Everything That Was Right and Wrong About My Apple Store Visit

I’ve always been a big Apple fan. So is my 92 year old mom—since the 80’s. So are my wife and my children. So are my several companies I founded that all ran on Apple computers (many, many, many Apple computers, peripherals, cables, etc.) and wrote (and still write) software for Apple devices and had even met Steve Jobs in Cupertino. I’m probably personally responsible for the purchase of thousands of Apple devices over 2 decades. I was with artist Peter Max in his studio when I showed him my Pixound App that lets you play images musically (for which I got a patent) and he proceeded to immediately leave his studio with his trusty assistant Joe and walk a few blocks to a Verizon store where he bought an iPhone, just to have Pixound! Regardless of all that, and my business needs, I personally have purchased every manner of Apple device over the years, beyond my ability or desire to count.

My Store Visit

My wife is a piano teacher with a lot of students and needs to be in touch with a lot of parents all day, 7 days a week. We bought her blessed heart a little Apple Watch a couple years ago (Series 3) and she used it diligently. Then one day, while tapping the screen, the screen popped loose and flapped out a little like a locket opening. It had not been dropped, it was fine, except some adhesive failure. We took it to a repairman who “glued” it back on and a few days later it popped out again. Now I’m no watch expert, but I inherited my dad’s Omega Seamaster made back in the 50’s or early 60’s and worn every day by a Navy captain and surgeon for 2 or 3 decades and it still works perfectly and nothing has popped off and it has moving parts! Now that’s quality. But this is not a story about a failure of manufacturing quality or weakness of design. We decided to buy her a new one and we did (Series 4 upgrade).

Last year my college aged son was diagnosed with mild aFib and we happily bought him a Series 4 Apple Watch to keep an ear on his ticker along with his iPhone 8. Excellent, good stuff!

This year my daughter turns 18 in a couple days and she’d be pining for a device to keep track of her fitness. We knew exactly what we were going to get her for her birthday. So she and I hopped into my car for a drive over to the posh Short Hills Mall Apple Store a few miles away. I brought the old watch that was in perfect working condition save for the floppy face thinking that perhaps they could refurbish it and maybe even extend us a little credit for it.

The very nice fellow (they are all nice at Apple), politely told us that was not possible and that we could have it repaired for $250 and shipped back to us in a couple weeks. OK fine. I tried. At that moment I had an epiphany that changed my whole view of Apple and really most large corporations to boot. At that moment, this nice fellow became a sort of Gollum to me, or rather the tip of a large Gollum-like iceberg, cold to the heart.

For all I had given to Apple, for all my family and businesses had given, for all my dear 92 year old mother English professor had given (I could write a book on her Apple purchases alone going back to the first Apple IIe Computer and what she’s accomplished with them) it all amounted to nothing. No credit. No appreciation. No nothing. Nada. It was a one way street with our hard-earned bucks flowing to the corporation and not so much as a thank you coming back. An unreciprocated appreciation.

As a programmer, I thought to myself how easy it would be for Apple to have a simple appreciation algorithm that could see a long list of devices paid for by Peter McClard and that maybe it could simply say, “Thank you for your dedication all these decades, Peter.” We love you too. Or even better, relinquish some small part of their trillion dollar Market Cap and their hundreds of billions of dollars of liquid cash as an Appreciation Rebate. A small reward for my unwavering support. It felt heartless and empty, even in an otherwise stellar shopping experience.

I love how Apple stores operate and I love how no matter how busy they are (and they were), they make shopping easy, friendly and fast as possible, not wasting your most precious thing, time. Bravo for that. Brilliant! But absent the reciprocated appreciation, it becomes just another capitalist magic trick to process more transactions faster and to make more money faster while making the customer comfortable, sort of like getting laughing gas at a dentist.

Apple is technologically and culturally great and important. I want Apple to be better, though. I want them to love me back. I want them to love my mother and my daughter and my son and my wife back too. I want them to love ALL of their millions of dedicated customers back too. Is that too much to ask?

What do they have to lose? I little bit of profit? BFD. Why is profit the be all and end all of corporate transactions? What about Love? What about Humanity and People, Apple? Why can’t a corporation love us back? Who says? Why can’t they show they care with more than a slogan? As far as I’m concerned, lights should have started spinning and confetti appeared and someone should have come over with at least a Tee Shirt or something, anything, to reward me for My Love. Such appreciation would only increase the mutual bond and create even more dedicated customers who then would evangelize the brand even more. I see it as a major win win. If it’s not a win for shareholders (I believe it is) then it’s a win for humanity and that’s an even bigger win in my book.

But unfortunately, a virus of undermining greed overarches most all American transactions (See my Blog on the Ripoff Society) and any small thing that could possibly reduce profits or give back something is frowned upon by shareholders looking to increase the ROI and ONLY increase ROI at all costs to humanity. This goes well beyond Apple but I use Apple as my prime example because they are the best company I know and most likely to understand what I am saying. Are you listening, Tim Cook? This goes beyond products. It goes to the reason we are ALL here, no matter how big, powerful or rich we are.

My wife has what Apple is missing. I told her we would repair the “old” Series 3 watch and sell it and she said no, I’ll give it to someone, maybe one of my students. I adore her for this—her Love and generosity (which is legendary). If only corporations could be more like my beautiful wife what a better world it would be.

Ironically, it was also she who told me not to expect Love from a business and that they were sort of not compatible ideas. I get that and in one sense, I’ve gotten all the love Apple owes me by using their great products over the years that are, I know, created by loving, caring people. The Greeks spoke of six forms of love: Eros, sexual passion; Philia, deep friendship; Ludus, playful love; Agape, love for everyone; Pragma, longstanding love; Philautia, love of the self. I propose a seventh: Communa: or the love a community or company has for an individual. This form of love is about being remembered, duly noted and recognized. It’s by no means a new idea. Many companies have employee recognition (eg. Employee of the Week or retirement gold watch). We have Awards such as Oscars and Medals of Honor, Nobel Prizes (now that’s real Communa), etc. And many companies have Loyalty Programs that reward regular customers but it usually seems sort of contrived and risk-free. Buy 10, get one free (while increasing the price 10% to pay for the free one).

That’s a good start, but I want something more. I want them to pay a little more (not necessarily monetary though that is the currency between companies and people), to experience the pain of love, the pain of letting go of something of value to another, something that clearly demonstrates “we love you as much as you love us.” To fail to recognize the individual whatsoever, in any minor way other than “Thank You” written on a receipt, is an insult. With today’s databases and record-keeping, there is no excuse not to know exactly what a customer has bought over the years and when they might deserve a little extra credit.

I truly do love Apple. When I attended the WWDC last year, I was smitten by how friendly and humane the Apple employees, leadership and overall philosophy of the company were. Wonderful diversity, genuine concern over privacy, human rights, ecology, etc. A true marvel to behold. But my experience with my beautiful young daughter about to enter adulthood was not so uplifting. I felt a little used and it made me sad and disappointed. She loves her new watch. Happy Birthday, sweetie and may you be blessed with a kinder, more caring world you so richly deserve!