Customer Service Makes a Difference

A week ago I started having trouble with my iPhone.  It wasn't anything major, but I knew it was only going to get worse over time.  My sleep/wake button started getting finicky.  About every other depression resulted in no action, and sometimes it would double-press, so it would sleep then wake right back up.  I was starting to find myself pocket-dialing too many people.

I got online, made an appointment for 5:10 at the Genius Bar, briefly describing my problem in the ticket.  I received an email confirmation.  When I showed up early, the Apple Store apologized that they wouldn't be able to move my appointment up, but assured me that I would be seen by someone at the appointed time.  Sure enough, a young woman approached me shortly after 5:00, verbally confirmed my problem, and asked me if I had recently backed up my phone.  After I explained that my last backup as two days ago, she said that this isn't something they repair.  No... Apple just replaces the device under warranty. 

The Genius asked me if I had dropped the phone: no (not really anyway).  She asked me if it had gotten wet: no.  She popped out my SIM card, shined a light to check for water exposure.  Finding none, she said she'd be right back.  In another 2 minutes, she had a new phone for me.  She popped in my SIM.  I had to sign something that said I owed them $0.00.  I acknowledged that my warranty was still valid.  The phone automatically downloaded all of my contacts.  I was on my way.

Now that I'm home, I was able to restore my phone from backup.  It took about 4 minutes to restore all of my settings.  My apps and music will sync once I decide to take the time. 

This is why I will continue to be an Apple fan.  Their products work.  When they don't, they simply replace them.  This is better for the customer, as they don't have to wait for lengthy repairs.  It is better for the company, as their cost to manufacture the phone overseas is cheaper than the cost to diagnose and repair onshore.

It took me a grand total of 30 minutes (driving to the store, waiting, replacing, and driving home), and I was back up and running.  When is the last time your technology problem was solved in 30 minutes?