A stinging analysis on WalletPop makes the obvious but poignant argument that too-big-for-their-britches corporations such as Apple and Best Buy have let hubris cloud their customer service vision.

Here’s an excerpt from the piece, by Laura Heller:

Has Best Buy attained that too big to be good, status once held by Circuit City? Sure looks like it. It’s hard to remember that just 10 years ago or so, customers found the stores energetic and the non-commissioned sales approach refreshing.

Apple too, is starting to show signs of hubris. The company has been long admired, revered even, by legions of users — and rightly so. The products were elegant computing solutions that worked well, were reliable, and had a support staff that made technological failures as painless as possible.

But as a recent visit to the Apple flagship store in Chicago revealed, the computer company is taking leave of some of its most valued points of differentiation. Namely, pleasant, quick and high-quality service.

What do you think the companies can do to shed their arrogant images?

Apple and Best Buy: When good retailers go bad [WalletPop]

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