It doesn’t make sense, though, that they should outdo Apple in service requests now. Those exact words should be used in a complaint to them. Now that they’re outsourcing support to India, though.. I doubt they care.

Well, Westwind is another matter entirely. Like any small shop, I’ve had good, bad, and in-the-middle experiences with Westwind. I never had to make a reservation to drop-off or pickup a machine being serviced there though. Nor did I ever have to loiter around their shop waiting for my name to be called. They really got screwed by Apple long before the Apple Retail stores opened though. Razor-thin margins, gutting of thr service and education sales channels is what started Westwind on their slide. They were, in their heyday (1990s) an excellent Apple Reseller, and service/repair was always their strongpoint.

Irrespective of all that, how come CompUSA, which has to be the dregs of computer retail “get it” better than Apple? (See Sam’s story above)

–chuck

It’s just like when people complain when a Starbucks moves into town. Every time one pops up near a coffee place I go to, the coffee place does fine. Why? The coffee’s great. The atmosphere is awesome. Etc, etc. If Starbucks moves next to a mediocre coffee house, the coffee house goes away. A better alternative appeared.

When I moved here in 2000, Westwind was a decent supplier of machines for df, as well as a place I went to for any parts or items that I needed that were Apple related. Over the next three years, it became harder and harder to find things, prices were jacked up, service was piss poor, and every telephone conversation I had seemed to contain an undertone of irritation. I eventually stopped giving them business, and as they started to give df the cold shoulder, my interaction with them ceased.

Frankly, I’m not surprised that Westwind is gone, though I didn’t know until now. They needed a serious attitude adjustment to be able to compete with the Apple Store. I’ve had great experiences at the Apple Store thus far with my PowerBook and various iPods and other tech, though I’ve been hearing horror stories like yours and Sam’s more often lately. This would be a good opportunity for a quality Apple retailer to make a dent in the market, but all we have are slimeballs like The Mac Store and its ilk.

Leave the Apple Stores to handle stuff that *requires* interaction with the user. In the case of a recall or repair extension program, there is no need to force the customer into the reservation system.

You will note that on each occasion that my name was called anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour AFTER my scheduled reservation. You will also note that on two of the three times I went into the store it was empty or near empty when I walked in initially. The drop off and pickup, had it been with any other Authorized Apple Serice Center (if there were still any around here) would have taken a few minutes each. The pickup most of all. In my case it was the longest ordeal by far.

I’m not really “bitter” so much as providing an overview of a bad customer service experience. I’m not swearing off using Apple products, or writing letters to Steve Jobs, or worst of all threatening legal action(!)… I’m just venting on a web log. That is as harmless as you can get.

Like it or not, it takes time to check a machine in for repair. The Genius can not take your word that such and such is broken. You may be right, but I garuntee you there are a dozen others who are wrong. So, a diagnosis must occur, and papaerwork must be filled out so that you get your computer back. How long does this take, ten, maybe fifteen minutes. Now multiply this by the number of people with problems, and suddenly you have wait times. Those wait times have to be managed somehow, and I personally think their system works pretty well. Do you have a better one?

Then the second time you came in you had to have a reservation. Now, unless when that reservation came up you said here’s my computer and the tech said “sure, no problem” grabbed it and you were done, then it took too long for them to help you out of order. Remember, five minutes for you is fifty for ten people. What I have a problem with here is that the Genius didn’t tell you that you can make an appointment ahead of time from home. He should have explained that to you ahead of time if he didn’t, and you should have made one before you came in.

The two week repair time is too long. But that is not really what we are discussing.

As for making a reservation when you pick it up, as far as I know that is not Apple policy. Atleast, it is not at the store near me. I just tell a store employee, “hey I’ve got a repair pickup,” they find a manager or a free genius to grab the computer, they ring me out and I go. Maybe it is different there, or maybe the store employee was new and wrong at your store. Perhaps that is why the manager gave you the 10% discount.

Ah well, you’ll go on being bitter I am sure. I just hate seeing bitching about one person’s solution to a problem without offering a better one themselves. What you are really bitching about is the problem (crowded stores) and blaming Apple for it.