a new order' which pushed me to the bottom of the shipping queue! Can be you believe that!? Anyway - after much bitching (as youd expect) i got things straightened out... but believe me, it took more than a few calls to do it. Oh - and it didnt end there. The one they sent me was defective. I sent it back to be repaired (another 3 week wait) and they sent it back to me claiming it wasnt broken - along with a $30 inspection fee! So, I bitched more, took pictures of what was wrong with the darn thing, emailed those to a representative, and then they decided to do a "capture" of my display because they had never seen such a defect before. They finally admitted it was broken and sent me not one but TWO new Cinema Displays! Soon after, I got a phone call from Apple when they realised what they had done, so I sent one back. All this time Apple censored my ranting posts on their forums. BTW - I love the cinema display - no problems after that, but MAN!

[pcurtner]

If Apple would abandon this increasingly problematic strategy of trying to keep all new products totally invisible until a MacWorld keynote, and would instead start actually manufacturing units-- get demos out to ISVs and peripheral makers and the press-- they wouldn't have to give four or six or however many different answers.

They would have some idea of what their manufacturing/shipping capacity was for any given unit; they might even (gasp) have some available when the product is introduced..

And as for being laughed at by customer service, after six calls and a lot of confusion, Apple should be relieved that this customer didn't outright cancel his order. For a Fortune 100 company, Apple continually amazes me at just how stupid they occasionally act.

-pwc