As most of you know, I’m no stranger to technology.
I’m also human and can do stupid things. While I’ve had my beef with Apple in the past (remember Mobile Me screwing up calendar and contact data?), I’ll be the first to admit they have earned my respect by building computers, phones, tablets, etc., that are not only designed well, they work (for the most part) as promised.
They also have become a master in the retailing world and whether you’re shopping in person or online, this once near bankrupt company now controls a worldwide empire.
With that said, Apple users can still do stupid things. What separates Apple from the rest of the world is how fast they can fix a user’s error. Here’s my story:
Last night I was attempting to insert an SD card into the slot on the right side of an iMac. I’ve done this maneuver hundreds of times and until then, there was never an issue. If you have an iMac, look at the SD slot, it’s located just one-half of an inch below the slot loading DVD drive on the slim right side of the bezel.
Call it distracted card handling or whatever, but I accidentally inserted the tiny SD card into the DVD slot. When I felt it take a free fall into the drive’s oblivion, and looked to see only a corner of the SD card visible, it was truly an Oh Crap moment. I grabbed a business card that was on the desk in order to try to use it to pull the card out. No luck.
Then, and here’s the stupid part, I grabbed a DVD and tried to use that to wedge it out. Well, the opposite happened as the DVD drive’s motor sucked the DVD out of my hand an into the computer.
Another Oh Crap moment!
Of course the DVD would not eject as it was stuck against the SD card which was now wedged in the drive. After a few attempts of trying to eject the DVD, I did the first smart thing related to this incident. I backed up the hard drive and shut it down. Then I got smarter…
I went to another computer, logged onto the Apple website (it was around 10pm on a Sunday night) and booked an appointment at the local Apple store for a Genius Tech Support consultation. The first available appointment was for 12:45pm Monday and I booked it. The entire process took just a few minutes from start to finish. I even received an email confirmation nearly immediately.
Fast forward to today, I went to the Apple Store at the local mall with the iMac in tow and arrived at exactly 12:45pm. I checked in and was told there was one person ahead of me. (Yes, others were waiting and fell behind me as they didn’t have an appointment. So, remember to use this online booking feature if you ever need Apple In-Store Tech Support).
When my name was called, instead of trying to come up with some less-stupid reason that I had an SD card and a DVD stuck in the DVD drive, I told them the truth. The “Genius” appreciated that I was making light of my situation and kindly told me that each day the techs discuss the top 10 dumbest things they see each day and so far, I’m winning!
He took the computer in the back and within 10 minutes returned the SD card and the DVD. He said that it usually takes longer to put things back together and 20 minutes later my computer was safely back in my hands.
Here’s the shocking part:
When I asked for the bill, I was told it was “no charge” as it’s under Apple Care Warranty.
Really? The warranty covers stupidity?
Evidently the answer is Yes!
So Apple, for all the grief I publicly gave you in the past, I say that you’ve come a long way baby! I will look forward to placing my advance order for the iPad 3 when it’s announced!
While I was waiting, I was talking to one of the roving salespeople and she showed me something very cool…
If you have an iPhone 4 or newer and have the Apple Store App installed, you can launch the App (which is connected to your Apple account), pickup a product on the shelves, point the iPhone’s camera at the product’s bar code and within seconds, purchase the product…and simply take it and walk out of the store.
I asked her how does it know that you’re not shoplifting? While I didn’t get a good answer, she said that it just knows.
How cool is that?
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