Apple is supposed to be a cool company, right?

[Bragi]

So I get home one day last week and there's a "Sorry we missed you" tag from Purolater Courier on my front door. I call them up ask who the shipment is from. The lady on the phone doesn't have the info, but opines that it is probably from Dell, or Apple, or one of those companies. I said I hadn't ordered any equipment from any of them, but I'd be home Tuesday, so please deliver whatever it is at that time.

Yesterday comes. My doorbell rings. There's a Purolater fellow on my doorstep. I do the electronic signature thing, and he hands me an 9x12x6 shipping box which feels like there's nothing inside. I cut through the packing tape and plastic liner and open the box.

Inside I find:

- a one-page packing slip

- a cardboard box about the size of a CD-pack titled "Applecare protection Plan"

- inside the cardboard box is a "getting started guide" for an IPOD protection plan, along with a small piece of paper with a serial number on it, and instructions for activating the protection plan via the web.

And so I was reminded that, a week or so earlier, I had (impulsively) decided to purchase online the protection plan for my new IPOD Classic.

Fine. But why ever would the Online Apple Store follow up what was a perfectly usual and satisfactory online transaction by sending me -- via courier -- a shipping box filled with a few bits of paper that added absoluely nothing to the transaction?

And this is supposed to be a cool company?

- B

[LostinVA]

1. You need to take care of the paperwork in the AppleCare box for the warranty to take effect

I don't understand why you're upset they mailed that to you.

[Bragi]

3. Well..

First of all, they didn't mail it to me, they sent it by courier.

Secondly, there was nothing in the box but paper with information on it, and this information could easily have been sent by email.

I object because this was a stupid waste of paper, cardboard, gasoline, etc. from a company that touts itself as being cool and progressive.

- B

[IronLionZion]

2. Excellent questions. It seems like our hatred of corporations usually exempts

Apple, Adobe, Ikea, Target, Trader Joe's, Costco, Toyota, and anyone else who makes things we like. Inform Apple of their waste. I'm sure they'd love to hear from you.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

6. ikea and trader joe's do make efforts to decrease wastage

[IronLionZion]

7. I love Ikea and Trader Joe's

I love their products mainly for the quality and affordability. It's good to know they reduce waste as well. TJ's gives excellent wages and benefits to their employees.

Coolness
ILZ

[Javaman]

4. Pfft! We here at my job, order from Office Depot...

We once got an order for paper clips (pack of 10 little boxes) In a huge box.

They seem to do that a lot.

[Rabrrrrrr]

5. So the cultists would require us to believe, yes.

[Dora]

8. What's uncool? They're taking care of business.

Apple receives reduced shipping rates from various courier/delivery services because of the vast amount of shipping they do. It is probably less expensive for them to ship via a private company than via the USPS. All things considered, it takes just as many resources for the USPS to deliver a package as it does for any delivery service.

As well, the delivery got your attention, right? This provides assurance to Apple that you in fact received physical confirmation that your AppleCare plan was real, and not a transaction lost in the ether. This way you can't call Apple in six months and complain that you never received your plan number, when they have a record that it was delivered to you on March 11, 2008, and they can show you your signature as evidence of delivery.

Shipping companies provide their own packaging to their customers in order to have consistency in internal processing. It's much easier to move 500 packages that have the same dimensions than 500 miscellaneously sized packages. It's about quality assurance, ease of use, and customer care.

Now for your concern about excessive packaging - write them a letter telling them how you feel, then sit down and activate that protection plan (the reason they shipped you the info to begin with) and enjoy your iPod.

Coolly yours -

[Bragi]

9. Good points...

I'm almost convinced, except way, way more resources went into getting my attention than was needed.

I mean it was me that bought the service plan online, which is something I do regularly. I don't need or want companies sending me pointless shipments to tell me what I already know.

Having said that, I did activate the plan, and yes, I am enjoying my Ipod very much.

And maybe I'll email them a complaint about the shipment, or maybe they have the good sense to be monitoring big boards like this one to see if their name comes up.

(If so, hello Apple! I trust you get my point.)

- B

[Rob H.]

10. It's never a bad idea to have the printed material on hand

I have AppleCare for my iMac and when smoke started coming out of it last year (logic board was in the process of frying) I had to shut down my machine and call the local Apple store to arrange a repair. I had my AppleCare Protection Plan number saved on my iMac, which, obviously, was a useless place to have it at the time. Having those "few bits of paper" close by helped quite a bit.


Edit: clarity.

[DS1]

11. maybe they ship it to you in case when you actually need to print the documents to take to the store

the reason for you needing to go to the store is that your Apple broke, which makes it difficult to print emails.


hmmmm :think:

[Bragi]

12. It was an Ipod. Very portable. /NT