One of the reasons Apple is worth the money...

TechLarry

RIP [H] Brother - June 1, 2022
Joined
Aug 9, 2005
Messages
30,481
I have spent the last 2 hours in a major panic because I lost my iPhone X.

So, I called it from my Land Line. LOL Every damn device from phones to iPads starts ringing because I have T-Mobile Digits set up (awesome stuff, btw). So my whole house is ringing and this does me no good.

Then I remembered something about registering my phone with iCloud.

I went to the iCloud site there was "Find My Phone'. Cool.

It found EVERY device I own, and it said the phone is indeed in my house somewhere. Luckily, instead of just dialing the phone so you can find it, it sets off a Sonar like Beacon on the device you are looking for.

I set it off, and I heard it !!! Hot damn, now we're getting somewhere :)

I slowly worked my way to it, and finally found it.

It was under the Bed. Apparently I knocked it off the nightstand in my sleep, and it hit the leg which tossed it up under the bed.

Whew!!!

This is a classy feature.
 
I have spent the last 2 hours in a major panic because I lost my iPhone X.

So, I called it from my Land Line. LOL Every damn device from phones to iPads starts ringing because I have T-Mobile Digits set up (awesome stuff, btw). So my whole house is ringing and this does me no good.

Then I remembered something about registering my phone with iCloud.

I went to the iCloud site there was "Find My Phone'. Cool.

It found EVERY device I own, and it said the phone is indeed in my house somewhere. Luckily, instead of just dialing the phone so you can find it, it sets off a Sonar like Beacon on the device you are looking for.

I set it off, and I heard it !!! Hot damn, now we're getting somewhere :)

I slowly worked my way to it, and finally found it.

It was under the Bed. Apparently I knocked it off the nightstand in my sleep, and it hit the leg which tossed it up under the bed.

Whew!!!

This is a classy feature.

Google does this too :D

And it vibrates. Mmmmmmm
 
I doubt it was this easy, though I haven't tried it.
 
Probably for a similar reason that you are. :)

Have nothing better to do than to attempt following me around on a forum?
Okay, I'll bite: please enumerate for me all of my motivations that you in your statement claim to know.
 
Have nothing better to do than to attempt following me around on a forum?
Okay, I'll bite: please enumerate for me all of my motivations that you in your statement claim to know.

Not following anyone, I frequent most boards here and respond accordingly to threads I find of interest. I don't need to elaborate further.
 
Not following anyone, I frequent most boards here and respond accordingly to threads I find of interest. I don't need to elaborate further.

So you don't know my motivations. I'd thank you to keep your uninformed declarations to yourself.
 
Inappropriate Behavior
Why are you here again?

Very existentialist of you.

You see...

Oh wait, you're asking "Why am I annoying you."

I'm not, you're just being a narcissist.

There was a forum talking about Apple. And while I see a market for their products, I'm not a "fan".

Also, I'm a snarky SOB.

I am, therefore I snark.

If you dislike this, you have all the tools necessary not to see my posts.

Use them. And stop with the butt-hurt over someone else's humor.


Merry Effin Christmas.
 
Inappropriate Behavior
Very existentialist of you.

You see...

Oh wait, you're asking "Why am I annoying you."

I'm not, you're just being a narcissist.

There was a forum talking about Apple. And while I see a market for their products, I'm not a "fan".

Also, I'm a snarky SOB.

I am, therefore I snark.

If you dislike this, you have all the tools necessary not to see my posts.

Use them. And stop with the butt-hurt over someone else's humor.


Merry Effin Christmas.

I didn’t ask why you were saying anything specifically to me. Hardly narcissism. But it’s special that you thought I was interested in you.

Got it, you’re a troll. Everything is clarified.
 
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I love find my iphone. I end up using it a couple times a year.
I know google has one, but it took them years after Apple made it for them to make something decent, but it isnt available on all devices, nor have I seen it be as easily integrated into the setup.
Several times I see on FB "I lost my phone, reach me here" and its always from people that are using cheap ass android devices that cant setup any kind of decent personal tracking. Since it is part of icloud when you setup your phone most people end up having the same thought processes of OP and are excited when it works out for them
iCloud (or .mac or mobile me as it was once called) is a godsend for so many people, and I love it. I no longer see "new phone, send me your numbers" posts coming from my friend using iOS.
 
Coincidentally, I had the same experience last week. I was carrying and armload of packages plus my phone in hand into the house, the cat tried to escape (we're on a busy road so he's an indoor cat) and in the shuffle I put the phone *somewhere*. I looked around, no luck. My girlfriend called, and we couldn't hear it (the phone's always on vibrate, and if the phone's nearby that's enough, but we couldn't hear it this time.) Had never tried 'Find my iPhone' but logged into iCloud and gave it a shot, and the phone had fallen behind a bench in the hallway that I never would have looked behind.

I hear ads for those phone trackers that advertise that they'll set your phone off "Even if the ringer's off". "Find my iPhone" does the same thing, for the one-time fee of purchasing the phone. Yeah, I'm happy with it.
 
My reason, I bought an iPad (first generation, way back when) from Best Buy and loved it. My wife loved it as well, so I bought another one, again from Best Buy. I used Best Buy because it was the same price and I got reward points for it. Its minor, but whatever.

Something was wrong with the new one.

I took it into an Apple store, no receipt and remember I bought it from Best Buy (not the Apple store).

I still remember this, years later. This is excellent customer service. Excellent.

I told the tech guy about it and he was training some new guy. He told the trainee, this man (meaning me) has 2 iPads and clearly knows what he is doing. We are going to take his word for it and issue a new iPad. He also told me since its an Apple product they don't need the receipt (it has a serial number). He went on to say, since its an Apple product, it doesn't matter where I bought it. They will always take care of it.

I had an appointment, but still amazing that I was in and out in 10 minutes with a brand new iPad.

The products fit what I need to do, and that level of customer service was amazing. Another company that has blown me away with customer service is Tesla Motors.
 
It’s pretty much the same on android. You go to your google account, devices, and you can find your android device. Works just as well as any iPhone and even $100 phones support it.
 
I doubt it was this easy, though I haven't tried it.

It's easier honestly.

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The only reason to buy Apple phone is vastly superior CPU
That said there is imho no good reason to buy top models from other manufacturers like Samsung.

On Meizu myself - cheap enough that I have zero worries about it being broken or lost :hungover:
 
This has been a feature for a long time, it’s a wonderful one and I’ve used it for the same reasons, multiple times. Android has caught up and new android phones also lock the phones so it can’t be stolen and used. Apple did it first but I think these are important features for everyone.
 
I love Apple products that I get for free as a job perk. I hated Apple at first because it was annoyingly different to Windows. But I grew into it fast. It feels even familiar in the terminal due to its BSD roots.

I would never ever pay the premium for a new Apple device from my own money though. Preowned or hackintosh is the way I would go if I had to.
 
I mean no offense by this, but if it was on your nightstand when you went to bed then it seems logical to realize it couldn't have gone that far unless you're a sleep talker or something and you took some journey away from your bedroom to make some calls in your sleep and just forgot where you left it.

Seriously... under the bed, and you went through the whole house to find it? :D
 
for android I use lookout security.. it will do a siren, flash, take picture of front or rear camera and email it to you....

or I use my gear s2 (waiting for s4 this xmas) watch and choose.. find my phone.. and viola... turns sound up even if muted...
 
My reason, I bought an iPad (first generation, way back when) from Best Buy and loved it. My wife loved it as well, so I bought another one, again from Best Buy. I used Best Buy because it was the same price and I got reward points for it. Its minor, but whatever.

Something was wrong with the new one.

I took it into an Apple store, no receipt and remember I bought it from Best Buy (not the Apple store).

I still remember this, years later. This is excellent customer service. Excellent.

I told the tech guy about it and he was training some new guy. He told the trainee, this man (meaning me) has 2 iPads and clearly knows what he is doing. We are going to take his word for it and issue a new iPad. He also told me since its an Apple product they don't need the receipt (it has a serial number). He went on to say, since its an Apple product, it doesn't matter where I bought it. They will always take care of it.

I had an appointment, but still amazing that I was in and out in 10 minutes with a brand new iPad.

The products fit what I need to do, and that level of customer service was amazing. Another company that has blown me away with customer service is Tesla Motors.

Interesting. If Apple had treated me this way 8 years ago I'd still be with them. Instead I was treated like a bum off the street who was only in the Apple store to use the restroom, panhandle customers and use the free WiFi.

This was back when iOS 4 bricked my wife and I's iPhone 3G's and the only solution they gave me was buying two off contract iPhone 4's for $1,200.00.

On that note, has customer service improved since then? I'm actually considering an iPhone 8 to replace my Galaxy S7 Active, since Samsung didn't make an S9 Active. Also, and I never in my life thought I'd say this, and I want to punch myself in the dick repeatedly for saying it, the iPhone 8 is cheaper than the S8 Active and the S9.
 
I personally approach this as if I was carrying around a wade of $900 dollars instead of my Google Pixel 2 XL. Am I going to leave my $$$ somewhere with the potential of a random walking off with it? No, probably not.

Sadly and this started with my Nexus 6 that at the time was very expensive to me ... I now check my pockets for 3 things on occasional throughout the day. My keys, wallet and phone.

When one is missing I have a mini heart attack.
 
Android has this feature too and like someone said its easier.

Suckers is right, its how the myth of 'Apple is best' spreads because Apple has brainwashed people into thinking they are the ones who invent stuff and that no other platform is easy to use.

As for customer service it goes both ways. I've been refused help at the 'Genius bar' because my 1yr warranty expired a month ago.
 
Tell that to The YouTubers trying to get their new 5k iMac pros fixed.

Keep in mind that in at least LTT's case, they'd taken apart the system themselves and then expected Apple to smile and nod while it fixed their damage. I do think Apple should be fully prepared to service machines when it's not the user's fault, but that changes when someone knowingly pokes around and causes havoc. At a certain point you have to take responsibility for your tinkering and accept that the company won't always compensate for your mistakes.
 
This is a classy feature.

Just for reference, these types of applications have been around for a long time. It isn't anything that is unique to Apple. I have actually had this ability in some respect going back before the iPhone.
 
Interesting. If Apple had treated me this way 8 years ago I'd still be with them. Instead I was treated like a bum off the street who was only in the Apple store to use the restroom, panhandle customers and use the free WiFi.

This was back when iOS 4 bricked my wife and I's iPhone 3G's and the only solution they gave me was buying two off contract iPhone 4's for $1,200.00.

On that note, has customer service improved since then? I'm actually considering an iPhone 8 to replace my Galaxy S7 Active, since Samsung didn't make an S9 Active. Also, and I never in my life thought I'd say this, and I want to punch myself in the dick repeatedly for saying it, the iPhone 8 is cheaper than the S8 Active and the S9.

Customer service is spectacular for me. I walk in, and I either get the device fixed, or I get a new device. It's always one of those. I explain the situation, and I'm realistic about what to expect. That being said, I buy AppleCare, and I don't expect my shit to be fixed if I'm out of warranty or if I tampered with it to no end. It's a fixed time warranty, i.e. you have 12 months, not 13, and not 18. It's a business, not a charity. Bad customer service happens all over, at all times, not just at Apple, but good customer service leaves a lasting impression.
 
Keep in mind that in at least LTT's case, they'd taken apart the system themselves and then expected Apple to smile and nod while it fixed their damage. I do think Apple should be fully prepared to service machines when it's not the user's fault, but that changes when someone knowingly pokes around and causes havoc. At a certain point you have to take responsibility for your tinkering and accept that the company won't always compensate for your mistakes.

I agree to a certain point. But really, they shouldn't have "refused" to repair it. They should have simply charged them to do so. Obviously user error/damage isn't covered by Apple Care. And well, expensive components cost a lot. So, let them pay for them.



Customer service is spectacular for me. I walk in, and I either get the device fixed, or I get a new device. It's always one of those. I explain the situation, and I'm realistic about what to expect. That being said, I buy AppleCare, and I don't expect my shit to be fixed if I'm out of warranty or if I tampered with it to no end. It's a fixed time warranty, i.e. you have 12 months, not 13, and not 18. It's a business, not a charity. Bad customer service happens all over, at all times, not just at Apple, but good customer service leaves a lasting impression.

Same. Don't expect that Apple or any company will just hand you stuff when you're out of warranty is about right. Apple care I find is generally worth it for their computer hardware (either desktop or laptop), but I don't bother on phones as I can save $150 by buying a case (which if you understand the business of selling insurance, that's how they're making money off of it. Far fewer people ever need the insurance than buy it).

The only issues I've had recently with Apple CS is the long wait time. At my local store, it can be half a week before you can get an appointment. Which isn't so bad, but when I went to get my battery replaced in my iPhone, it took a solid 30-40 minutes before I saw a tech (essentially just to drop my phone off after checking in). Then they had my phone for 2 hours. Afterwards, during the pickup it took another 30-40 minutes of time after check-in. Which again, for either "just a pickup" or "just a drop-off" is kind of intolerable. Literally no other interaction had to take place (during the admission process they did test my battery, but they could've not bothered honestly).

Still, in terms of taking care of me, I can list all the things that Apple CS has done. My first machine (2008 MBP) had the logic board fail in the third year of Apple Care. Replaced it for free (otherwise would've been $750 as I recall). On my 2010 MBP, they replaced the battery after it didn't hold a charge after only a year. They replaced a bunch of odds and ends on my 2011 iMac also in the third year of Apple Care. ProApps over the phone was able to fix a problem not allowing me to associate a physical copy of Aperture onto my iTunes Account.

I can only think of one time in which I think their response wasn't logically consistent when working with me, but from a business stand point I suppose made sense.

So either my local Apple Store is really good at CS, or generally they are pretty good (although ProApps was over the phone).

===

EDIT: Although, I would say that specifically for phones, there are far bigger other reasons to be on Apple rather than CS (but I will also say, heaven forbid you have to deal with most Android manufactuers' CS). Personally I care that my phone will be updated for well beyond two years. I care a lot that I'm not spending a bunch of time managing my phone. And I also much prefer their conscientiousness about security.

I know a lot of people don't care about that last one, or view it as paranoid. But, especially after talking with my brother whose job it is essentially to know this type of security amongst others, I'd buy Apple alone for that one "feature".

I personally don't care much at all about being able to customize every aspect of my phone (read the earlier statements about not wasting time on this stuff), and I don't want custom ROMs or to root, or any of that. I want my phone to be used as a tool that works and performs the functions I want it to, quickly and discretely. It isn't a toy for me. And I wouldn't say I'm a phone enthusiast past the point of simply wanting fast hardware, a nice display, and for all of its functions to happen seamlessly and without major effort on my part.

I'm okay with doing things "the Apple way". And I don't care to be particular enough to "have to" do something one way or another way. If that sounds like you, PNut12345, then yes iOS will fit. But if you want (and I do emphasize 'want' over 'need') to ROM/Root, customize, etc then it's probably not worth it for you to move back.
 
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Every company fixes stuff when its under warranty, what the hell is special about Apple then? I bought a refurb laptop from Acer for <$300, right about a year later it failed. It took all of 5min on the phone (or maybe it was online chat, I forgot) and they sent me prepaid shipping box, 2 weeks later I had an upgraded laptop with replaced components. No fancy AcerCare either.

I've had similar stellar customer service from Dell, Samsung etc.

Apple's customer care would be special if they went out of their way. They like giving you new stuff when old shit breaks because its designed that way, so it can't be fixed or repaired. And AppleCare isn't cheap. Any minimal cost is far offset by the hype this generates.
 
Your hate and tirades are tiresome. Your Apple hate is well documented. Not sure even why you're here, other than basically to come in and take a shit. You're not really adding anything to the conversation. But, even despite all that, I'll answer your question(s), even though I 100% know before hand that they will never "satisfy" you, because your goal isn't to legitimately have anything get answered as it is to expend vitriol.


Every company fixes stuff when its under warranty, what the hell is special about Apple then? I bought a refurb laptop from Acer for <$300, right about a year later it failed. It took all of 5min on the phone (or maybe it was online chat, I forgot) and they sent me prepaid shipping box, 2 weeks later I had an upgraded laptop with replaced components. No fancy AcerCare either.

I've had similar stellar customer service from Dell, Samsung etc.

Apple's warranty for 1 year is for free. It's 3 under Apple care+ if you choose to pay for it. Their warranty is as bulletproof of any that you can find. I'm really glad that you had great CS experiences elsewhere. Most people haven't.
Dell, is historically one of the worst. Most companies goal is to not replace your product or hardware under any circumstance. They use every opportunity to blame the customer or find caveats or umbrellas in which you are not covered, and then tell the customer they fall into one of those categories. For every bad experience you'll find with an Apple CS representative, I'm sure I could find dozens from the likes of Dell and Samsung.

Apple for the most part not only doesn't do those things, they streamline the fix and replacement process as much as possible. As has been noted, one can go to a physical location for repair. And the turn around time is as narrow as it can possibly be. As I mentioned about my laptop (in my previous post), that repair to replace the entire logic board was 3 days of turnaround time. You probably didn't even receive the shipping label and box for yours by the time I got mine back.


Apple's customer care would be special if they went out of their way. They like giving you new stuff when old shit breaks because its designed that way, so it can't be fixed or repaired. And AppleCare isn't cheap. Any minimal cost is far offset by the hype this generates.

They do, and that's well documented as well. But there is a difference between what is expected versus what happens in every case. Generally I recommend people go to the Apple Store for any given problem, including ones not under warranty. Because often times Apple CS will take care of you or give reasonable alternatives. But that isn't something that can be guaranteed to happen every time. I don't precisely understand what your complaint is about here anyway. As you're mad at them for providing the service that they said they would (unlike a lot of other companies often do, as mentioned in the previous answer), they do so for a longer period of time if you're okay with an upfront cost, and they'll still give you support even after their warranty is expired.

To your credit though, yes, good customer service is a form of marketing. As Marketing at its core is product development that is supposed to full-fill an endusers or customers needs. So yes, Apple has developed a system which actually does what they say it does (hassle free repair and service) and then therefore generates positive word of mouth. So if you're mad that people say good things about having good experiences under a good program then I don't know what to tell you. Because I'm not talking about any of this stuff from a theoretical standpoint. No one is forced to buy Apple care, and has been noted, the first year is free. And as you don't like it or Apple, please feel free to continue buying elsewhere.
 
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It's worth noting that Apple will give you a refund for time not used on AppleCare if you sell/upgrade a device with it as well. They pro-rate based off the days left, and keep I believe 20%. So it's pretty much an instant-buy even if you upgrade your device every year given that it includes two accidental damage repairs as well.
 
Customer service is spectacular for me. I walk in, and I either get the device fixed, or I get a new device. It's always one of those. I explain the situation, and I'm realistic about what to expect. That being said, I buy AppleCare, and I don't expect my shit to be fixed if I'm out of warranty or if I tampered with it to no end. It's a fixed time warranty, i.e. you have 12 months, not 13, and not 18. It's a business, not a charity. Bad customer service happens all over, at all times, not just at Apple, but good customer service leaves a lasting impression.

I understand how warranties work, my point was, and always has been, that Apple fucked our phones. There was no physical damage, and neither phone had ever been jailbroken. My wife's phone was about 6-7 months old, purchased new at Best But. My phone was about 18 months old. Their OS bricked both our devices, and they told us to get fucked, basically.

Exceptions can be made, look at how Microsoft handled the Xbox 360 RRoD fiasco; they extended the warranty for everyone, at a huge expense, to take care of their customers.

I'm probably gonna roll the dice with Apple one more time, all I'm asking is what the average person can expect from CS. Also, the closest Apple store to me is roughly 3 hours away, so I'd be dealing with someone via phone or chat.
 
I understand how warranties work, my point was, and always has been, that Apple fucked our phones. There was no physical damage, and neither phone had ever been jailbroken. My wife's phone was about 6-7 months old, purchased new at Best But. My phone was about 18 months old. Their OS bricked both our devices, and they told us to get fucked, basically.

Exceptions can be made, look at how Microsoft handled the Xbox 360 RRoD fiasco; they extended the warranty for everyone, at a huge expense, to take care of their customers.

I'm probably gonna roll the dice with Apple one more time, all I'm asking is what the average person can expect from CS. Also, the closest Apple store to me is roughly 3 hours away, so I'd be dealing with someone via phone or chat.

I would say you got a raw deal. Anyone would. Next time, after having that experience, try getting around them and going to online or chat based CS or vice versa.
To be clear that isn't something you should ever have to do. As in, that, as an important way to handle customers, should never happen. So clearly and totally their bad. I'm not minimizing.
But it does seem like the people who handled you didn't know what they were doing or perhaps didn't understand the scope. Not an excuse, but unfortunately as with all rolls of the dice, you run into that from time to time. I similarly had one exception to all my good service with Apple with a bad experience. So I get it. But I would say on the whole, things like this generally don't happen. And comparatively, I've been screwed far less with Apple than any other manufacturer.

Everyone will eventually have problems with any given company. Because at the end of the day, you will be dealing with humans, and humans are fallible. It's just that properly trained ones, and ones that are empowered to help the customer just have that problem less.
 
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