A tale of two Apple fans

A tale of two Apple fans
Tags: Customer Service, Marketing
July 26, 2010

I've so far resisted the urge to add to the number of electrons spilled over the whole iPhone 4 debacle, but a couple of very different reactions to the company's response have prompted me to write this. For what it represents is a turning point, I think, in the company's relationship with its very passionate customer base.

Background, the "make it quick because I've already seen this story 523 times" version: The new iPhone evidently drops calls if you hold it a certain way. Some people suggest that a recall is the only appropriate action. Steve Jobs' reaction was like a re-telling of that old joke about the guy who goes to the doctor because his arm hurts whenever he bends it a certain way (Punchline: Doctor says "Don't bend it that way"). But a solution is found in the form of bumpers that fix the bug, and the company decides to give them out to affected users at no charge.

What's fascinating about this is how polarizing the solution is among Apple fans. I know a lot of Apple devotees, and one of them sent me this, unsolicited, after the company refunded him the money he spent on a bumper:

I guess it takes a technology company to be savvy enough to pull the following off…really nice and hassle free!

For me, they have taken a challenging situation (phone reception/image problem) and have made me affirmed in why I put my confidence in the first place…they have addressed the problem, acknowledged it, addressed it…all with no hassle from me.

I have learned to expect this kind of commitment to me from apple because for me they don’t fail…they are considering me at every step.

Nice! They couldn't have hoped for a better reaction than that, could they?

But then, on the other hand, you have this, also from a passionate fan of the company:

It's a fundamental crock of (expletive). If my phone were any other device...made by any other company, a full, and complete, recall would be demanded....I lose phone calls because I hold my phone EXACTLY LIKE I'VE ALWAYS HELD MY PHONE... I lose ...calls... the most important, and primary, thing my phone does... that would be like if my brand new car stalled every time I drive down the road with my hands at 10 and 2. 10 and 2 damn it... that's where they're supposed to be...if you are a car company and you make cars that stall with hands at 10 and 2, you recall the (expletive) car... you don't give everyone complementary leather steering wheel covers.

Apple, once the monolithic golden child that could do no wrong by its followers, can now do very wrong by them, and Jobs and co. would do well to refocus on what made them a singular company in the first place: Delighting the customer at every turn, no matter the cost.

Reader Comments

Robert Spizman

about 22 months ago

My take - you take a risk being an innovative consumer - I actually restrained from purchasing iPhone 4, not because of potential issues - I didn't want to deal with the herds of people that were waiting and pushing. I wasn't motivated by Apple's "pre-sell game". Patience was my virtue in this case - I now will wait with a smile for confirmation of a fix before I replace my perfectly fine 3Gs.
Richard Anderson

about 22 months ago

Greetings!
Interesting FastCompany article questioning whether or not there was reason for any debacle at all. ---> http://bit.ly/9aMeUi

As a culture, we are so quick to find fault with people and companies that are winners. No one is perfect, but Apple still does what it has always done best... delight its customers.

I'm still convinced that AT&T is more of the problem than people want to admit. Several weeks prior to the iPhone4 launch, AT&T was in the middle of completing many 'upgrades' to their systems. It was during that time that my iPhone 3g began to start dropping calls at an alarming rate. During the last 3 months, a day hasn't gone by that I have not had a dropped call. I have never experienced that frequency in the 20 years I've carried cell phones.

I just upgraded to the iPhone4 10 days ago - it is an incredible improvement over my previous model, but I am still experience dropped calls at the same rate. AT&T is the problem, not Apple.

Thank you.