A story of bad customer service from Apple, India.
By M. Groover
If you are an Apple boy or girl, like me – then you won’t travel without your iphone, ipad, ipod or macbook anywhere. However, I ask you to think again. The famous customer service that has made Apple the number one name in US and Europe is infamous in India.
The number of stores, customer service centers of Apple in India can be counted on one hand for starters.
Number two – don’t expect cool dudes helping you out in the Apple store of Delhi or Mumbai. These Macbooks for display on stores are not even connected to the Internet. In other words, you cant ‘test’ browse an Apple in a store in India.
You have to LOOK at it and let the sales person handle it. DON’T TOUCH, if you are not here to buy – is the mantra.
I took my Mac book to India. However, due to lack of knowledge about power surges, my macbook and the macbook power adapter stopped working (after the voltage surge that happened in my office). Then, I went to the Apple Store which was unlike any Apple store I had ever been to. You cant touch, you cant play, you cant expect the salesperson to smile or help you at all.
So, this is what I found out.
Apparently, voltage surges of upto 500 volts are NORMAL in India. So, power adapters and laptops and electronic equipment from United States MUST use a stabilizer and a voltage converter from 110 to 220 volts. Or, you will end with a broken laptop or a defective power adapter.
Although the problem is universal with Toshiba, hp and Sony computers – the customer service centers are located every few blocks. Plus, these brands EDUCATE the customer and do a upsell, the same day, you buy the Toshiba adapter. Result- Toshiba and Lenovo are two of the number one laptop brands in India.
What about the world’s number one, coolest computer – Apple? Where are they in INDIA??? Nowhere. The customer service is non existent. There are virtually no customer service centers you can send your laptop for repair. It goes back to CHINA???? Or California, if the laptop is under warranty.
Did I tell you that I ended up buying another macbook power adapter for double what I would pay for in US. (I paid $160). That ALSO nearly exploded (It was sparking all the time) before I went storming in the Apple store in a big mall in New Delhi. That finally got the Apple employee’s attention. He changed it and finally told me to buy a stabilizer as well. Why couldnt he tell me this when I first came.
Hence, the words infamous Apple service in India, rather than famous!
when running a business, the first thing you should do is always establish a good customer service**`