Tonight we had a talk with one of the Apple tech guys at a Apple store nearby. We both were excited as to how Apple would convince us about the switch and also give us some good options of acquiring one. We both were so much excited that we were even planning on to getting a mac book each. But alas, it didn’t go that well.
The tech/sales guy at the store was nonchalant. He had NO urge to sell us the laptops. He didn’t talk how cool the apple laptops are. He just hovered the mouse pointer over the task bar icons and told us what all software it comes with. He asked if we had questions. When we asked about financing options, he said we would have to do that online. The scheduled chat was supposed to be for 30 mins. It ended in 5 mins. Sangita was bored by 3rd minute already and strayed off the discussion.
One thing that guy sure did was to bring along a big board saying ‘Apple tech talk going on’ something like that and put it around the desk during our chat. I am pretty sure it looked pretty neat for others who were watching us. But for us it was a dud experience. We were expecting more from Apple and the experience was kinda downer. Now we don’t know we will ever think of getting a mac. Bummer.
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Man that’s a bummer. Especially considering that your sales guy put up that patronizing sign…
If you’d like, I can give you some basic pros and cons of Macs, since I’ve used them for years.
First of all, if you are super comfy using your current computer and only want to switch over for the coolness factor then forget it. You’ll be 100% happier using a computer whose systems you are familiar with than starting up with a new OS, programs, and basic troubleshooting strategies. However, if you’ve had problems with your PC, then welcome to Macintosh 😉
Personally, the thing I love about Macs is the toaster philosophy. As in, your computer should not be more complicated or harder to use than a toaster. This makes programs really easy to use and understand. For example, I was using iMovie for the first time the other day, and had the program figured out in 10 min. Most of the programs are set up like this, and it really helps.
Also, Apple seems to really be the industry leader when it comes to innovation. OS X beat Windows XP by several years, and all the new features advertised on Vista are already available on the Mac Book you guys were looking at. And lastly, Macs just seem to be built to last a lot longer than PC’s. For whatever reason, most of the macs I know will go for years without any major problems, while PC’s will acquire a whole bunch of little problems, slowing the computer down to a crawl after about a year or so. Let me put it this way, not many Mac users have a tech guy on their speed dial.
The bad though? Well, the price is steep (as you’ve probably already noticed), and what you get is a little bit less than Dell or HP in terms of Hard Drive, Ram, etc… Also, compatibility is still an issue: there are still more programs out there for PC than there are for Mac.
I guess my main piece of advice would be to switch if a solid, easy to use, and VERY reliable OS is more important than price and compatibility, because to me, that’s the only significant difference.
Hope this helps, email me if you have any more questions.
Sorry to hear your apple store experience was not a positive one. I was at a local store yesterday and noticed the big signs stacked in a corner, then one guy used one for a “one on one” session. I thought the signs are kinda lame too.
In my experience, apple store employees are snobbish (and usually young). None of them I think would try to “convince” you. They don’t get a sales commission so they have no motivation to sell you anything.
My advice, do your own convincing. Talk to other apple owners (I think many of them would be more than happy to tell you their apple experience.) My other advice… go back to the same apple store and simply hover for a while… one of the employees will probably approach you as soon as you enter the store, just tell them that you’re just looking. Then watch the various employees to see who is thrilled to be working there. I would be! Look for an employee who is smiling 🙂
Hope this helps. I too would be willing to answer any questions you might have.
Posts like this brighten up my day. Thanks for tanikg the time.
Here’s my bad experience with the Apple stores…
The APPLE STORES are the greatest outlets ever. I’m always lured into the store by the greatest displays. However, all that exciting experience is washed away by the sales people working in the stores. Does anybody at Apple care about training those people? What about replacing them with robots? The robots would be much warmer, friendlier and less sarcastic than the salespeople. Robots would not make sarcastic comments or faces to other robots about their customers. I begged my friends to stop me if I ever mention about going into an Apple Store again. I was doing really well for the last 12 months with my promise of not stepping in any of the Apple stores, until the new iPod Touch was released. Because I still wanted to honor my promise, I decided to call the store to see if they had the product in stock, so I would ask a friend to pick up the product for me.
Here’s the phone conversation that I had with one of the sales person at The Apple Store Eaton Centre, Toronto, Canada on Sept 07, 2007 around 5:00 PM.
Salesperson: “ApStoEaCenterrrrr!!!” I was greeted by a not so friendly Mac Genius, and I guess she couldn’t say “Apple Store Eaton Centre” after handling so many calls, so she combined the first syllables of each word into one word to express her frustration – “ApStoEaCenterrrr!”
FIRST TRY
Me: “Do you…” . Even before I finished my question, she interrupted me by shouting “NOOOOO!”.
Me: “Do you…” and she shouted “NOOOOOO!” once again.
Me: “May I…” and she shouted “NOOOO!” again. So I decided to play her game of interruptions, regardless of my mom’s advice when I was kid (“Do not talk when other people are talking!!!”).
Me: “May I finish my question before you say ‘NO’?” I shouted back.
Salesperson: “I know what you are going to ask, and the answer is NO”. After that answer, of course I would not ask if the iPod Touch was available in stock, so I thought about asking for the availability of another product such as the iMac, Apple TV, etc, which I know it’s in the stores already. However, before I had the chance to start the question, she hang up on me.
SECOND TRY
I was in a good mood that day, so I didn’t let that drive me insane. I assumed she had a bad day, but I still wanted to know when the iPod Touch was going to be available in the stores. So I decided to call again… I waited 5 minutes, hoping she would go to the washroom change her “iPad” (see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1BUH9eXy18), then I called again.
Salesperson: “ApStoEaCenterrrrr!!!” It’s very encouraging to hear gibberish that sounds like the real name of the store. I was expecting another pleasurable conversation with the Mac Genius Girl.
Me: “Do you…”. and she interrupts again.
Salesperson: “Didn’t I say ‘NO’ before?”. The first picture that came to my mind was of a chubby dominatrix with the Apple logo on her chest and a whip on the other hand. She was ready for total domination and humiliation. That may turn-on a lot of people, but I must admit that I’m pretty vanilla, so I replied…
Me: “I’m so sorry to disturb you…” and before I finished my apologetic statement, she hang up on me again. I had a great day and I wouldn’t let that spoil my day, so I called it a day.
THIRD TRY
It’s Saturday morning on beautiful sunny Toronto. I had to go shopping at Sherway Gardens Mall where there’s another Apple store (hopefully with polite Mac Geniuses), and it happens that one of the Mac Geniuses was just coming out of the store, so I approached him with a quick question. I could see the “look of death” in his eyes. How dare I stop him during his break, but he couldn’t ran away.
Me: “Do you have the iPod Touch in stock?”
Salesperson: “No”. And his body language tells me that he is ready to go for his break.
Me: “Any ideas when it will be available in the stores?”
Salesperson: “At Christmas”. How could Apple release a product in the beginning of September, and not be available in the stores until Christmas? The fulfillment process must be really screwed up. I felt like saying that Apple would be out of business by Christmas if they don’t do anything about their customer service, but he couldn’t care less.
Me: “Do you know if iPod Touch is available in the stores in the USA?” I was willing to drive to Buffalo-NY and get one.
Salesperson: “I don’t work in the USA… d’oh. I don’t know. ” and he walked away before I asked any more questions.
Oh well… I guess Apple can get away with such bad Sales staff. I still think Apple creates great products, but the bad experiences that I had with Customer Service makes me think about going back to the PC World again. I’m already prepared to hear “I told you so” from my friends.
I know it’s hard to believe, but you can check the APPLE Customer Service for yourself. Call the Apple Store Eaton Centre, in Toronto Canada, and ask anything about the iPod Touch. You can reach them at (647) 258-0801. I hope you get the Apple Dominatrix.
What happened to the polite Canadians? Where is Apple recruiting those people from? What about sending them for Customer Service training?
Has anybody else had a bad customer service experience like me? I’m posting this message in a few newsgroups and it would be nice to hear your experiences. Have you converted back from Mac to PC? If so, is there any counseling or support group out there? Would the PC world accept me back? Pleeease!