Does AppleCare?

[Bloomberg] [Fully Charged]( From [Bloomberg](   [FOLLOW US [Facebook Share]]( [Twitter Share]( [SUBSCRIBE [Subscribe]](  Hey y’all, it’s Austin. It has been less than a week since Apple Inc. rolled out its newest product, a credit card. The launch hasn’t gone all that smoothly. The Apple Card’s stark white appearance, a key selling point, is prone to discoloration and ugly scuff marks. Apple responded to criticism by issuing a notice to customers advising them not to store the credit card in leather or denim. That followed a [U.S. ban]( on flying with certain models of the MacBook Pro, [malfunctioning iPhone X touchscreens]( and [widespread defects in its computer keyboards](. Such flaws are surprising for a company famous for its perfectionism. As an avid consumer with a long list of Apple products, including laptops, iPhones, iPads, iMacs, AirPods, Apple TVs—am I forgetting any others?—I’ve had to deal with some of these woes firsthand. They can be a big source of frustration in software (the [soon-to-be-overhauled iCloud]( continues to [cause]( [problems](), but hardware shortcomings cause larger headaches, especially Apple’s so-called [“butterfly” keyboard design](, which has become [notorious for its sticky buttons](. All these hardware defects could benefit from an improvement to an Apple service that's often overlooked: customer support. Investors have been pressing Tim Cook to [transform his company from a device maker to a services business](. They're mainly referring to digital subscriptions, which some analysts believe could translate to [$10 billion in annual revenue](: Apple’s [upcoming streaming TV bundle](, its [Spotify music competitor](, its [News+ app](. Yet, equally important is the Genius Bar, a safety net for paying customers. Extended warranties, known as AppleCare, can generate real profits and, when it works, engender loyalty from customers. My faith was tested last year. In March 2018, I put in a support request online for my MacBook Pro, then just eight months old. My keyboard had started to fall apart. Some letters wouldn’t budge, and the space bar felt as if gum was mushed underneath. An Apple troubleshooter, though, initially suggested it was a software problem, and, after losing faith she could resolve the matter, I gave up. By August of that year, the keyboard had deteriorated more, but speaking with support staff in Apple online chat rooms, by phone and in store, I got mixed messages about how long repairs might take—it could be 24 hours, I was told, or perhaps over a week, and there was no way to pay for expedited service. I depend on my MacBook for work and life, and I couldn’t risk us being apart for so long. Once again, I gave up and suffered with its deficiencies until this June—after my command key, shift key and several letters broke. “There is not a way to pay for an accelerated repair,” an Apple representative wrote. “The minimum time expected would be 5 business days.” Finally, a couple weeks ago, after my “A” key popped off, I relented and scheduled a repair. Then, magic. The Apple personnel at my neighborhood retail location apologized for the inconvenience, promised to replace the keyboard, no questions asked, and walked me swiftly through the repair process. My MacBook was ready 72 hours later, and the device, which I’m typing on now, feels refreshingly new. According to a Genius Bar receipt, the parts and labor amounted to $428, a tab that Apple picked up under its extended keyboard warranty program. They would have lost a lot more than that if I’d switched to Windows. Some have said the Genius Bar has [lost its luster](. While it would be inadvisable to draw a trend from one customer’s experience, Apple did eventually restore some of my faith in the company’s ability to follow through. Over the years, Apple has initiated [massive recalls of now-defunct PowerBooks](, issued [worldwide replacements of iPods](, and who can [forget its reaction]( to “[Antennagate](?” There’s an argument that the problems have accelerated in recent years, but the fact is, some failures are unavoidable. Investing in fast repairs and generous replacement programs—and this goes for [competitors]( [like Samsung](, too—is an insurance policy in customer goodwill. For a company like Apple, which still generates more than 80% of revenue from hardware, it’s the most important service there is. —[Austin Carr](mailto:acarr54@bloomberg.net)  And here’s what you need to know in global technology news Alexa, can you transcribe my audiobook? Amazon’s Audible is [under legal fire from publishers]( upset over a slated feature that will automatically convert narrated books into text versions.  As President Trump’s trade war with China heats up, in-the-crosshairs Huawei expects export restrictions to [slash its devices business by $10 billion](.  Google, once famous for its open culture and internal dissent, has announced new employee rules that [discourage political debate and “disruptive” conversations](.  The hacker allegedly behind a massive data intrusion into Capital One, which affected more than 100 million people, was denied bail after [prosecutors argued she had violent tendencies](.    You received this message because you are subscribed to the Bloomberg Technology newsletter Fully Charged. You can tell your friends to [sign up here](.  [Unsubscribe]( | [Bloomberg.com]( | [Contact Us]( Bloomberg L.P. 731 Lexington, New York, NY, 10022