[Clyde Williams]

I have just returned to Cairns, from a bit of a holiday, and like most Mac enthusiasts, I always like to check out other Mac stores within the City I was visiting. For one thing, it's nice to be anonymous and to just browse around to see what other Mac stores have as their key display items.
Last year I visited a Hobart Mac Store, and wow, I was impressed! It had heaps of floor space, lots of display stock, and a generous mac service area, and lots of staff that seemed friendly and eager to help. I really liked their window displays featuring Adobe's CS3 as well.
So, just a few days ago, I venture into a well known Australian city store to have a bit of a look around. The stock seemed cramped and cluttered, and bits and pieces everywhere. I was attended to instantly, as there were no other customers, but just indicated that i wanted to just look around.
Surprisingly, .. the one macbook air that was on display was right down the back, out of real eyeshot... in amongst other clutter .... hmmmm. I think the huge LCD's at the front were just confusing everyone. Oh well, .. each to their own.
Remember, this is just my opinion, .. I am entitled to be wrong (and often am).

Anyways, ... while 'browsing', in walked a guy that looked pretty wealthy, and he enquired about a portable voice recorder for Macs.

The assistant pretty much said 'no, apple don't make them'

The wealthy guy said "gee, you would think that is something that would be available for Apples... what do I do now?'

The assistant said ' they used to have something to attach to ipods, but now they don't make them anymore'

And with that, the guy was gone.

Now, I know it is impossible to keep up with everything that is going on in technology these days, .. but i walked out of there a bit disappointed . Just a little bit of help, could have changed that guys way of thinking. I would hate to think that there is now someone out there 'bagging' out macs, cause they couldn't do what they want them to do.
Admittedly, it was a Monday morning, and the assistant probably needed coffee, BUT

I have used a fantastic M-Audio Portable Voice Recorder that works seamlessly with the mac, .. and there are other products out there as well to do the job. The M-Audio has a 2Gb Memory card in it, and is very easy to use. The buttons are a one click digital recording, and high quality playback. For field podcasting, this thing is REALLY GOOD!!!!
The Belkin ipod Voice recording adaptor was great in it's time too, but its connection points do not fit the current range of ipods. I still have it, and have used it heaps in its day, but the recordings were very soft, and of low quality.
The M-audio one is pricey though, so I suppose there would be a market for something out there a bit cheaper.

Well, I just thought I would share. It seems as if, there is always something that we can help with, however small... if only i could have spoken up in time before he breezed out the door ... . it just goes to show, that either we, as customers, need to do a bit of research ourselves before asking boggling questions to stressed out resellers, .. or the assistants need to try to stay on top of the game.
You would be surprised to know that both the Mac resellers here in Cairns do not subscribe to Macworld !!! You would think that that would be a given !!!! (but they do newsagent it from time to time... mostly cause I come in quoting articles all the time)

I don't want this thread to be some kind of store bashing (which is why I won't mention WHICH city I visited), cause there are some GREAT apple stores out there (including Cairns), ... I just wanted to share a monday morning's observation.

Clyde.

(ok, back from holidays, .. back to work I go... hi ho hi ho)

[Fleur Doidge]

Clyde, I don't know about you, but when I go to a store and don't like the service, I find the best thing to do is to complain directly to the store.

Obviously this wasn't you who had the, as you said, service "issue" but I'm curious to learn more. Wanna enlighten me? And what would have been the best way to handle the issue?

[Clyde Williams]

I'm not sure that this is a service issue.

I am lucky to live in a city that has a fantastic apple reseller. Good knowledgeable staff with a range of expertise. I am more than happy to recommend them, because I know that the level of help, service and backup support is exceptional.

So, with this perspective, upon visiting another store in another location, I found it a bit 'different' that the staff aren't bending over backwards to accommodate a customer's request.

See, I find this is standard here in Cairns. Maybe being in a smaller city has much more advantage with more personalized service.

Guess I am lucky.

[mickdevlin]

See, I find this is standard here in Cairns. Maybe being in a smaller city has much more advantage with more personalized service.

The same is alos true of Townsville. Most of the regulars are known to the Mac stores (but not the chains like Powerhouse and JB HiFi), most of us go to the Mac-only places.

[Ken Gracey]

Good to see I am not the only one who goes out of his way to support the local apple resellers, I have a JB 4 Kms away, but I drive 31 Km each way to buy my apple gear, ranging from laser cartridges to Blank DVds , etc.

I don't mind the drive, and hey why support the big boys who have now seen there is a buck in selling Apple gear, after all these years, when the poor little guys saw the light 20 years ago, believed in it and stuck by apple through the good times and the bad ones.

TL

[thomasina]

I see many parallels with what you observed and what I sometimes observe in the realm of customer service for the classical performing arts.

The underlying parallels in themselves are interesting. Especially in the States I was struck by the similarity between the "Apple lounge" (a beautiful glassed-in haven) in the back corner of a big shop like MicroStore and the "Classical music lounge" (also a beautiful glassed-in haven) in the back corner of a big record shop like HMV. The relative market shares within a broader industry are somewhat similar too.

Anyway…I am often disheartened when in record shops or places where tickets are bought or at performing venues to overhear "advice" being given that is lame, half-hearted or plain wrong. Too often the "customer" goes away disappointed and/or misinformed. Sometimes I butt in and share my knowledge, but that's not always appropriate or possible. On the positive side, it's impressive to witness those organisations who place a priority on making sure those staff who have customer contact (and let's be honest, these are not going to be the highest ranking or best paid roles in an arts organisation!) are well-informed, knowledgeable, enthusiastic, curious about the art form, aware of what's going on in the "scene" and thoroughly trained. Because those people make a world of difference. It's no good if your only "experts" are doing a great job behind the scenes and the people you put up front are just going through the motions because they're either insufficiently passionate or not well-enough informed.

So back to Macs. But I don't really have to spell it out, do I?

Speaking of voice recorders: I swear by the MicroMemo (video model), which I use with my Nano 2G (it looks weird but the flash drive is superior to the task).

[Aaron Bellette]

Good to see I am not the only one who goes out of his way to support the local apple resellers, I have a JB 4 Kms away, but I drive 31 Km each way to buy my apple gear, ranging from laser cartridges to Blank DVds , etc.

I don't mind the drive, and hey why support the big boys who have now seen there is a buck in selling Apple gear, after all these years, when the poor little guys saw the light 20 years ago, believed in it and stuck by apple through the good times and the bad ones.

TL

Yup, I support Mac1 here even though Domayne, JB, etc. have started to "see the light".

Aaron.

P.S. Seen the financial light, I'm sure.