Is Apple losing it?

I’m an Apple fanboy.

But, I’m starting to get worried.

One of the big points I made in “Collapse of Distinction” and “What Customers REALLY Want” is that we hate it when new customers are treated better than loyal ones.

Yet, it is starting to seem as though Apple really doesn’t care how many products you’ve purchased from them in the past…or your level of loyalty to them through the years…it’s all about what’s happening now.

At the Apple Store on Saturday, I was seeking some assistance for the extraordinarily poor performance of my iPhone 4.

It’s simply unacceptable. Dropped calls, for one. While I’m on the phone, all of a sudden music starts playing…or it dials someone else…it’s totally unpredictable.

So, I make an appointment and start talking with the Genius. It’s important to note: He was extraordinarily knowledgable and friendly. This is not a situation of dealing with someone who didn’t care about my problem.

When I talked about dropped calls, he asked if I had ordered the “bumpers” yet. I told him I had, but they wouldn’t be in for about three weeks. He told me they had none in stock, and had absolutely no idea when some would be available.

However, he assured me, they WILL solve the dropped call problem.

(Which, of course, means three more weeks of dropped calls!)

My other situation with the music and unwanted dial-outs? “It’s a software problem,” he said. “I’m talking with lots of people every single day facing the same thing.” (WHAT????)

He assured me Apple was hard at work on a fix — and we should be able to download it before too much longer.

I’m sorry…as an Apple loyalist, that’s pretty hard to swallow.

The phone drops calls — but don’t worry, a fix is coming. The phone dials out to people you aren’t trying to call, or your iTunes music will blare when you least expect it — but don’t worry, a fix is coming.

Isn’t that the kind of “let our customers find our mistakes” and “buy it now, we’ll fix it later” approach that we Mac-heads used to brag were reasons that Microsoft was inferior?

I also had a Time Capsule that had died. I was told I was a couple of months out of warranty — but, they would give me a “deal” on a refurbished model. It was fifty bucks off of a new one.

What happened to, “Mr. McKain, you’ve purchased Mac Plus, Mac SE, Classic, LC, IIx, IIvi, Power Book 170, Duo 210…well, you’ve been loyal for a long time. Let us make this right!”?

Something is starting to go wrong at Apple. Maybe it’s having so much money in the bank…maybe it’s being the “darling” of the media…maybe it’s thinking your products are so fantastic, we can slack off on our loyal customers…they’re going to come back anyhow, right?

Can a company prevent “losing it” when it gets to the top?

I hope so. I think so.

But, I know it requires a recommitment to your core. No matter how big or successful you have become.

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