“In our latest reader survey of computer technical support, Apple bested its own scores from last year’s survey and walloped other brand-name computer manufacturers,” Consumer Reports reports.
“The company scored far higher than the other big companies for the elements that make for successful online and phone support: ease of contacting staff, clarity of advice, technical knowledge, patience, and time for follow-up,” Consumer Reports reports. “Apple’s in-house technical support service, the Genius Bar, rated as high as support provided by phone or online. Whatever way readers asked for tech help—by phone (the most common way), online, or in person—Apple was also able to solve more computer problems.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: It’s always news when the Consumer Reports anachronism manages to get something right. They must’ve doubled up on liver pills drowned in Geritol this week.
Related articles:
Consumer Reports loves Apple’s iPhone 5 – October 5, 2012
Consumer Reports evaluates iTunes Store movie streaming, confusion ensues – August 13, 2012
Is Consumer Reports having its revenge against Apple? – July 10, 2012
How Apple and facts killed Consumer Reports – March 29, 2012
Consumer Reports was no iPhone killer and they’re no iPad killer, either – March 28, 2012
Tests prove Apple’s new iPad heat levels comparable to Android tablets – March 26, 2012
Expert: iPad heat claims overblown, not a real issue – March 22, 2012
What’s the deal with Consumer Reports and Apple? – March 21, 2012
Consumer Reports’ bombshell: New iPad runs hotter than predecessor but ‘not especially uncomfortable’ – March 20, 2012
FUD Alert: Consumer Reports to ‘investigate’ reports of iPad and ‘excess heat’ – March 20, 2012
Consumer Reports hops off free PR gravy train, officially recommends Apple iPhone 4S – November 8, 2011
Why does anyone believe Consumer Reports? – April 6, 2011
Consumer Reports on iPad 2: We didn’t notice any significant speed improvement – March 15, 2011
Consumer Reports was wrong on Verizon iPhone 4; so-called ‘death grip’ fixed by Apple – March 2, 2011
Consumer Reports: Verizon iPhone 4 has antenna ‘problem’; not recommended – February 25, 2011
Consumer Reports continues laughable vendetta against iPhone 4 – January 14, 2011
Android sweeps Consumer Reports’ rankings as iPhone 4 is omitted – November 17, 2010
All of Consumer Reports’ ‘recommended’ smartphones suffer attenuation when held – July 19, 2010
Consumer Reports: Apple’s free Bumper case does not earn iPhone 4 our recommendation – July 16, 2010
Consumer Reports: Apple’s Bumper case fixes iPhone 4 signal-loss issue – July 15, 2010
Consumer Reports continues harping on iPhone 4 attenuation issue – July 14, 2010
Electromagnetic engineer: Consumer Reports’ iPhone 4 study flawed – July 13, 2010
The Consumer Reports – Apple iPhone 4 fiasco – July 13, 2010
Consumer Reports: Oh yeah, almost forgot, Apple iPhone 4 is also the best smartphone on the market – July 12, 2010
Consumer Reports: We cannot recommend Apple iPhone 4 – July 12, 2010
Consumer Reports does their readership a disservice, says viruses target Apple Macs – December 13, 2005
Consumer Reports: Apple’s new iPod screens scratch-prone like iPod nanos – October 28, 2005
Consumer Reports dubiously finds 20-percent of Mac users ‘detected’ virus in last two years -UPDATED – August 10, 2005
I would love to say my own latest experience supports that but sadly it has not.
Well my experience last Thirsday was a solid 10 across the board. The service was outstanding and these scores are no surprise.
Care to elaborate? Or is this a drive by trolling.
Not every negative comment against Apple is a troll at work. Apple’s customer satisfaction rating is not 100% and never will be (some people simply cannot be satisfied by a reasonable solution).
That said, spyintheskyuk’s comment is useless in the absence of some context/details. What problem? What actions did he/she take? What did Apple do/not do?
Mel, I think that is what I meant.
Lol 😀
From experience I can attest to the fact that ‘Apple Support’ is second to none! When you need them you always enjoy speaking with them they do their job so well. Thank You!
Just had an experience with AppleCare last week. Flawless. Perfect. As usual. Have never ever had a bad experience on the phone or in person in the store. You pay for that good support when you buy an Apple product. You’re buying a premium product at a premium price so you expect premium support. And you get it. Most of us don’t mind paying a little more for better products and in particular, better service when needed. I can’t think of any thing else that I purchase that I feel that confident about. It’s money well spent.
Note that Consumer Reports is grading customer support, not the products themselves..
This isn’t a fair survey. I mean its easy to provide great support when the underlying product is best in class.
****Note that Consumer Reports is grading customer support, not the products themselves..***
Greg, I was typing the same response when yours popped up. I have owned Apple products for 30 years, starting with the Apple IIe. Owned nearly two dozen products (computers, iPods, iPhones and iPads, even an Apple Printer) and have only called support about a half dozen times.
Some of my friends spend a lot of time in Dell-Hell and keep chiding me about how much more my computer costs. I just smile!
Now I would love to see the research results for smartphone customer service.
So like we really need CR to tell us something that we have known for years? Bunch of lame ass has- beens.
AppleCare customer support staff deserve a raise…both of them.
Lesson to be learned at CR:
When we survey real people we get data that reflects reality.
When we evaluate products by ourselves we rarely come away with conclusions that reflect reality.
I have dealt Apple customer support both for hardware products and App Store software. In neither case has Apple Support let me down resolving each of my complaints speedily and with no fuss.
One time it was when I purchased an app that didn’t do what it was meant to do according to the description. I wrote in to Apple iTunes customer support and they refunded my purchase. Admittedly it was $9.99, not a huge sum by any means but what impressed me most was the fuss free way they handled my complaint.
I had a problem with a stuck on/off (sleep/wake) button on my iPhone 4 (my first Apple product as a matter of fact) and Apple replaced it with a new unit again with no fuss. Recently I’ve had a couple of issues with my iPad 3 which stopped functioning due to a stuck volume control button and Apple replaced that without a fuss.
I have dealt with HP support and Microsoft support and have found that Apple support is miles ahead of them. In Microsoft’s case, I had a couple of questions relating to Word and Excel and they made me recite my licence key to them then said they weren’t competent to handly my enquiry.
HP support, or lack thereof, is a special hell in and of itself. I will never buy an HP product ever again, except maybe their laser printers.
There’s no doubt that the quality of Apple support is a prime factor in me remaining loyal to them. They really do stand behind their products, no question about it.
Holy crap has your handle been hijacked by a reasonable human being?
His prescription was refilled.
Consumer Rewhoooo? Is that like the old farmers almanac? Oh wait, that’s still relevant!
Another Apple Plus: Everyone I’ve ever talked to can speak clear unbroken English!!!
The only problems I have not been able to get resolved are obscure glitches from 3rd party hardware and software, though they still try with suggestions.
A big FRACK YOU to MDN and others who continue to deride Consumer Reports as being run by and read by the elderly. If you read CR regularly, you’ll see that their readers cover a whole range of ages, especially adults in the child-rearing range. To make jokes about “liver pills” is ageist and denigrating to a huge population that is still healthy, active and buying the kinds of products that CR reviews.
Hah. I don’t trust anything coming from that publication. All their credit is gone since that iPhone incident… Why do they still think people listen?