Converting - Part 2

After years of anti-Macism, I'm considering a MacBook for my next computer.

A few things have brought this on:

• I'm tried of my current computer crashing or slowing to a crawl regularly. Part of the problem is hardware, part seems to be the evil Windows registry.
• I'd like my software to work more seamlessly with one-another.
• The number of my friends and associates using Macs has reached a critical mass.
• Macs seem to actually be decent machines now.
• A major project that I'm working on is very Apple-related.

However, I'm still not convinced that it will be worth it to change operating systems and all my hardware.

The biggest hurdle is still price.

On one monitor, I'm looking at Dell.ca. On the other, Apple.ca.
I've selected two fairly comparable laptops.
At first glance, the "base" price is pretty similar for the two computers. But then I start customizing...
By the time I've created the systems I want, the Mac is at least $600 more expensive. And the Mac is actually still a little less powerful (though it's hard to compare apples-to-apples, since they don't use resources identically). AND, this is just based on the Dell's standard price -- it's very easy to find a discount for a couple of hundred bucks off.

Is the Mac really worth that much more? Seems like that price difference would buy me a lot of anti-virus protection, other helpful utility software, an occasional "tune up" by a professional, and various hardware upgrades.

Then there are the conversion costs. I'll need to buy new software to replace what I already use on my PC. Some of my peripherals, cables, etc. will need to be replaced by Mac-friendly alternatives. And, I'm sure there will be a bit of downtime while I learn how to use the thing.

Here's the thing that bugs me: Much of Apple's extra cost appears to be unnecessary.
Take the hard drive, for example.
Adding 130GB to the Mac costs $150.
Adding 130GB to the Dell costs $80.
It's a hard drive. Nothing fancy. It doesn't care (for the most part) what OS is running or what device it's put inside. In short, it's a commodity. Why is the upgrade on the Mac nearly twice as expensive?

I realize that it's an "upgrade", not an outright purchase, so perhaps there's some sort of cost related to the customization. Or maybe the smaller drive is subsidized on the Mac or the larger is subsidized on the Dell. Or maybe some other weird reason exists.
But it still seems a little shifty.

Is Apple trying to charge me more just because they're Apple?

Even if the computer IS that much better, this "Apple-tude" (haha) continues to make me wary of switching.

What do you think?

Converting - Part 1

After 20-or-so years of avoiding Apple products, I'm considering a MacBook for my next computer.

Three main things that have kept me from Apple in the past:

1. Bad history. My first experiences with Macs involved trying to use them at school in the 80s. They were slow, black-and-white, and didn't really do much. At the same time, I had PCs at home that could do all sorts of amazing things in full colour (or whatever passed for "full" colour at the time - probably EGA). The so-called better interface never had a chance to impress me. Or maybe I was just used to DOS by then and didn't need a pretty GUI.
Over the years, additional attempts to use Macs were similarly disappointing. The original iMac was a mediocre computer in a fancy case, for example. Simple little things like the lack of a second mouse button drove me nuts.

2. Price. Even if Apple products were better, the amount better never seemed to justify the extra cost. I just knew that much of the pricetag was going towards the pretty housing, slick (but unnecessary) animations, etc. The benefits of everything being proprietary (basically, the fact that the various components would work together nicely) didn't override its resulting expense nor compensate for the lack of flexibility and options. Lack of viruses and a nicer interface don't mean much if they cost me an extra thousand dollars.

3. Apple fans. Hardcore Apple customers have always been a little annoying. To the point where I actually avoided Apple just to avoid being one of them or to give them any sense of satisfaction from converting someone.
They're perfectly wonderful people most of the time , but as soon as you try to talk with an Apple customer about technology, branding, design, or other areas where Apple stands out, they turn in to some sort of religious fanatic. Not only could Apple do no wrong, but nothing Microsoft, IBM, Compaq, or other related companies did was any good.
Any time someone got even a minor virus, the Apple people had to speak up. If a PC advertisement was made using an Apple product, you were always sure to hear about it.
Even when an Apple product failed miserably or the company did something stupid, they would find the silver lining. Newton wasn't successful... well, at least the company tried something new and helped launch the PDA concept! iPod batteries don't work very well... but the company was willing to replace them!

So, that's the perspective I'm coming from.
Up next: A comparison of my current options.

Good News/Bad News?

There's a Linens N Things store near me. They have two big banners hanging out front:

"Going out of Business!"
and
"Now Hiring!"

Huh?
Either the going out of business process is going to take a while, or they're having trouble retaining employees. Or both. Not the most enticing mixed message to be giving to either customers or workers.

My initial pessimistic interpretation was:
"We're going out of business, but you'll probably get an even better deal if you come back in a couple of months"
and
"Our former employees would rather be unemployed now than work with us for a little bit longer"

(The first is actually accurate - they have another sign that shows the available % discounts and it's been increasing week-by-week. I have no idea if the second statement is true.)

Show Me

Received an e-mail from Las Vegas' New York New York resort promoting their new casino.

This is the image it included:


Instead of showing me a shot of the actual casino, they choose the most generic, over-used stock-style photo possible. Why?

The Tub Story - Part 3

And here's the response that eventually came from the tub manufacturer about a month after we sent the letter. The following is the actual voicemail message I received (with just a couple of omissions for privacy's sake).

"Hello. I'm calling back on behalf of MAAX Canada. I'm just phoning to let you know we did receive your letter regarding an issue you had with your tub. Unfortunately at this time we are not prepared to offer any compensation as we do not offer compensation just for loss of use on a unit. And unfortunately that is probably our final stance on this. If you would like to call me back and discuss it further you can..."

So there we go.
Here are the key lessons I would want to learn from this, as a marketer:

1. Timing counts. By the time I received this message, I had already been contacted by the retailer and given the response outlined in the previous post.

2. Tone matters. It's certainly not hostile, but not exactly friendly. Basically, it's dismissive, with a "tough luck" attitude right from the beginning.

3. "Any" is a strong word. They're not prepared to offer any compensation? Not even a bit of money back? Not a coupon towards another purchase? Not a set of towels? Nothing?

4. Don't belittle the complaints. "...just for the loss of use..." Just? Just? First of all, "loss of use" is pretty important. Second, either they didn't bother to read the whole letter or they didn't take the (many) other issues very seriously.

5. Don't start off in your ending position. It's not very good form, in any context, to start a discussion with your "final stance". It comes across as uncooperative, and implies to me that they're not even interested in hearing anything further. Even if it really is the case, and it's the best they can do (which is just sad), common etiquette would be to at least say something like "Unfortunately, our policies are fairly specific in this regard, but let's discuss your situation to make sure everything is clear."

Overall, it's the attitude that bugged me the most. The attitude of this response just reinforced all the negative thoughts I had about this company after months and months of dealing with screw-ups, costs, and inconveniences of all types.

And this was emphasized even more because it was such a contrast to the response from Home Depot I had received a few weeks prior. I suppose it's possible that the retailer was the true cause of most of the problems, but I can't help but assume that MAAX was the really issue.

The Tub Story - Part 2

Here's the response from the retailer, Home Depot.

Unfortunately, I don't have a transcript of the exact conversation. But, essentially they said:

"We're sorry. You're right; this shouldn't have taken anywhere near as long as it did, and the problems you encountered were far from normal. We've removed the entire purchase from your account balance. "

This reply came about a week after we dropped the letter to them in the mail.

Obviously, I'm very happy with this conclusion. They're willingness to make things right almost makes up for their contributions to the original problems. In my mind, they're not the bad guys, and I'm happy to continue shopping with them. I'm confident that any potential future problems would be dealt with fairly (although not necessarily promptly).

Coming next: the transcript of the phone message I received from MAAX, the manufacturer.

The Tub Story - Part 1

I've been planning to post this ever since I started this blog. Warning: it's long. Yes, even longer than my normal ranting.

As you read through this, you'll get the point. First, below is a letter we sent to two businesses (a retailer and a manufacturer) regarding a bathtub we bought. Next, I'll post the responses I received from both businesses.

I've edited a just a few small details for the sake of privacy. Otherwise, the following is what both companies received from me.


______________________

We are writing to you regarding our ongoing issues with the purchase of a MAAX jetted tub through our local Home Depot store. We have waited for final completion of the tub installation (and a sufficient “testing period”) prior to summarizing this experience, its costs, and the difficulties we have faced in order to ensure that there are likely to be no further problems.

We feel that Home Depot has made some effort to compensate us for the extremely negative experience we have endured, but they appear unwilling to take further steps. We are unsure if any of the compensation to date has been shared by MAAX.

Quite simply, we require additional compensation (whether from MAAX or Home Depot is not our concern) due to the degree of inconvenience, sacrifice, and unnecessary cost we have endured.

The experience:

- First tub arrived with damage to a jet – noticed upon initial fill and test.

- Contacted MAAX by telephone. Very gruff and uncooperative representative agreed to send a plumber to look at it. Did not provide any information about how long this should take, normal process, etc. without prompting from us.

- Waited over a week for plumber to make arrangements for inspection/repair, but received no phone call.

- Contacted MAAX by phone again to see what was wrong. Rep offered to contact plumber again.

- Shortly after, plumber called and indicated that it would be a couple of weeks before he would be in our area and able to come to the house. It struck us as extremely poor customer service that the "local" service representative did not even live or work in the region.

- Plumber finally came to the house, saw the damage and agreed that it should be covered by warranty. But, he did not have the necessary parts for the repair with him.

- Plumber called a few days later to say that he had received the parts, but did not get a tool he needed.

- Plumber made his own tool to replace the one that didn’t arrive, and returned about a week later to repair the jet. Made the repair, but in the process noticed that there were miniscule cracks throughout the bottom of the tub that neither he nor we had noticed before. We suspect that this was because dust had accumulated in the cracks, allowing us to see them. Plumber’s opinion was that the cracks were due to damage at the factory or in transit to us.

- Unsatisfied with the service or quality of product provided by MAAX, we contacted Home Depot. They sent the local Kitchen and Bath department manager, about a week later, to inspect the tub. Immediately upon viewing it, he agreed that it should be replaced, verifying the plumber’s belief that the damage was caused by MAAX, shippers, or Home Depot staff.

- Home Depot re-ordered the tub from MAAX.

- Approximately a month later, the new tub arrived.

- Upon delivery to our home, we opened the cardboard packaging and found that one corner of the tub had been badly damaged.

- We refused delivery of the replacement tub.

- Delivery driver indicated that he would have Home Depot management contact us. After several days of no contact, we phoned them and finally made arrangements to re-order the tub yet again.

- Approximately one month later, a new replacement tub arrived. Upon unpacking, it appeared to be in good condition. However, we soon saw that the motor/pump was located on the incorrect side. We returned this tub and a replacement was ordered.

- Approximately a month later, another replacement tub arrived. We inspected this in the driveway, prior to the delivery drivers even fully removing the tub from the vehicle. It also had the motor/pump on the wrong side. We returned this tub.

- Finally, approximately one month later, a tub arrived and we inspected it at the Home Depot store, prior to delivery. It was without damage and with the correct configuration.

Because Home Depot dealt with MAAX on our behalf, we don’t know whose fault the various mistakes were. However, we know that:

- the MAAX service person is very inconveniently located a days' drive away and unable to deal with problems in a timely matter.

- re-ordering the same product multiple times resulted in the incorrect product delivered twice.

- two tubs arrived in damaged condition

- proactive communications from both MAAX and Home Depot were very poor

The entire experience took over 7 months from ordering of the tub to arrival of a final, working product.

We feel that we have been extremely patient during the process, but believe that we are entitled to significant compensation. Home Depot has offered a refund of $300 off our original price quote. This represents a price of $1,125 plus taxes, equivalent to a discount of 21% off our quoted price. We feel that this is highly insufficient.

Please note that, in addition to all the above problems with the tub itself, the $300 credit has not appeared on our Account Statement.

Our original price was based on a 10% discount promotion. Had we made the purchase mid-way through the process of waiting for the tub, we actually could have taken advantage of a further 10% discount offer available to all purchasers. This makes our “extra” discount intended to compensate us for the problems just $141.60 or 10%. This is, frankly, a pittance and hardly more than a gesture.

Please advise how you propose to compensate us further for the following:

- Extra tile, plumbing materials, and other supplies purchased when waiting for the initial tub under the assumption that any extra could be returned to the suppliers for refunds. Due to the extremely long timeframe, the maximum return dates for these have long passed.

- Various car trips to Home Depot to deal with the problems in person.

- Various days home from work to be available to meet service and delivery people.

- Untold hours of extra time for phone calls, store visits, receiving and inspecting product, re-installation of the final tub, etc.

- Having a completely unusable bathroom for many months.

- Having a completely unusable garage (as it was storing the various other supplies for the bathroom project) for many months.

We estimate that the out-of-pocket expenses for the first two of the above (extra supplies, materials, gas, etc.) is at least $250. Our time for the next two of the above (missing work and actual time invested) is worth significantly more than this. The inconvenience for the final two points above is of immeasurable value, but significant – for example, we avoided gatherings with friends, having guests, etc. for months due to a lack of sufficient bathroom and storage facilities.

We have also spoken with friends who experienced very similar problems with a MAAX tub. After discussing their issues and compensation (full reimbursement), we are very secure in believing that the complaints outlined in this letter are not unreasonable.

Please contact us as soon as possible to discuss what options are available for appropriate compensation. Ideally, we believe that full reimbursement for the cost of the tub is in order and hope that the events surrounding our purchase experience are far from ordinary for Home Depot and MAAX customers.

Disappointed

I've said a few negative things on this blog about several brands and organizations. So far, only one (hi Paula!) has bothered to comment publicly or contact me privately.

I'm disappointed. It's not that I've purposely tried to instigate anything, and I don't think I've said anything particularly shocking, but I would expect someone (officially or not) to question some of my opinions and conclusions.

Do they not care? In their minds, is this "just another blog" where some jerk is complaining because he can?

Or are they ignorant? Do they not bother folowling how they're being discussed online?