Practice Management

For those who know me, sit down before you read this. I?m afraid you might faint. 

For those readers who don?t know my deep affection (read: slave loyalty) for Apple products, you can read some of my prior iPhone posts or just know that since my first Macbook Pro 6 years ago I have been totally sold on Apple products, service, and culture. I am on my second Macbook Pro (purchased December 2009) and my third iPhone, having purchased the iPhone 2.0 and 3Gs. From the sales experience, to the coolness factor, to the outstanding heads-above-the-crowd customer service, I am a huge Apple fanatic.

 Until June 24, 2010?the day the iPhone hit the streets and I purchased mine.

In less than 2 weeks Apple went from an 11 on a 10-point scale to a 5?one small step above their PC competitors.  Loyalty, once unquestioned, is proving to be fickle.

Yes, it has everything to do with the new antennae and reception problems, but it goes beyond the technical problems and to the heart of why I love(d) Apple?they treated me with respect and stood behind their products just like I stood behind the company.

Until last week. Apple has screwed up and is lying about it. Now I am one angry customer!

I guess I should have had a clue when the Apple store associate brought me my new phone along with a new rubber bumper case he said I would want to ?protect? it. It seemed a friendly gesture at the time, but I had not yet heard of the reception problem. I realize now the Apple associate was trying to warn me. (It was my teenage son who told me of the reception problem about 2 nanoseconds after I got back from the Apple store.)

Then Apple releases a disingenuous letter blaming some software glitch causing the reception bars to show better reception than actual. Right.

It?s the antenna, stupid.  It?s not AT&T. It?s not my hand. It?s Apple.  I take the same route home from work everyday. Down Constitution Avenue, past the White House, across the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge, through Arlington, and out to Fairfax County. Before the iPhone 4, I had 2 drop zones?crossing the bridge from DC to Virginia and in a dip in the road near my house. Now, I have calls drop all along the route. Totally frustrating!

Maybe if some of their beta testers had actually HELD the case rather than hiding it in a fake 3Gs case Apple would not be in this predicament.

Furthermore, security settings pop up at random times, and my email is far slower to load than will my old 3Gs. Yes, the screen clarity is amazing and the folders are great, but I need a smart phone to work!

Consumer Reports jumped to the defense of consumers this week and stated they could not recommend the phone. That may have been the tipping point.

True, Apple has a 30 day return policy?and I am seriously considering this. But Apple has to do more. They have to do the right thing. They have to resolve this problem without me (and millions of others) having to return our phones for the old 3Gs. They have to be Apple once again.