On Apple and the Importance of the Apology...

I have been musing lately on apologies. I think they are important.

Marriage has been a great learning ground for the art of the apology…I have yet to master it. J I have learned though that the simple and heartfelt words, “I am sorry” and “I forgive you” are SUPER powerful!

So when my husband overslept for work on January 2, 2011 because his iPhone 4 alarms failed to go off, and other people missed flights and work appointments for the same reason,  I kind of expected an apology for the blunder.

We weren’t really that upset over it. Thankfully, by strange and blessed Providence I woke up at 5:30am that morning, looked at the clock, and wondered why my husband was still in bed (his alarm was set for 4:20am and he should have already been at the hospital). He ended up rushing to the hospital and arriving in enough time to finish rounds and escape being yelled at. Huzzah! 

But, at hearing the response from Apple (CNN story about alarms and Apple statement)

We did get upset. We were let down. I thought they were a good company, who seemed to care about their customers and consumers (we are, afterall, the ones who pay their bills).

I realize their statement was an attempt to save face after royally bungling, and there are probably very good legal reasons for not coming out and directly acknowledging they messed up.

I would just like to say (since I can, and this is my own little slice of the public sector) I would have far more respect for Apple if they had said something like:

“We apologize for this oversight. It shouldn’t have happened. We are working on fixing the problem. Here is what you can do for now if you still wish to use your iPhone as your alarm. We will have a software solution by X date.”

Or something like that.

Instead, I heard “This is not a problem…you as the consumer can fix this if you all turn your alarms to repeat. Issue solved. Aren't we clever?”

As it is I still forgive them. But, I gotta say I think they missed out on the apology.