Lovecraft Forest

Rob Griffiths of Macworld recently posted in his “editorial” section about his troubles with Apple and getting the services for a hardware problem. He discovered that unless you purchased additional warranty services from Apple, Inc., you were limited to 90 days of telephone support and then, should you have a problem with your computer, you would need to return the computer to the dealer, even if that meant the inconvenienced of schlepping the the thing down there. How outraged Mr. Griffiths was that Apple would not diagnose his problem over the phone!

Mr. Griffiths’ problems, by his admission, were solved by the dealer (a loose cable) but he took out his frustrations by writing a long, anecdotal editorial of questionable accuracy. (I, for one have used Apple’s services both in and out of warranty, and the worst that I ever got was that the product–an airport base station–had failed. Apple express shipped a new product to me and even paid for the return of the defective unit.) His one confirming data point it another Mac contributor who lives in rural France (the Alps) who was apparently required to return his product to the dealer. He expresses that Apple should diagnose his problem first, then decide if it is tech support or warranty.

I have worked technical support for some time myself. I know that most cases of “my hardware is bad” turn out to be user error. Apple has set up a warranty system that works for most people. Returning defective product, often by mail, is just one of those little inconveniences people have to live with. If you live near a dealer, this means a drive. If you don’t UPS and the Postal Service are ably there. I’ve been buying and returning things by mail for 30 years, so I don’t see what the hubbub is about.

Where I become troubled is Mr. Griffiths’ belief that he is somehow entitled to telephone support for the entirety of the warranty. Considering Apple’s policies are well posted and no dealer has ever forgot to discuss the advantages of AppleCare, was he entitled. In my opinion, no. In this world, you often get what you pay for. If you want champagne and lobster, you have to buy them. Apple offers an additional first-class support program for a fee. Alternatively, Apple could, as they did in the past bundle the first-class support into the computer’s price–alas, those days are gone!

I also object to Mr. Griffiths’ use of the press (Macworld’s News website) to air his personal opinions when he doesn’t get his way. When I questioned him on this practice, he wrote to me “This was an editorial piece, wherein I get to express my OPINIONS.” Indeed, this is the problem with the tech press and Macworld in particular. They use the front page for whatever they want. Call it an “Editor’s Notebook” if you like, but I think a better title might be “I’m entitled because I’ll smear you.”

This, my readers, is the tactic of the bully, and deserves to be repudiated by any thinking person. For a publication that claims itself as “Mac Experts” perhaps they should devote more of their space to accurate impressions versus Mr. Griffith’s all-caps OPINIONS.

Let Rob know what you think of his “notebook” at: RGriffiths@macworld.com.