You want to know what happens when you accidentally leave your iPhone headphones in your pants pocket and wash them?
Well, for about a week they still work just fine. Then after about a week you start noticing some static in the left headphone.
Now this was totally my fault. I’m sure iPhone headphones aren’t meant to go through the the whole wash/dry cycle.
So when I decided to go to the SF Apple store to see about getting them replaced I wasn’t the most optimistic.
So I stepped into the store and immediately I was greeted by an Apple employee right at the door. The store was packed, but there had to be at least 50 employees in green shirts running around helping people. This is in TOTAL contrast to those blue shirt guys at Best Buy, or even worse, those red shirted guys at CompUSA where you can’t find someone to help you if your life depends on it.
Anyways, so even though the store was packed this afternoon, there was a guy available to help me right there at the door.
So I started to explain my headphones problem, with my old headphones in hand, and before I could get 20 seconds into it he stops me politely and says, “hold on, let me see what I can do, I’ll be right back.”
With that he’s gone for about 2 minutes and comes back with a brand new set of headphones and hands them to me. No questions asked. No receipts. No cost to me (I was totally prepared to have to buy a new pair). Just free. Just like that.
Now, I blogged about Apple giving me back $100 earlier today. Which is very cool. But let me tell you. That $100 can’t even touch how good it makes me feel about having an experience like this today at the Apple store.
Want to know why Apple has such diehard Appleheaded fanboys? Well there you go. My new headphones sounded fantastic on BART on the way home by the way. Thanks Apple and I promise not to wash/dry this new pair.
Thomas – that’s awesome, I wish I’d run into an associate like that when my iPod was denied warranty repair due to abuse that no one but the Apple tech could see….
(yet I still keep buying their stuff, sigh)
I have always been a PC person. Recently, my girlfriend moved in with me and she has a MacBook Pro. Which I have been using because I have desktop in the bedroom. She asked me to take it to the Apple store for a firmware update and battery replacement. Now, given Apple did mess this thing up with a bad online firmware update. My girlfriend warned me about doing the updates, but I insisted. “Come on baby, you have to update, its good for the computer” She obviously knew something I didn’t about the update. Anyway, pressed “enter” and began the update when she went to bed. 20 minutes later, the online update crashed the MacBook. Anyway, my experience at the Honolulu Apple store has changed me. Green shirts everywhere, knowledgeable, helpful, and HAPPY! Bang! MacBook updated, new battery, in and out in 30 minutes. No charge. (She’s has the warranty). Point being…I’m getting a MacBook Pro based on this experience. Dell and outsourcing…give me a break. CompUSA and Best Buy…will make your head spin until you fall to the ground screaming. Apple is doing it and doing it right! I’m in!
My headphones also went out after a session mowing the lawn in 95+ weather. Started randomly pausing and the mic didn’t work.
It took a little longer than your experience at the Tyson’s Corner store, but I got to chat with some nice gentlemen about the problems they were having with Final Cut Pro while I waited at the Genius Bar.
I couldn’t be happier with Apple these days.
I was gonna say, well, with the cheap headphones they give you, so what. BUT – the comments show that Apple has kick ass service and for that thhey should be given our almightly dollar. Wow they rock, everyone should pay attention to how they nurture the poeple that love them. Truly great customer service.
I had a similar experience. My iPhone earbuds started getting static-y a couple of weeks ago. When I took it to the Stonestown Apple store, they of course sounded fine. The genius told me to come back if they started doing it again, which they did as soon as I got home. I went back the next day, spoke to a different genius for about 30 seconds before he just reached under the counter and handed me a new pair. No further explanation, no questions, just good service.
Well, when I put my Sony in-canal earphones (came with my w300i), I was sure that the inline mic and the earphones would be completely ruined. They came out looking unscathed, and clean (the minor build up of eargunk has washed off). I kept them in the sun for about a couple hours just to be sure (who knows how dry spin-dry really is, right?) before gingerly plugging them back in. They work just fine. To this day. 🙂
Hey, the same thing happen to me. I didn’t wash my headphones but I’d had them less than a year and one side stopped working. I took them in, explained it didn’t work and they gave me a new pair with no questions asked.
So, last weekend I was floating on a raft in the pool listening to my iPod. Well, my headphones dropped in the pool. So, I’ll be testing Apples willingness to give me another pair. I expect I’ll have to buy another set but it’s worth a try!!
Hello Thomas, I’m Tyler B. a sub-par photographer/artist/writer from Toronto. I found your blog a few weeks ago randomly on Blogger. Your work is amazing, it has inspired me -I even joined Zooomr. I’m just starting out, I got a Fuji S600…not the best camera, but…like I said, it’s a start.
I had a similar issue with my iPod earbuds(http://tylerbt-who.blogspot.com/2007/03/crushed.html).
Keep taking those awesome photos and thanks.
Wow. They actually just GAVE you a cheap pair of new ear buds at the Apple Store when you handed them a pair that no longer worked properly?
I mean, that must have cost them… 20 cents? 15 cents?
And it certainly takes a “genius” to follow a headphone replacement policy. I mean, the average person that might work at Best Buy or CompUSA would NEVER be able to figure out something like “if a customer brings you a pair of Apple earbuds and claims they are having problems with them, grab a new pair and hand them to the customer.”
Now that’s service right there. I think I’ll go throw my HP laptop in the bay tonight and run down (and I do mean RUN) to Apple tomorrow and get a new iBook. And an iPod. And an iPhone. At least I’ll always know that if the cheap pair of earbuds they give me ever have issues, I can get another pair – FOR FREE!!!!
And the 100 dollar “refund” Steve Jobs gave you on your 600 dollar phone sure was nice. You’ll be able to buy a lot with that (as long as you spend it at iTunes).
itrip… literally
well, Mr. Hawk, I finally broke down today and purchased myself an iPod (at the downtown SF Apple store, no less). I’m ashamed that I finally caved – but what can I say? It is a great product. Perfect blend of simplicity, functionality, and stability.
Now I just need to save up for one of those beautiful cinema displays. That’s enough to make me get an iMac right there.
That’s funny, when I brought a product with a problem in to the Apple store here in VA, I was told to sign in but “it probably wont do much good.” When I asked why the woman at the counter rolled her eyes and said they probably wouldn’t even get to my name by closing. Hey, at least she let me know the truth.
mr. pants… the cinema display is woefully outdated in color gamut and response time compared to some of the newer offerings out there such as the HP lp3065 30″ LCD.
This is excellent service.
But you do realize those things cost less than $1 to make.
It would have cost Apple more time to listen to the rest of your explanation than to just hand you a new set.
It is all about cost.
You got a cheap earphone from Apple. Let’s say 30 cents a pair. Breaks down more often. Some customers will just buy new ones (profit in), few will complain.
The wage of the employee is e.g.12USD/hour, 20 cents a minute.
The minimum cost to replace a defective unit is 2 minutes by 20cents + 30c for the earphone, totalling 70c. If the process required 3,5 more minutes for complaint handling, receipt printing or discussing, Apple would lose this 70 cents again.
And it is still cheaper, than delivering quality earphones for 35cents… because the customer time is not calculated in. You drove, parked, spent your time for free.
Beside that, if your perception is that you got great service and you are happy, then this is what you need and delivering it is a wise business concept.