This is not necessarily a complaint but a description of utter
frsutration on behalf of someone who orded a G4 iBook over a month ago.
A young person named (lets say, Tara) wanted to buy a new computer. She
knew how happy we were with our iBook and PowerBook. She had a play
with these computers and enjoyed the experience. The decision to
purchase a new computer is a huge outlay, and she is also a switcher.
Tara finally decided to get a PowerBook 15" Superdrive with lots of
RAM.
I recommended an Apple retailer in Perth as I had some reasonably
satisfactory experience with, 'better than they were under the old
management' they once told me. However, my perception and the retailers
perception of themselves are not in accord.
Five weeks after ordering, no sign of the PowerBook and very weak
excuses offered by the retailer after they promised two weeks. The
problem is this switcher is about to switch again, back to Windows.
Quite a few others that have been watching the process have now lost
interest. They all like the look of the Mac and the interface and
iTunes and IPhoto and GarageBand. These are young people in their 20s
and are very influenced by these things. But they are also influenced
by getting something they really want without having to wait over a
month for it after ordering it.
I feel the retailer should take more responsibility as they are about
to lose not just one customer, but also myself as a second (and I won't
be recommending them again), and potentially more, as all those
watching this episode are quite appalled at the time lag and would
definitely not make a purchase there. This crew is also very
iPod/Shuffle savvy and this market is also lost to this retailer.
If Tara had been offered a loan of a similar second hand computer it
may have eased her anxiety and enabled her to become familiar with the
OS. The retailer appears to have little interest in Tara as a buyer
since she made her order. The 'service' ceased once the deal was done.
I don't know anything about the politics of Apple resellers, Apple
Australia and Apple, but from the point of view of a customer who may
potentially make another purchase in future, or recommend others to
purchase similar stuff from a retailer, this its a very poor reflection
of all three.
- new Mac time lag Edward Arrowsmith
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