Reader Anjela writes in wondering if a certain employee of the Apple store has has a rare disorder that makes women invisible to him. That might explain why the employee spent the entire AirBook shopping excursion talking to her husband instead of Anjela—the actual customer.
Anjela writes:
Apple
1 Infinite Loop
Cupertino, CA 95014
408.996.1010Dear Apple:
Today (2/28/2008, at approximately 4:00pm) I walked into the Bellevue Square Apple Store (in Bellevue, WA) intent on buying a MacBook Air. I am delighted by the MacBook Air. I am the geek for whom the MacBook Air was invented. I am a lifelong PC user, and until now the leap to a new, unfamiliar operating system was a roadblock, but for a machine with a full-size keyboard and monitor that comes in at three pounds, I was not just willing to make the switch, I was genuinely excited. (The fact that I don’t want my next laptop to run Vista doesn’t hurt, either.) I’ve been waiting to get one since the day they were announced.
I had a horrific customer service experience in your Bellevue Square store that has me rethinking this idea. I will certainly never set foot in that store again, and I hope I never have to deal with any of your Apple Store employees in person, if this is how they’re trained to treat customers.
The Apple Store “genius” — and I’m offended that he was called that, given the stupendous idiocy he exhibited today — was named Bill. Bill was called over when my husband and I came into the store; I had told the concierge that I was interested in buying a MacBook Air.
Well, first of all, Bill DID NOT LOOK AT ME. He did not greet me. He greeted my husband, introduced himself, and shook his hand… and completely ignored me. He didn’t ask my name, what we were there to buy, or who the new computer was for. He did not make eye contact. He simply behaved as though I were not there, and steered my husband through the crowded store — ignoring me and leaving me behind.
When I caught up to them, he was commencing the hard-sell of “AppleCare”. After being told several times that I was not interested, he asked my husband if he was a Microsoft employee, and pointed out that he could get a 12% discount on it. My husband finally stopped Bill in his tracks and told Bill that the computer was for me. He asked Bill if the education discount, which I qualified for, or the Microsoft employee discount, which my husband qualified for, was a better deal. Bill told my husband that the education discount was better — but continued talking to my husband as if I were not there. Even after being told the computer was for me and that we’d be using my education discount on it, Bill did not greet me, make eye contact with me, or acknowledge my presence in any way.
After scrolling through a screen of peripherals and asking my husband — not me — about each one, and only giving up on selling us the items when my husband — not me — confirmed I was not interested, he muttered something I could not make out (I presume because he was, again, talking to my husband and not myself), and wandered off.
I did not wait for him to come back before leaving the Apple Store. As my husband was not interested in anything at the store, he left, too.
I am a grown woman. I am 29 years old. I was dressed in normal clothes — a plain blue t-shirt, jeans, a flannel overshirt, sneakers. I don’t know how or why this employee could not see me, but I was extremely offended by the way I was treated. I have a credit card. I use computers — in fact, I intended to use the MacBook Air for my volunteer position as a CSS/XHTML coder. I’m the person who walked into the store ready to buy myself a new computer, not my husband. Yet Bill could barely bring himself to look at me, and appeared more interested in selling my husband the peripherals that went along with the computer than in selling me, the actual buyer, the product I was willing to “make the switch” for.
I hope you’ll let the managers at the Bellevue Square store know that women use computers, too, and that if a couple comes into a store to buy one, perhaps it would be a good idea to ask which of them is making a purchase. And if the answer is “a girl”, please tell the employees to talk to her, and not her partner, brother, spouse, or some random guy standing ten feet away from her, as I believe Bill might have done.
I can honestly say I haven’t had a customer service experience this awful for several years (a fast-food restaurant manager who threw a pen at my friend when she asked for his regional manager’s name comes to mind). If I decide to get myself a MacBook Air despite all this — and right now, I’m not sure I will; if Bill’s attitude was typical of what I’ll face should I need technical support or any other sort of customer service from Apple, I don’t want any part of it — I certainly won’t be going to one of your stores to be ignored by an employee; I’ll be ordering it online.
Ew. What a jackass. You’re right to report this employee, and we also would have left without buying the computer, but the next time someone treats you like this—call them out on it right there. There’s no reason sexist jerks should get away with treating you like that. You don’t even need to be rude, just look the jerk in the eye and say, “I’m the one with the money, talk to me. Don’t talk to my husband.” Then, if they don’t get embarrassed and profusely apologize, feel free to calmly explain to them why they have lost your business. We don’t mean to suggest you did something wrong by simply walking out; we offer this advice because standing up for yourself will make you feel a lot better. Trust us. You don’t need to wait for someone else to let the jerks know what is up.
Apple owes you an apology for this employee’s behavior.
(Photo:Plankton 4:20)
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@bdslack: There’s a difference between “not batting .1000″ and “wandering out of the batter’s box to look at the pretty birdie.”
“I’m to sexy for the Apple Store!!!”
@deserthiker:Male or female trait, I don’t think venting is always bad. It can be done badly.
I wonder if running means you don’t want to think about your problem. Because I personally noticed that when I run I don’t think. When I walk I think a lot. Maybe that’s just me.
If both of our observations were true it women=vent=think of problem men=activity=don’t think of problem.
Both approaches have their advantages.
I’m sure there are a billion studies on this.
@deserthiker: about brevity, I think most people are going for the ‘preponderance of evidence’ thing
but it should be about quality of evidence
Writing Steve Jobs isn’t going to solve this particular consumer’s problem. He’s notoriously isolated from the public. This tactic does work with some CEOs though–those who have come through the retailing ranks, especially. They forward the email to the store manager with a note to handle the customer’s dissatisfaction.
I would have certainly asked for the manager early on, and simply told him or her that I wanted to spend a lot of money today, but that wasn’t going to happen because
I wasn’t getting the proper attention from the staff. That’s all. Your time is too valuable to waste being snubbed. Give the commission to someone who kisses YOUR ass. The guy obviously is in the wrong job, and it would be a kindness in the long run to have this pointed out.
BTW, I’m a 50-something female who does all the electronic shopping in my house. My husband wouldn’t know a hard drive from a poppyseed bagel. I am an Apple fan, but I also am too old to kowtow to crowds and kids. I make an advance appointment online before going either to Apple or Best Buy. Someone is waiting for me who already knows my name and what product or service I want. My experiences with Apple after 3 computers, 2 iPods, an iPhone, numerous accessories and software, and coming in for support and service several times, have been positive. I’d like to see more women, and some older people working there if I had my way. It’s pretty much bearded, glasses-wearing, skinny, 20-something, white males at the Apple Store here.
The level of misogynism in the comments posted here is really, really incredible. Had a minority been treated in a similar fashion, I couldn’t imagine any of the “typical woman over-reacting comments being made.”
That being said, I have had a similar experience at an Apple Store recently. Not that I was being ignored in favor of a male co-shopper, but that the store employee treated me with derision, and pretty much told me to f-off when I said that the transation was the worst experience I ever had in an Apple Store. The solution, I thought at the time, was to speak with a store manager. Unfortunately, the manager was a punk-ass kid no older or wiser than the sales associate who treated me like dirt. However, I didn’t let it lie – but I addressed the experience in depth within the customer feedback forum that is linked to each emailed sales receipt.
I gave zeros across the board, and explained the event in detail – avoiding hyperbole and outrageous accusations. I actually had to go back to the same Apple Store two days later, and the sales associate I dealt with this time was the type of person I had become accustomed to dealing with – friendly, engaging, not overselling but definitely interested in me as a customer, even though I was only buying a case for an iPod Nano. When I mentioned that I was rather gun-shy about shopping in this store after my experience two days earlier, she jumped to get a manager. A senior manager, and someone I had dealt with many times over the years. It turns out that the complaint I had made had be thoroughly discussed during the pre-open meeting, and all of the staff had been made aware of the problem.
I spent about 20 minutes talking with Darren, who had clearly read my complaint – he actually quoted a part of my comments back to me (without looking it up). He apologized and explained that although there was no excuse for the treatment I received, the Store was having a very hard time hiring and retaining sales staff who were committed to the Apple Way – mostly they were only able hire college kids who wanted to stay for 6 months to get a free iPhone.
At the end of the conversation, he offered to give me a twenty percent discount off of my purchase, as an apology and in recognition that I am a valued customer who was poorly treated.
@girly:
No, for me running allows me to think on my problems on my own and deal with them based on logic rather than feelings.
And yes, an ounce of gold is worth more than a ton of dross.
I had a similar experience…I just ended up waiting for an hour, to get someone to tell me what I already knew. I needed to get my logic board replaced, and instead of working with me, I waited an hour…while the “genius” was chatting up the previous male customer, who mind you was already done…about dirt bikes. I sat less then five inches away from them waiting to be worked with. I was furious. Then I came to pick my macbook up…knowing that it doesn’t take more than a few minutes to replace a logic board, and it wasn’t even ready (it was a day or two later). I had to walk around the mall for an hour and a half waiting for this to be done. I was so mad. They need to hire more females in the store I was in. I know the genius guys are nerdy and probably can’t get dates because they’re intimidated by women…but please. It’s customer service, not “males customers come first” service.
Hate most certainly does not equal fear.
@brent_w: miramesa was talking about sexism not anxiety.
Also, just because HATE = FEAR does not mean FEAR = HATE. When miramesa said that sexist guys hate women because they fear them it did not imply that all guys who fear women hate them.
[www.flickr.com]
did anyone else kind of giggle when they found out Apple stores have Microsoft employee discounts?
Under Sharia law, not only are women not allowed to drive cars or go outside without her husband or male relative, but they are not allowed to purchase Macs.
Washington uses Sharia law, right?
This gives me a flashback to 1996, attempting to purchase a $3000 camera at B&H Photo (my employer had an account here). No one would help me, despite the fact I was jumping up and down in front of the model. Next scene: me leaving the store and hauling my ass to J&R, where they treated me with respect, and sold a camera to boot.
I think this was also the same year I asked another employee elsewhere if they were out of Hi8 tape. The dude folded his arms and said, “I’ve never heard of that.”
Therefore, it didn’t exist! Granted I looked 16 at the time, but still.
You did not speak to a Mac Genius. You almost certainly spoke with a Mac Specialist. A Mac Genius just troubleshoots and repairs Apple products. Sorry to hear you had a bad experience but make sure you point your criticism toward the proper staff group. Mac Geniuses come under fire so often for their own set of foibles.
@algormortis: My experiences with the Seattle-area stores, right down the line. I’m pretty sure my second X chromosome makes me invisible in the Bellevue store; the last time I was there I went about leaving various “presents” in the browser windows, and went home to order my new toys online. Meanwhile, last time I was in the U District store with a male and a female friend (who’d asked me to go to the store to help with their purchase), the salesboy kept interrupting me to ask the male in our group if he needed help. My friend having a bigger pair than Anjela’s husband (and twenty years’ experience in retail dealing with moronic floor staff), he repeatedly put his hand up and stopped the salesboy, saying “SHE’S HERE EXPLAINING IT, WE DON’T NEED YOU YET.” Yes, in all caps. I have fun friends.
(Oddly, the Mac Store — not the Apple store, the Mac Store — in the U District has really improved its attitude in the past few years. Competition clarifying their thinking, perhaps?)
And to all those who don’t believe this happened, or who question the writer’s actions or perceptions (looking at you, bdslack): Screw you. This was happening 15 years ago when I started buying my own gear. It’s happening now. And it’s why I’ve laughed my ass off as the big-box retailers have taken it in the shorts thanks to online shopping. I usually try to support my local businesses and whatnot, but it gives me particular pleasure to treat computer retailers as sandboxes when I can play with the gear before going home and spending my money online, where I don’t get attitude from some floor dork with deficient training / hygiene / social skills.
As a female, I’ve had this problem at stores– not Apple stores. My Apple stores love me
Can’t base a company off of one person. If I have bad shopping experiences at a store I don’t blame the store, I blame the person who was helping me. Usually find another one, and if they can’t help me then I get kind of edgy then. Then head to the manager and ask why their Camera specialist doesn’t know what an ExpoDisc is.
Like others said, they should have contacted the manager or something like that before being a whiney twit in this long winded e-mail.
@dbolander: I noticed this too. Geniuses do not sell computers ;/
@Joe_Bloe:
Amen to that! I love my new Mac but I most certainly did not buy it at a Mac store (even though I qualify for the education discount). In the Mac retail store here, if you’re not caucasian and male, you gets no love. I’m surprised there haven’t been more complaints (or maybe I just don’t know about them). Anything I buy for my Mac gets purchased online — I won’t deal with the “dudes with ‘tudes” in the store.
I had a similar experience in the Syracuse, NY CompUSA store, but in that store I was ignored by MULTIPLE men as I attempted to purchase an Apple G3, back in the day. When pushed off a number of times while they waited on men or couples, I finally went to the middle of the store, pulled out my checkbook ( I had just received my tax return and had a balance of nearly $5000) and yelled at the top of my lungs..”I have $4,000..doesn’t anyone want to sell me a computer?!?!”
A male manager came over and angrily started into me for “disturbing shopping for other customers”. Well I lit right back into him, explaining my frustration in attempting to get anyone to wait on me and take my $4000! He calmed down at that point and apologized, and offered to wait on me himself, but I pointed out that since he was the one that had trained/managed his sales staff, I had no more confidence in the service he would give me after the sale than in the “service” I had received thus far, and I told him I would be spending my $4000 and any money for after market items elsewhere. And I did. I went to a local store that specialized in Apple products ( our mall based Apple store did not arrive until several years later) and actually received very good service.
I have since visited the local Apple store and have purchased 2 ipods, but each time I had to wait while the salesperson “dazzled” me with his knowledge of the product. Unfortunately, I was interested in recording podcasts and they had NO training in that. They were great talkers but horrible listeners. Get with it, Apple….we women have major purchasing power!