Jessica, do you know why Apple customer service is so bad? This is one of the questions our readers ask a lot. Well, we´ve got you covered.
There was a time when Apple was considered among the best when it came to customer service, and by some professional measures, Apple still scores big.
But why have there been so many complaints about Apple in recent years? Apple Customer service has received complaints about customer communication, long wait times, rudeness, misinformation, and overpricing for repairs.
Apple has enjoyed an astronomical rise in recent years, but along with that growth has come to a rise in customer dissatisfaction according to a variety of internet sources. Read on for the most common complaints and reasons Apple customer service is so bad.
Is Apple Customer Service Bad?
According to online sites, Apple’s customer service is not hitting the mark when it comes to customer satisfaction.
Customer reviews on the Better Business Bureau website give Apple 1.14 out of 5 stars, from a total of 413 customer reviews.
Sitejabber.com gives Apple 3.44/5 stars from 1,857 reviews and ranks it 15th for electronics sites.
Customer Service Scoreboard gives Apple 47.10/200 and ranks it 181 out of around 1,000 companies on the scoreboard. This results in a customer service and satisfaction rating that is deemed “disappointing.” Out of 1061 comments, 86.9% were negative.
Consumeraffairs.com rates Apple 3.4/5 with 167 ratings, though the most recent ratings were largely negative.
Obviously, online reviews don’t tell the entire story about a company, and in the case of Apple, it is somewhat difficult to differentiate between tech support and customer support. At the same time, in many cases, customers are not satisfied with their Apple experiences. Why?
Here are some of the most common reasons for Apple customer service complaints found online:
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1. You Can’t Talk to the Same Person Twice
Perhaps the most common complaint stems from the fact that customers feel they have to explain their problems over and over again to a variety of different Apple employees.
It seems to be the case that in order for Apple to find a customer service agent who can solve your problem, you will need to explain the issue to several different people and perhaps on several different calls.
Many reviewers note that their complaint was “escalated” though they never received a return phone call.
As with most call centers, Apple has a wide range of customer service professionals, though it seems like all information that customers provide gets lost somewhere in the system and customers have to continue to explain their issues over and over.
2. Rudeness
Reviewers have noted rudeness both for phone support and in Apple stores. Rudeness is hard to quantify and somewhat subjective, though a large number of online complaints about Apple mention rudeness and impatience as reasons why a customer service experience was unsatisfactory.
3. Lack of Knowledgeable Solutions
You call customer service or visit an Apple store when you have tried to find a solution yourself and want to go to someone more knowledgeable, though many reviewers have found that Apple itself doesn’t know many answers to customer queries.
In some cases, customers have been told they cannot be helped, or customer service has hung up the phone or not returned phone calls.
Most likely this is a training issue, as newer and lower level employees may not be able to handle all customer queries, though it seems as though the communication between lower-level employees and senior, more knowledgeable employees has been lacking.
Reviewers have noted that customer service employees seem to be “reading from a script” that does not contain the solution to the customer’s problem.
If the answer isn’t available in the “script” customer service doesn’t know how to escalate the issue to a person who might have a solution.
4. All Customers are Referred to the Apple Store
Many reviewers have noted that instead of Apple answering questions over the phone, they are referred to an Apple store.
Obviously, with many hardware issues, it will be necessary to fix issues on-site, but a majority of complaints should be handled over the phone.
Many Apple customers do not live near an Apple store and reaching one may be a huge inconvenience.
5. Long Lines and Wait Times at Apple Stores
Long lines at Apple stores have become part of the company’s brand. Steve Jobs notoriously wanted long lines at product launches so the product would seem in-demand.
However, long lines to get your laptop fixed or your screen replaced are not adding to customer loyalty.
If Apple customer service is going to solve most problems by referring to an Apple Store (and even making appointments) Apple Stores will need to be more accessible and efficient.
6. Long Wait Times for Repairs
Reviewers also noted that when sending away their devices for repairs, these repairs seemed to take an inordinate amount of time.
Obviously, quality repairs take time and you don’t want to rush expensive repairs, though customers find it frustrating to be without a laptop for 3 weeks.
7. Misinformation
You store a lot of important information on your Apple devices, not to mention your lifetime of pictures, so when things disappear or become corrupted, you can experience a lot of stress.
Many reviews noted that in the effort to repair a computer or phone, information became corrupted and further service was needed to uncover the data (whether by Apple or a third party).
In other cases, reviewers noted that Apple misquoted prices, or misled the reviewer about the scope and cost of a repair.
8. Repairs are Overpriced
A few reviewers noted that they got a quote from Apple for mainstream repairs that were significantly higher than what they were quoted from third-party computer repair professionals.
It is often the case that getting a repair from the manufacturer is more expensive than from elsewhere, and obviously, you need to get repairs from a trustworthy and knowledgeable expert, though some reviewers felt they were being gouged by Apple.
Conclusion
It is true that the Apple brand was built in part on customer service and customer loyalty, and people still seem to be buying their products, so customer loyalty remains.
Unfortunately, many customers are finding that their questions are unanswered and issues are unresolved.
Perhaps in time, Apple can get back to their reputation for unparalleled customer service.
References
https://www.bbb.org/us/ca/cupertino/profile/home-electronics/apple-inc-1216-198239