It takes a lot of patience.
/ Getty Images
I have been pretty happy with my Apple devices over the years.
It was rarely the source of a serious disaster. Well, except for the time when my MacBook Air enjoyed its butterfly keyboard – and I did not.
Oh yeah, and then there was the time my iPhone would not charge and an Apple Genius told me that my charging technique was faulty.
But since so many people are sitting at home all day – and at night – the dependence on our devices may never have been extreme.
So I decided that what I really needed to do was learn how to do it right. Apple Support Twitter feed. What kind of problems did people have? How did they express themselves?
After an hour or more of browsing and browsing, it’s easy to believe that Apple’s devices really are not too good. Until you remember, there are billions of them there now, somewhere.
Yet there is something instructive about seeing how great the range of issues really is.
Especially when it’s cold.
Example from a customer: “Why are iPhones so sensitive to cold? Why does @Apple not fix it? My phone battery ran out and the phone turned itself off when I entered today. It’s only -5 Celsius.”
Apple Support’s response was a bit cool: “Use iOS devices where the ambient temperature is between 0 degrees and 35 degrees C. (32 to 95 degrees F). Low or high temperatures can cause the device to change its behavior. to regulate its temperature. ‘
Emotions can be very high. A customer named Dominic, who claims to be a bee champion, tweeted: “My AirPods are trash now, but they are no longer loud Apple is a scam.”
As if realizing he might sound uncomfortable, he sends a follow-up: “Sidebar. I left them in my car last night, would the cold have anything to do with adjusting the volume? Plz help @AppleSupport.”
A word of advice. Do not call anyone a scam and then ask for their help. This is definitely the wrong order.
Angry, Meet Help. Or meet Robot?
Aggression seems to be the most important means of communication for many customers. Threats too.
A customer was unhappy because the iPhone 11’s battery lasts only six hours. He tweeted: ‘MY PHONE DOESN’T WORK ANYMORE .. yo whag [sic] if I sue Apple … @ Apple is it you? ”
Oh, I think Apple’s lawyers are well acquainted with the matter.
It was not just iPhones that upset people. “@ AppleSupport my MacBook Air 2020 does not turn on. it has been doing this for over an hour. what am i supposed to do? i bought it in november lol. ‘
I felt that under the circumstances it was remarkably reasonable.
The list of alleged annoyances was remarkably extensive.
“It’s amazing that I can not update an expiration date for a card that is with Apple. I can not even remove and re-add the card. It’s so frustrating!” shouted one customer.
Some people do not know who to blame: “@ Apple @ AppleSupport has just updated iPhone 7 to iOS 14.4 and it is restarting and it can not use @ Verizon cellular data. Is this a way to force me to upgrade phone. WTH @VZWSupport. ”
For some, their phone rings silently. One man asked, “Why did my iPhone 7 just shock me by the torch at the back?”
For others, Apple Music does not work. And the number of people complaining about Big Sur would, if they jumped on Highway 101 at Big Sur at the same time, cause the road to crash into the sea. (It just happened without them – Ed.)
There was a MacBook that was not connected to Wi-Fi, and an iPhone 12 Pro Max with a flash that turned orange on photos viewed in front. iOS 14.5 apparently caused a man’s CarPlay not to play.
There were customers who went to serious language. Well, it’s easier to get angry on Twitter, rather than face – to – face, is it? Example: “Apple and AT&T need to get together and find out they’re going to manage my money for this asshole 12 Pro.”
Somehow, however, I could find no connection between extreme language use and Apple not responding.
There were customers who went to serious extremes: ‘Example:’ I lose the will to live to solve case No. 101318982224. 3 hours online and 4 hours by phone with 6 different advisors and still not corrected. Unacceptable service. ”
And: “I bought 2TB of storage and my problems still do not go away. @Apple Do you want me to die?”
I’m sure Apple wants you to live and spend more money on other Apple products. However, I was less sure if the answers came from humans or robots. Many felt robotically formulated.
For example: “We are happy to help. What exact error message are you getting? Send us a DM and we can continue to help.”
Or: “We’d love to help you perform with the Apple News app! What version of your device and operating system are you currently using? Let us know in Instant Message and we’d love to explore it with you.”
No, these are people, right?
The more I stared, the more I needed a pacifier. A glass of something that is not non-alcoholic, perhaps.
If I needed a pacifier, I can not imagine what people on the other side should think and feel. They are real people, right? It’s not always that easy to tell.
For all the answers that were completely fabricated, there were a few that probably weren’t.
This to a client with persistent keyboard issues: “Thank you for reaching out! We are sorry to hear that this has happened again. Without a keyboard, our computers are practically worthless.”
But I thought Apple products always had a great resale value.
Or that for someone whose computer simply cannot turn on after the update to Big Sur: “Hey there, Solomon! Thank you for contacting us! It’s much more useful if we can turn it on.”
You see? Dry mind.
How much can one person tolerate at a time?
I asked Apple how many real people work in the Support Twitter team. I also asked how long each shift is. I could not get response from human or robot.
So I called Apple Support DMD and asked: would I respond to a real person if I had a problem with my Mac? I quickly replied, ‘Rest assured, there are only people on the other side of the DM! We are really here and always happy to help. ‘
On how they manage to tolerate really angry customers, the DM person offered: “We value all our customers.” A touching exaggeration.
Working from home was painful for many. When your job comes down to frustration and anger, it really can not be easy. It’s like being trolled by political opponents all day.
So many in technological customer service have shown unusual patience and strength because they have tried frustrated, angry and simply shamefully trying to help. Verizon store staff definitely faced the last one.
I want to believe that the Apple Support staff are used to all this and just brush it off. But given the tone of many complainants, I finally see a positive reason for artificial intelligence. Robots feel nothing. Well, not yet.
Some customers still try to use charm: “Greetings my most beautiful sessions @ Apple, I think I lost one of my AirPods permanently, how do I get the recovery to find the one? I can activate place, but I get no hit .. . not even on the one in the case … (I think the next set .. also needs external audio) what then? Tk u. ”
Greetings my most beautiful sss @Appeal , I think I lost one of my AirPods permanently, how do I get the recovery to find the one? I can activate place, but I get no hit … not even the one in the case … (I think the next set .. also needs external sound) 🤔 what now? Tk u pic.twitter.com/qqAf54VAdR
– FaceTheCuban © 🎈 (@FaceTheCuban) 10 February 2021
I saw no evidence that (this attempt at) charm sparked a more favorable response from Apple.