Why Apple Will Rule The World

My dad is a huge fan of internet radio but got tired of listening to it on his PC. After visiting his daughter’s home and experiencing the quality of internet radio when played through a stereo system, he decided that it was a toy he had to have. Taking the lead from my sister, he bought an Apple Airport from a local big box retailer. The product was very easy to install and worked as advertised for about 4 months, and then stopped working.

This is where the story gets interesting. He took the Airport back to the big box retailer. They told him that they would have to ship it back to Apple where they would test it and may or may not send him a new Airport. Not liking this answer he took the Airport to our local Apple store. He showed the product to the staff at the Apple store, explained that he did not buy it there, and asked if they could help. The store was very busy, as it always is, however a staff member walked right up to him, promised to help and basically scoffed at the reaction from Mr. Big Box. He asked my dad to wait for one of their technical wizards to be available to help. After spending ten interesting minutes walking around the store, the same staff member asked him if he had been seen yet. When he learned that my dad was still waiting, he apologized and decided to just exchange his Airport for a new one.

My dad who has been teetering towards the Apple camp due to their design and ease of use is now an Apple convert and will probably buy his next computer from them.

Because of the staff reaction over the return of a $100 device, Mr. Big Box and Microsoft have lost a customer and Apple has gained one.

Now more than ever, no one can afford to lose a customer. What are you doing to ensure that your customers are happy and loyal?

-Tom McGoldrick

Photo credit: Christopher Chan (Flickr)

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