Dear Sirs:

It was many years ago that a friend Natalie told me that writing letters to people is an effective way to bitch. I am not sure if this is true, but that sliver of knowledge has changed the way that I communicate. Now, I will write a letter to a whole slue of companies to get the change that I desire (now I sound like Obama).

Thus, I have written the following letter to Apple...

To give you, my dear reader, some insight. I have purchased an imac recently. On the website, they said that the computer would be ready in 8 days. When Apple Nederland means "ready", they mean, and I quote the customer service representative from Apple "It has been finished being manufactured at the factory. It takes another 8 to 10 days after that to get your computer."

***

Apple Sales International
Hollyhill Industrial Estate
Hollyhill, Cork
Republic of Ireland


July 29, 2008, Rotterdam, the Netherlands

Dear Sirs:

I am writing you over my severe disappointment in the logistics, order administration and the website of the Apple online Store. I feel that Apple is deliberately misleading their customers, and that this is a very unprofessional and unethical way of doing business.

I purchased an i-mac (24” 3,06GHz) on July 26, 2008. It was purchased off the apple store Netherlands website (order number is xxxxxxxxxx). When we purchased the computer, your website and the confirmation stated that the computer would be “verzendklaar” or ready to ship in 8 days.

It was not until after we had ordered, paid, and waited three days, that we received an automated email telling us that we should expect our computer in 15 plus working days. At first I was under the impression that this was due to some irregularity and that Apple was just informing us of delay. It was not until I called the customer service number that I learned that this is normal protocol for all Apple orders. We were told by the Apple customer service representative that if we “properly read” what was on the internet, that it was only eight days until the computer was finished being manufactured, and that does not include even shipping the computer to the Netherlands. He stated that it still required another week to be shipped from the point of production, go through customs, be unpacked and repacked by customs, and to get to our front door. I doubt that many of the consumers in a country where it takes one day for a normally stamped letter to arrive would agree.

To me, this appears to be a very dishonest way of advertising. It would be like ordering a pair of shoes off of the internet where the manufacturer states that the shoes are ready to ship in 1 day, and by that they mean that it takes one day for the product to be manufactured, but it takes another 10 days to ship it to Europe. Thankfully, when other companies do business on the internet, they have chosen the route of being clear and giving as much information in regards to logistics to the customer as possible.

The part of this ordeal that is the most disappointing to me is that this really tarnishes the Apple name. I have always felt that Apple represents innovation and a stellar product. But now I am so disappointed with the way Apple conducts business and I feel that it may be time to move to the competitor.

I will be forwarding this letter to the Apple headquarters in the US and also consumer advocacy groups and programs in the Netherlands. I hope that there will be some resolve for this issue. I hope that Apple will choose to be completely honest to its customers in all aspects of its consumer business, including disclosing complete and clear product and purchase information.

Sincerely,




-David G. Marler, JR.
sent 29 July 2008