Fleeced by the Fruit: Apple Scams

Apple, under the visionary leadership of Steve Jobs during its formative years, revolutionized the world of consumer electronics. It introduced iconic products like the Macintosh computer, iPod, iPhone, and iPad, changing how we work, communicate, and entertain ourselves. The company’s commitment to design aesthetics and user-friendly interfaces set new industry standards.

However, in recent years, some critics have argued that Apple has faced challenges in maintaining its groundbreaking innovation reputation. While they continue to release quality products and services, some feel that the company has yet to unveil a ‘game-changing’ device or software feature in the same vein as their earlier successes. Areas of potential improvement include greater transparency on repairability and environmental sustainability, as well as addressing concerns about market competition, app store policies and their growing concerns over deteriorating customer service to their loyal fan base.

Lately, I’ve noticed that Apple’s customer service isn’t what it used to be, which is pretty disappointing given its reputation for being top-notch. The overall experience has gone downhill – long waits on the phone, a struggle to reach an actual human at the Genius Bar, and it feels like they’re just not interested in helping customers anymore. I can’t help but wonder if Apple is still teaching their support staff basic people skills, you know, the stuff that makes customer support pleasant. They seem to have a fondness for canned responses instead of personalised help, which has left me frustrated more than once. It’s quite the spectacle to behold a company that once prided itself on exceptional service now revelling in the art of consistently delivering an atrocious one.

Just a while back, my iPhone 12 started acting up, with FaceTime and the receiver giving me headaches. I decided to make an appointment at the Genius Bar in Piccadilly, London. To my surprise, despite having extra staff available, I was asked twiddle my thumbs for a solid 30 minutes before someone would attend to me. While I was waiting, another customer walked in with audio problems on their iPhone 11 Pro. The support staff hit her with a hefty £350 estimate to fix the audio inputs, claiming it was more than the phone’s worth. “You might as well buy a new one,” he said with a straight face. The nerve to pull off such a confident scam left me in awe. I left the place feeling pretty insulted, realizing my time wasn’t exactly a priority, and all I got was a phoney apology.

So, I tried again, and booked another appointment for the next week. This time, I found myself at a table for what felt like an eternity – 20 minutes just sitting there. Eventually, a different support staff member came over, they were polite and courteous. They even offered to help, which was a good start. This tech-savvy guy ran a quick hardware diagnostic on my phone, pointing out a potential issue with the receiver that was also causing trouble on an iPad he had with him. He said he’d try cleaning the receiver to get rid of any dust or debris, but that quick task turned into another waiting game – this time, a whopping 40 minutes!

Well, here comes the plot twist. The support staff eventually returned, and it turned out the receiver was indeed faulty. The interesting part? Even though my phone was out of warranty, they offered to replace the receiver for free because it was a standard recall issue with many iPhone 12 models. But wait, there’s more! They also dropped the bombshell that they needed to replace the screen of my phone. Normally, this would cost a hefty £289, but they assured me it wouldn’t cost me a dime. The only catch? They mentioned there might be a bit of data loss, but nothing too major since this was supposed to be a straightforward fix. To seal the deal, I had to sign a document that looked suspiciously like a receipt for £289, and they told me to come back around 1:50 PM. Quite the rollercoaster of a visit!

Note 1: In hindsight, signing a document that indicated a payment of a certain amount was a mistake on my part, especially when I wasn’t actually being charged. It doesn’t seem fair for Apple to pressure customers into signing such documents as part of what could be perceived as a questionable business tactic aimed at increasing their revenue.

I made my way back to the Genius Bar around 2:30 PM, fully aware of the waiting game that often accompanies these visits. To no one’s surprise, I found myself waiting yet again, this time for an additional 20 minutes before a customer support agent finally came to talk to me. He had a big grin on his face as if they’d worked some magic on my phone. With a cheerful tone, he delivered the verdict, saying, “I’m sorry, Mr. Ravi, but we couldn’t get your old phone fixed. However, we’ll be giving you a brand new one.”

Well, you’d think getting a brand-new phone would be a cause for celebration, right? Allow me to debunk that assumption. What was supposed to be a shiny, pristine new phone showed up at my doorstep in a plain brown cardboard box. I couldn’t help but wonder if this was part of their stock of refurbished phones, perhaps the ones they pull off the shelves when they roll out a shiny new piece of recycled metal every September. To add to the mystique, the Apple representative insisted it was indeed a new phone, despite its unconventional arrival in a not-so-iPhone-like package. But here’s the kicker: while they replaced the new iPhone for free, they also handed me a document to sign, totalling around £479. Keep in mind, that my previous phone was in top-notch condition, and it only seemed fair that I got something more fitting for their previous ineptitude.

The troubles didn’t end there. I received zero assistance in setting up the new phone. Despite their earlier mention of partial data deletion, they conveniently forgot to mention that it would essentially result in total data annihilation. I lost data that had been carefully collected over five long years, and when I voiced my frustration to the support staff, all I got in return were half-hearted “sorry” and nonchalant shoulder shrugs. It made me seriously question their so-called privacy protocols, something they supposedly stood for but failed miserably at.

To make matters worse, my e-SIM got wiped out along the way, forcing me to sprint to my provider’s store for a replacement. It was a hard-learned lesson – never get rid of your trusty physical SIM card and switch to an e-SIM. Sure, it offers added security against theft, but trust me when I say that Apple’s software updates, glitches, and general nonsense will wreak havoc on your phone long before any thief has a chance to.

As if that wasn’t enough, I had to log in to iCloud to set up my device, but here’s the kicker: the device sends a code to another one of your Apple devices for approval. Apparently, Apple support staff assume you carry your laptop or tablet with you everywhere you go. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case, so I ended up losing all the data I had saved on iCloud.

After a day filled with frustration, I decided to reach out to customer support in the evening, hoping for some resolution or empathy. Instead, all I received was rude customer service, a few insincere apologies, and even a yawn.

I know, taking down a tech giant like Apple isn’t exactly in the cards, and losing just one customer probably won’t even make a dent in their empire. But hey, I’ve decided that this iPhone is going to be my last for a while. The reason? Well, I lost six months’ worth of precious blog content I had planned to share, and I’m hoping this article might just save a few others from going through what I did.

Honestly, what we’ve been paying for lately feels like a fancy gizmo with a lousy battery, hardware that’s about as predictable as the weather, software that’s about as user-friendly as a Rubik’s Cube, a so-so camera that could easily be replaced by a Mirrorless DSLR, and let’s not even get started on the customer service – shoddy is putting it mildly.

I can’t wait for the day when I can bid farewell to this phone and jump back into the Android world. It’s a far cry from the company Steve Jobs envisioned, and it’s lost its reliability and trustworthiness in my eyes.

If you’ve had similar experiences, drop a comment below and let’s commiserate!

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