End of Training

So Friday brought with it the end of training. It was a sad day. I was really enjoying training. Or maybe that was the time off the phones, shorter days, long lunches, and weekends off. Well it's not even about the weekends off as consecutive days off. Tomorrow it's back to reality. Back to the phones I go. Fortunately, we will have people there to help us with our calls. Going to be interesting... But I am looking forward to doing tech support again. No more billing!!!

That Was Easy... Sort Of

The other day I went to load a web site on the PC. For whatever reason I have trouble loading it in Firefox and Safari didn't like it much either so that left IE on the PC. Should have been no big deal. Except that the computer was off... Guess I hadn't turned it back on after the last power outage. Go to turn it on. No dice. Test it with a different outlet and with a different power cable. Still nothing. The next day I was supposed to have plans but they got rescheduled so it was time to troubleshoot. But I really didn't want to start taking out components and shorting the power supply to test. So I decide to call Acer. Now finding a number for Acer turned out to bed quite a challenge. Their web site does not list a toll free number. Fortunately for me there is always Google. And the first page that came up was someone posting the little known tech support number for Acer.

Maybe it's the fact the number is virtually unknown but they answered immediately. Their version of troubleshooting was to verify that the outlet works. Beyond that it was time to send it in. That was it? Now just to put this in perspective I had the side of the case off the computer and was all set to roll up my sleeves and really troubleshoot it. Instead I spend the entire time sitting on the futon with Azrael curled up in my lap. Now I will say that he was having system issue so he had to transfer me to level to in order to set up the repair. 3o minutes on hold (not so fn when you're on a cell phone) and the level 2 guy just had me reset the power to the unit and then set it up for repair. Guess they really don't want the end users potentially damaging the system while troubleshooting. But for once I wasn't fighting with the company to get something accomplished. Unlike my dealings with another company. *Cough, Apple, Cough, Cough*

About the only glitch has been in shipping it back. I callled on Monday and the pick-up was supposed to be scheduled for Wednesday when I'd be home. Instead they scheduled it for Tuesday and Purolator got mad because there was no buzzer code included. I was supposed to be done work at 2:30 so my goal was to find a box ASAP and then call Purolator in the hopes that they just might be able to re-attempt the pick up. Of course I ended up leaving work late and then ran right into my stalker. I was hoping that he might be able to get the original box for me. An hour later he couldn't find it and had this mangled box. I'm not even sure Purlator would accept it and even if they did if it was damaged in shipping I wouldn't really be able to claim it. But since I was on a time constraint I called Purolator and was told he might reattempt the pick-up. My day had really got shot to hell... Now the plans that had been rescheduled were on Tuesday. I was pretty frazzled and not as relaxed as I would like to be. A nd the Purolator guy didn't come by. So after the dinner ad a movie Steve went home and I was off on the hunt for a real box. Went down to Zellers and pilfered a box from outside Price Chopper. They were going to use it as a garbage for their employees. Not any more. There were only a couple of items in it so I could still salvage the box. Perhaps their manaegment should invest in a real garbage can. So I get it home and realize that it is much bigger then I initially thought. I didn't have enough foam and bubble wrap to secure the computer. Went downstairs twice and on the second trip someone had thrown out an iMac box. Seemed kind of poetic actually. Sending back a box to Acer in the box for an Apple computer.

I called Purolator Wednesday morning and first they said the delivery would be for Thursday. Okay that's a problem since I am back to work and then corrected it to the same day. But then I was a little paranoid that the driver wouldn't show up at all. And then the waiting begins since you have no idea what time they will be there. Couldn't go anywhere. And I really didn't want to start anything that required any sort of attention in the meantime. About 4 hours later the guy shows up. But there is no information on the waybill as far as where it is beign sent to. He calls Purolator and Acer didn't give them that information and they definitely didn't tell me. So the Purolator guy leaves without the package. Time to call Acer again. 20 minutes later I have the information and the pick-up has been rescheduled yet again. And back to waiting. 2 hours later he's back for the package. There goes my entire day... pretty much. And the next day it was delivered to Acer. Now I am just waiitng for them to fix it and send it back.

Tales from the Mundane

Some days I get so caught up in life that I forget that others may not know what's going on in my world. Now for the most part it's uneventful. Was on a bit of a long stretch at work. I wound up calling in sick at one point just to get a day off. Fortunately, this weekend I had 3 days off. It makes it much more tolerable to go back to work tomorrow. Then in for 3 days and off for 1. No idea what I'll be working the following week. I am hoping for two things: No long stretch, and either weekends off or at least consecutive days off... The consecutive days are much more likely on that one.

Not that long ago I was writing an email and the S key fell off the keyboard. Now how does that happen? So I had to take the MacBook Pro into the service provider. The good news was that it was a 5 minute fix. I was freaking out thinking that I was going to have to leave the computer there for a few days while they get in a new keyboard. Instead he had a spare keyboard that he uses to replace individual keys. So I was in and out in no time.

What made it more critical is that the other computer was in for repair at the same time. Not sure if I had mentioned before that when I installed Vista on it I had a nasty screen flicker. I thought I was going to have a seizure. If I left it long enough for it to go to sleep when it woke up it was fine. Eventually, I got sick of the flicker so I reinstalled Windows XP on it. Too bad it had the same issue. So we took it into Future Shop. They replaced the motherboard and it still had the same issue. In the end they decided to replace it. Now I must say getting a replacement was good news with a touch of bad news. It's always nice to get a new computer. Since they don't sell Gateways any more that meant they were replacing it with a different brand. Future Shops replacement policy is that they will replace it with similar features. So even though we spent $1000 on the computer in the first place they were giving us one that was selling for like $600. Something just seems wrong about that... Or maybe it's just because my MacBook Pro was replaced with the current model... so I didn't feel like I was getting screwed in the process.

Get the new computer home and go to install the wireless card... Back to this dejection over the experience. I knew that the features they were going by was the key components... Processor, RAM, and hard drive space. There was only one PCI slot. And many people wouldn't think that was a big deal except that I did have both a wireless card and an added sound card. It also didn't have as many USB ports. So the replacement did have some drawbacks.

I turned on the computer and it wasn't long before I had the blue screen of death. Things really weren't looking good. Spent 2 hours troubleshooting and even went as far as trying to reinstall the OS. Too bad even that failed with the loveley blue screen. So then the new computer had to go back. When Steve went in he mentioned the lack of an extra PCI slot. While they were deciding what to do he left the store since he had to go to work. Gave me the receipt in case I wanted to deal with it. I did my homework. None of the HPs fit my needs but there was an Acer that cost only about $50 more then the HP they gave us but it was a HUGE upgrade and one I would actually be happy with. And it had the extra USB ports and the PCI slot. I call in and initially he was going to give us the same model we had before... But I take the gamble and mention the Acer. He calls back about 15 minutes later to tell me I'm getting the Acer and to ask for the modem back. Oops... guess they wanted ALL the components back with the system. My bad.

When I went in I learned how useless some of the staff there are. I knew there was another Acer that was even worse then what they had offered the day before and I wanted to make sure that wasn't the one I was leaving with. So I ask the guy. He seems to think that he needs to actually open the box to find out. Just ignore the big sticker on the side.... And it was the wrong one. So then the guy I had actually been talking to comes out. It was supposed to be the upgrade but someone grabbed the wrong one. So now the one that has been opened is supposed to be sold as an open box system. Good job buddy. get the right one and I can go home.

Now I am happy.... This one works much better and really is an upgrade from the system that I had. Who cares that it's not an HP? You're really paying for the brand there any ways. Besides any PC still takes a backseat to my Mac. Would've been even nicer if they had been willing to replace it with a Mac. No luck there though.

The Cat's Out of the Bag

I was checking out some of the Mac Rumour sites. Where to go to get all the latest news. For a list of web sites that publish all the latest rumours and speculation check out this article at Wikipedia. I know that it's all about the gossip but I figure they're publishing the information any ways so why not get the latest news? It looks like the new OS, Leopard should be released on October 26th. That's not really a surprise since the release date was pushed back to October with the new iPhone and we're currently halfway through October.

What I found interesting is that this week Apple Insider reported that the support staff were now being trained on Leopard through self based modules. Now with a release date of only 2 weeks away does that leave enough time to really train the employees on the new features in the operating system? We're talking some pretty major upgrades here with Time Machine, Spaces, and Boot Camp. Looks like the folks over at MacDiner were also wondering the same thing. The other thing about self paced modules means that they are just reading about the new features and not playing with it. Perhaps it would be good to have the opportunity to install it and get to know the new OS before it's released. Just a thought.

Most of the web sites are also reporting that there are still bugs to be fixed with Leopard. So if it does in fact come out on October 26th I think I'd be wanting to hold out until at least the first update.

Ding, Ding, Ding... Round 3

Since I hadn't had enough of technical support time for round three. This time Steve called on my behalf since I was too distraught to do it. He was arguing with the customer relations representative about the fact I had been burned severely enough that a month later you could still see the marks from it. They stuck with the whole "take it in for service" comment. Then she asked to talk to me. So I got on the phone and repeated my whole experience with support and being burned. Their final answer was service. So I asked for a supervisor and she was unable to find her manager but promised someone from executive relations would call me back. And again I was told to take it in for service. I was offered reimbursement for a loaner computer while it is in for repair. That's better then nothing except that it is standard procedure so it's not like I was really being offered that much. Secondly, it was reimbursement so I still have to pay up front for it. Thirdly, they don't offer loaner computers at the local service center any ways. I am aware that they can replace the computer for customer satisfaction but I was not about to play the political game that I know the procedures. I want everything to be above board. All I really want is to feel like I am a valued customer and so far that really hasn't happened.... There has been no offer of compensation (an iPod or AirPort Extreme would be nice) or even a replacement computer. All I know is that I don't feel valued at all. I feel like no one gives a shit about what happened to me. And I suddenly feel disillusioned since I believed so much in Apple and now I just don't know what to think. But I give up... I'm not going to get the resolution I want and it's just taking too much energy to continue on with the fight. From a corporate (and financial) standpoint they may have won... but this experience will stay with me and has certainly changed how I see Apple.

Tech Support Round 2

So after almost a week my call to technical support was still bothering me. I did not want to relive the whole experience of being fired. I wanted to just be a customer. Was that too much to ask? Apparently it was. It was actually physically affecting me. So I decided to call back. Time for round two. But this time I want customer relations.

As soon as I realized that I was first going to have to speak to someone from technical support I pretty much had a panic attack. Got through to customer relations and finally got an apology. It's amazing what a difference that would have made in the first place. After all I was burned by the computer and am potentially scarred for life. That picture was taken today, about a month after the incident. It's faint but you can still see the marks in the skin.

However since it was botched the first time I had never been asked the safety questions. So I was back to the land of product specialists. Once again it was time for a mini panic attack since I knew it was possible that I would get someone at my former employment. Fortunately I didn't. So he asked the safety questions and still told me to take it into a service provider. Now I am just frustrated and don't feel like I am being listened to. The computer is overheating and burned me. On top of that the optical drive needs to be replaced and so does the logic board. So basically they want me to take it in and be without the computer for a week while they replace all the internal components. I know they don't want to replace the computer because it costs them money... but this has been an extremely poor experience. He puts me on hold to read over the other case notes. I was in tears while on hold. After 5 minutes or so I stopped crying, just in time for him to come back on the line. And I gave up fighting at that point. I was on the edge of losing it again so I just accepted that the final answer (from him any ways) was that I would have to take it in for repair. And he said he would send feedback on the first agent... which really doesn't mean a whole lot. I should know.

So once again I just feel defeated. I am frustrated by the whole experience and want someone to actually make me feel good about the company again. The worst part is that it's not even about the computer at this point. It's about the way the call was handled. I never want to call technical support again. So again I have to think twice about buying another Apple computer.

Professionalism & Transparency in Corporate Culture

I had to call tech support. I think I'll just give the breakdown of the call before making comments on it.

Agent: Thanks for calling Apple, my name is Wayne can I get your first name?
Me: Heather
Agent: Phone number?
Me: _______
Agent: And how are you today?
Me: I'm fine.... I'd be better if we had power right now but it gives me a chance to call in
Agent: Yeah our power already came back on. Weird that yours hasn't yet. You know who this is right?
Me: Mmm hmmm
Agent: Previous case?
Me: No
Agent: And you're calling about your computer?
Me: Yes, my MacBook Pro
Agent: What can... oh wait
Me: Yes you might need the serial number... Provides the serial number
Agent: What's going on?
Me: It's quite warm to the touch. In fact I can't touch it because it's that hot. I'm concerned that it's going to burn me again. I already have a burn mark on my leg from it. I had picked it up off the table and put it on my lap temporarily. That was a month ago and you can still see the burn mark on my leg. I notice it most on the left hand side and on the bottom towards the back.
Agent: Confirms the issue
Agent: So what are you up to these days?
Me: Well I am on EI now
Agent: I heard what happened... from the rumours. I'm sorry about that.
Me: It's all about the rumour mill. I'm okay with it. It was probably for the best.
Agent: Yeah this place can get stagnant after a while.
Me: Yeah... You know... I am thinking I should have got pictures of the burn mark on my leg
Agent: Yeah that would have been good to have,
Agent: Well I haven't seen any Bullet*News on this subject. Let me just contact IRC and see what they have to say. More then likely they'll just say to take it into a service provider.
Me: Well maybe this should be escalated by voice since it's already burned me
Agent: yeah good idea. Let me just change my notes and classifications here. Possible fire hazard. So if you don't mind holding I'll contact a product specialist.
Agent then transfers me.... The product specialist asked me two questions. He asked me if I had required medical attention which I didn't. I try to avoid the Peterborough hospital at all costs. The other question was about property damage. Since there wasn't I was told to turn the computer off, not use it and take it in to an AASP as soon as possible to have it looked at.

I'm speechless. I don't even know where to begin on that one. And that is unusual for me. *lol* Let's start with procedures. The word "burn" is a safety word... especially since I indicated it was hot enough to burn my flesh already. Do you want a lawsuit? No... then transfer the damn call immediately. For anyone keeping track that is now a failed call. Safety is huge! IRC and Bullet*News are internal words and should not be relayed to the customer. The only reason I was asked for the serial number is because my original MacBook Pro was replaced already. No hold time was given. So if I were listening to this call they wouldn't be doing so hot.

But the kicker... and the shocking one is the clear lack of transparency. Yes I do know this person but it wasn't even all that well. So accentuating the fact he knew me right off the bat made me somewhat uncomfortable. But asking me what I am doing now was not appropriate. Even more so was telling me he heard what happened from the rumours. How am I supposed to reply to that? Then to go on and say that the job can get pretty stagnant. I didn't feel that way. I don't feel that way. But I don't want to answer as to why I am no longer there and how I was fired. I'm calling in about my computer and I don't like being put in a position where I am giving my opinion on what happened and the company as a whole. I want to be treated like a customer and I really don't feel that happened. As a result, the rest of the call has now been called into question. And I really don't want to call tech support ever again. It made me that uncomfortable. When I call tech support I certainly don't expect to be put in that position. Also makes me think twice about Apple if this is what I can expect when I call in for help.