Friday, November 17, 2006
Why Apple is making me take a second look at PCs
I'm doing something that's against my standards (normally) - but doing it is going to make me feel sooo much better afterwards. I'm blogging from inside the Apple store to demonstrate the powerful negative impact a bad brand experience can have.
I switched from PCs to Macs about 4 years ago and since then I've gone completely Mac - 2 Powerbooks, an iPod, and an iMac - not to mention countless supplies and peripherals, and conversions of at least 3 of my friends and family to Macs - the complete brand loyalist profile.
Today, I am seriously considering getting a PC for my next laptop. Why? The Genius Bar is killing Apple. I firmly believe this. If you've ever had the displeasure of standing in line at one - a simple thing, maybe you dropped in to replace a powercord or ask a quick question - and ended up in line with other disgruntled users - you know what I mean. In the loooong line is where I've heard about iPod problems, operating system incompatibility, and overall bad service from reps who think only they can possibly understand the complex workings of a Mac. (And I thought they were democratizing computing..? ) But it's also here that I've been forced to wait forEVER to get my questions answered, leaving me feeling unempowered and unappreciated by a brand I once pledged my loyalty to. Where is their loyalty to me? Apparently buried in the reams of customer requests they tell me they need to sort through before they can get my damn powercord.
It's a combination of the stuff breaking (my last iPod after one year with a simple shrug of the rep's shoulders and a flip "this happens all the time") to the letdown of thinking the Genius Bar is going to (a) be accessible and (b) help - that finally got me. I'm SAD about this - I hate feeling like I was wrong about a brand...but my time and self respect is too precious to give this brand another chance. I'll stay with what I've got for now, but when I'm in the market again, I will positively look at PCs. They have gotten a little cooler...haven't they?
You've heard me say this before and this time I'm screaming it: brands need to keep the promises they make ...and the great ones overdeliver. Apple, I'm afraid, has sorely and gravely underdelivered on high brand expectations.
The biggest and most passionate brand enemies were once brand loyalists.
I feel better. Thanks for indulging me.
Has anyone else been letdown by their favorite brand? I want to hear. We're all in this together.
-Stacy
I'm doing something that's against my standards (normally) - but doing it is going to make me feel sooo much better afterwards. I'm blogging from inside the Apple store to demonstrate the powerful negative impact a bad brand experience can have.
I switched from PCs to Macs about 4 years ago and since then I've gone completely Mac - 2 Powerbooks, an iPod, and an iMac - not to mention countless supplies and peripherals, and conversions of at least 3 of my friends and family to Macs - the complete brand loyalist profile.
Today, I am seriously considering getting a PC for my next laptop. Why? The Genius Bar is killing Apple. I firmly believe this. If you've ever had the displeasure of standing in line at one - a simple thing, maybe you dropped in to replace a powercord or ask a quick question - and ended up in line with other disgruntled users - you know what I mean. In the loooong line is where I've heard about iPod problems, operating system incompatibility, and overall bad service from reps who think only they can possibly understand the complex workings of a Mac. (And I thought they were democratizing computing..? ) But it's also here that I've been forced to wait forEVER to get my questions answered, leaving me feeling unempowered and unappreciated by a brand I once pledged my loyalty to. Where is their loyalty to me? Apparently buried in the reams of customer requests they tell me they need to sort through before they can get my damn powercord.
It's a combination of the stuff breaking (my last iPod after one year with a simple shrug of the rep's shoulders and a flip "this happens all the time") to the letdown of thinking the Genius Bar is going to (a) be accessible and (b) help - that finally got me. I'm SAD about this - I hate feeling like I was wrong about a brand...but my time and self respect is too precious to give this brand another chance. I'll stay with what I've got for now, but when I'm in the market again, I will positively look at PCs. They have gotten a little cooler...haven't they?
You've heard me say this before and this time I'm screaming it: brands need to keep the promises they make ...and the great ones overdeliver. Apple, I'm afraid, has sorely and gravely underdelivered on high brand expectations.
The biggest and most passionate brand enemies were once brand loyalists.
I feel better. Thanks for indulging me.
Has anyone else been letdown by their favorite brand? I want to hear. We're all in this together.
-Stacy
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I am a Mac enthusiast who "went PC" a few years ago, for financially motivated reasons and also to have my home computer be compatible with my work computer.
Well, let's just say I had the most nightmarish of nightmare experiences with my Dell laptop... And while I'm not saying Macs are perfect (by a long, long longshot) I think that because no computer company has a spotless reputation for customer service, many times it's our bad experiences that determine our brand loyalty, not the other way around. So for the time being... this girl is back in Mac.
Wow.. I haven't been to your blog in forever! (I also belatedly commented on your What do diet soda and calorie-burning sparkling green tea have in common post a few pages back.)
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Well, let's just say I had the most nightmarish of nightmare experiences with my Dell laptop... And while I'm not saying Macs are perfect (by a long, long longshot) I think that because no computer company has a spotless reputation for customer service, many times it's our bad experiences that determine our brand loyalty, not the other way around. So for the time being... this girl is back in Mac.
Wow.. I haven't been to your blog in forever! (I also belatedly commented on your What do diet soda and calorie-burning sparkling green tea have in common post a few pages back.)
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