“Apple’s network of authorized ‘Premium Resellers’ across Europe have complained that they are no longer a priority since Apple began expanding its own retail locations,” Neil Hughes reports for AppleInsider.
“The ongoing struggle was profiled this week by France’s Les Echos. It details a complaint filed last November by eBizcuss, the first authorized reseller of Apple France and the largest in the country, which saw its sales fall 22 percent in its third fiscal quarter of 2011,” Hughes reports.
Hughes reports, “Authorized resellers who spoke with Les Echos said there has been a chronic shortage of supply for product supply. They also say they are held to standards by Apple they simply cannot meet.”
Read more in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Lava_Head_UK” for the heads up.]
Apple needs to pay attention to this issue. If anything the third party resellers should get equal or even better response time on supply. I know demand is WAY up for Apple, but they should not push these providers to the side.
Apple Resellers have been bitching about one thing or another since the Apple ][.
If they were a lot more efficient, Apple would have not needed to create the the online Apple Stores or the brick and mortar Apple Stores.
Apple Resellers are their own worst enemies.
Actually it was resellers that made Apple up until the late 80’s, early 90’s. It was the whoring of the PC market that brought down the Apple reseller network.
I have tried to shop at an Authorized Apple Reseller since 1986 and every time I went in the shop for the past two and a half decades, I was treated like it was a privilege to be allowed in the store and have a person sell to me. It was the worst experience shopping so I turned to Apple’s online store and was thrilled that Apple opened their own retail stores. I love the Apple experience and hope these greedy resellers go under as soon as possible.
Apple did this stuff to the American resellers since the opening of Apple Retail Stores. Many quality resellers could not keep up with the contract demands (which were outrageous) and simply stopped being Value Added Resellers.
our local and thriving reseller buys from apple RETAIL store. the margins being an official VAR is pointless. The money is made on providing service, back up systems, installation, software and upgrades (SSD drives/ram/monitors)
This is something that Tim Cook should take notice of. Longtime Apple resellers are put asiden. It will happen in Amsterdam were a huge Apple Store soon opens the doors and that will affect two loyal Apple Premium Resellers !
There are two kinds of resellers: those who’ve recently become premium resellers and those who’ve been loyal to Apple for a long, long time. In the first case, couldn’t give a sh#t. But I hope Apple is treating the second category ok. In many cases, they’ve been around for 20+ years and have stayed loyal throughout, even if closing down or changing direction would have been the “logical” thing to do from a business stand-point. They are run by true enthusiasts and deserve recognition.
In my “Apple life” unfortunately I had to get some Apple gadgets repaired. Three times APRs (Apple Premium Reseller) were given the chance to prove themselves. Three times I was given awful service (and terribly slow, too) and the gadgets returned unrepaired (!!!). Two times (the same gadgets I had given to the APRs) Apple via Apple brick&mortar store. Two times excellent, super fast and competent costumer care that delivered top notch service by friendly employees who cared for me. Seriously. True story. Will never ever even try again any APR.
“They also say they are held to standards by Apple they simply cannot meet.”
So they want to lower their standards to sell Apple products? Heck, why not complain that they can’t sell out of the back of a car trunk.