Tim,
I'm pretty sure that you will neither read this or respond, but it's important for me to give this feedback so at the very least I can get it off my chest.
I've owned every iPhone and iPad produced. With the exception of the original IPhone, I'm fairly sure that I've gotten each on launch day. I've done this either by preordering or going to the AT&T store up my block, I appreciate the Apple store hooplah, but it's just a little bit too much for me.
Obviously, with the 5S there was no preordering. I believed reports that said this might be due to supply constraint and decided to go to an Apple store early Thursday night and wait outside. I picked Fifth Ave because it's closest to my apartment. I got there at about 11:30 PM and set in for the eight and half hour wait. I was by myself and didn't have as much fun as others had, my feet and butt really started to hurt and I did not bring a chair (major fail there). I was interviewed by three reporters and while I said that I wasn't having a great time, I needed to have the new iPhone and didn't mind waiting.
Eventually, eight o'clock rolled around and I was a zombie. I felt like I had gone through a battle. But everything was very quick at that point. I was a little disappointed that the white and gold model was sold out so quickly, but I just wanted to walk out with a 16GB AT&T phone, the color really did not concern me.
I was about 200 online and by about 8:30am my turn in line came. Now, I had lost my license about three days before and the DMV was mailing me my new one. I remembered there being some policy about having to have a license, but it was somewhere in the back of my head. The gentleman asked me for my ID and credit card whole holding my 16GB AT&T iPhone. He asked me for my social and phone number and then took my ID. He looked at it for a moment and said he would be right back. When he returned, he noted that it expired and said that he would not be able to sell me a phone. I explained that I had lost it and had a social security card on me, four credit cards, work ID, health insurance card etc. He did not care. He Told me to leave and come back when I had a valid ID and "good bye." I said, "I've been here since midnight." He walked away.
I left and felt like crying. Apple employees were cheering at the top of the stairs and telling me to enjoy my iPhone, I was stunned and unable to respond. I walked home, and on the way home, was going to detour to an AT&T store, not to see if there was an off chance to that they would have have an iPhone 5S but to purchase a Galaxy 4. Mr. Cook, please look up my information. My name is Maximilian Heusler. I own an IPad mini and iPad 3. I own an Apple TV, iPod and iMac. As I said I have owned every IPad and iPhone. I buy my mother a new iPhone every two years. I also have spent thousands of dollars in the app, book and music stores. I am completely in the Apple ecosystem, and immersed in iCloud. Everyday I fight with techies about Android vs IOS. But at that moment, I did not care. I felt betrayed and broken. Not because I couldn't have the phone, rules are rules. But the sterile nature of the employee and his offering me no sort of sympathy or solution, astonished me. How about, "leave your credit card here, go to the DMV today, to get a temp license and you can come back and buy your phone." Or how about "I'm so sorry that this happened. But there's really nothing that we can do."
I got to the AT&T store and had cooled down some. I saw a small line and got on it. A woman came out and asked me which 5S model I was waiting for. I asked which they had. They had only 32GB and 64GB space grey models. I said I would take a 32GB model. But I told her I lost my license. She said that she could not sell me a phone if that was the case. I put my head down and walked off the line. She told me to come back. She asked my my name, and looked me up in the computer. She noted that I had been an 8 year customer with two lines, who never missed a bill. She asked me some security questions (social, mother's maiden name, former address). She smiled at me and told me to get on line to wait for my iPhone.
Tim, it really bothered me that AT&T provided to me the kind of service that I expected and that the world expects from Apple. I had another horrible experience at that store, where they refunded money on the wrong card. It screwed up my bill payments for the month and I occurred very high cost late fees. They told me they wold call me to resolve it. The call never came.
The customer service at Apple had declined rapidly over the last two years, and I think you should know that. It's not all bad. I watched the man in line who was eighth or ninth. He had waited eight or nine days online. He wanted a 64GB gold 5S on Sprint. They didn't have one for him. In front of the press and the entire line, he went ballistic. An employee named Billy came over and was excellent with him. He showed compassion, told him they would figure something out and completely calmed him down. It was like watching someone talk someone else off a ledge. That's awesome. You need more Billy's and less of the man who helped me.
I think you have done a great job replacing Steve. I think the products are top rate and while the technology might take a little longer to come out. It always has purpose and improves on the competition. But there's a premium in the Apple price, and that premium used to include an unparalleled customer experience. If that indeed has changed, you will lose many more than just me. I don't have another one of these experiences in me. Next time, If I jump ship, I'm not coming back on board. And believe me, I am a loyalist. So if I'll do it, there are thousands more not as loyal that will do it for a hell of a lot less.
I thank you for your time and the consideration of whoever reads this, if indeed anyone does. I think the 5S is a brilliant phone. It screams, the touch sensor "just works" and the camera is incredible.
Maximilian Heusler.
Sent from my iPad
I'm pretty sure that you will neither read this or respond, but it's important for me to give this feedback so at the very least I can get it off my chest.
I've owned every iPhone and iPad produced. With the exception of the original IPhone, I'm fairly sure that I've gotten each on launch day. I've done this either by preordering or going to the AT&T store up my block, I appreciate the Apple store hooplah, but it's just a little bit too much for me.
Obviously, with the 5S there was no preordering. I believed reports that said this might be due to supply constraint and decided to go to an Apple store early Thursday night and wait outside. I picked Fifth Ave because it's closest to my apartment. I got there at about 11:30 PM and set in for the eight and half hour wait. I was by myself and didn't have as much fun as others had, my feet and butt really started to hurt and I did not bring a chair (major fail there). I was interviewed by three reporters and while I said that I wasn't having a great time, I needed to have the new iPhone and didn't mind waiting.
Eventually, eight o'clock rolled around and I was a zombie. I felt like I had gone through a battle. But everything was very quick at that point. I was a little disappointed that the white and gold model was sold out so quickly, but I just wanted to walk out with a 16GB AT&T phone, the color really did not concern me.
I was about 200 online and by about 8:30am my turn in line came. Now, I had lost my license about three days before and the DMV was mailing me my new one. I remembered there being some policy about having to have a license, but it was somewhere in the back of my head. The gentleman asked me for my ID and credit card whole holding my 16GB AT&T iPhone. He asked me for my social and phone number and then took my ID. He looked at it for a moment and said he would be right back. When he returned, he noted that it expired and said that he would not be able to sell me a phone. I explained that I had lost it and had a social security card on me, four credit cards, work ID, health insurance card etc. He did not care. He Told me to leave and come back when I had a valid ID and "good bye." I said, "I've been here since midnight." He walked away.
I left and felt like crying. Apple employees were cheering at the top of the stairs and telling me to enjoy my iPhone, I was stunned and unable to respond. I walked home, and on the way home, was going to detour to an AT&T store, not to see if there was an off chance to that they would have have an iPhone 5S but to purchase a Galaxy 4. Mr. Cook, please look up my information. My name is Maximilian Heusler. I own an IPad mini and iPad 3. I own an Apple TV, iPod and iMac. As I said I have owned every IPad and iPhone. I buy my mother a new iPhone every two years. I also have spent thousands of dollars in the app, book and music stores. I am completely in the Apple ecosystem, and immersed in iCloud. Everyday I fight with techies about Android vs IOS. But at that moment, I did not care. I felt betrayed and broken. Not because I couldn't have the phone, rules are rules. But the sterile nature of the employee and his offering me no sort of sympathy or solution, astonished me. How about, "leave your credit card here, go to the DMV today, to get a temp license and you can come back and buy your phone." Or how about "I'm so sorry that this happened. But there's really nothing that we can do."
I got to the AT&T store and had cooled down some. I saw a small line and got on it. A woman came out and asked me which 5S model I was waiting for. I asked which they had. They had only 32GB and 64GB space grey models. I said I would take a 32GB model. But I told her I lost my license. She said that she could not sell me a phone if that was the case. I put my head down and walked off the line. She told me to come back. She asked my my name, and looked me up in the computer. She noted that I had been an 8 year customer with two lines, who never missed a bill. She asked me some security questions (social, mother's maiden name, former address). She smiled at me and told me to get on line to wait for my iPhone.
Tim, it really bothered me that AT&T provided to me the kind of service that I expected and that the world expects from Apple. I had another horrible experience at that store, where they refunded money on the wrong card. It screwed up my bill payments for the month and I occurred very high cost late fees. They told me they wold call me to resolve it. The call never came.
The customer service at Apple had declined rapidly over the last two years, and I think you should know that. It's not all bad. I watched the man in line who was eighth or ninth. He had waited eight or nine days online. He wanted a 64GB gold 5S on Sprint. They didn't have one for him. In front of the press and the entire line, he went ballistic. An employee named Billy came over and was excellent with him. He showed compassion, told him they would figure something out and completely calmed him down. It was like watching someone talk someone else off a ledge. That's awesome. You need more Billy's and less of the man who helped me.
I think you have done a great job replacing Steve. I think the products are top rate and while the technology might take a little longer to come out. It always has purpose and improves on the competition. But there's a premium in the Apple price, and that premium used to include an unparalleled customer experience. If that indeed has changed, you will lose many more than just me. I don't have another one of these experiences in me. Next time, If I jump ship, I'm not coming back on board. And believe me, I am a loyalist. So if I'll do it, there are thousands more not as loyal that will do it for a hell of a lot less.
I thank you for your time and the consideration of whoever reads this, if indeed anyone does. I think the 5S is a brilliant phone. It screams, the touch sensor "just works" and the camera is incredible.
Maximilian Heusler.
Sent from my iPad
