An open letter to Steve Jobs

Amanda — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 17:59:33 +0000

Dear Steve Jobs,

I am writing to thank you for your awesome repair service. My PowerBook G4 is out of warranty for repairs, and when the port for the power cord and the battery died last week, I pretty much thought I was screwed. I run a small business from my home and my computer has everything I need — and it is the dead middle of my busy season.

On Wednesday morning, I tearfully handed my computer to the technician at the Genius Bar, wondering what on Earth I would do with myself for the next 7-10 business days. In desperation, I drove eight hours to my parents’ house in Chicago, where I would at least be able to e-mail my clients and employees.

On Thursday evening, I humored myself by checking the status of my repair online. I was absolutely flabbergasted to learn that my computer had arrived at the off-site repair facility that morning, had been repaired, and was already on a FedEx truck en-route to my home.

In fact, a delivery was attempted at my door on Saturday morning, before I could even get myself back to Nashville!

And then (and I know this has more to with FedEx than Apple, but kudos to you for choosing a great carrier), on Monday morning, having prepared myself to spend the entire day at home, looking out the window and waiting for my delivery, my doorbell rang at a quarter to ten! My computer had arrived in just enough time for me to get to my favorite yoga class.

If I wasn’t one already, that alone would have been enough to make me a lifelong Mac-lover. And your speedy repair and return service just sealed the deal, not to mention the benefit of having a Genius to turn to in person, rather than some script-reading ninny in India. You are obviously running a business that truly understands its clients’ relationship with its products.

I love you, Steve Jobs. And I love my computer! My only complaint is that, with this machine working like new, I don’t have an excuse to buy the new MacBook Pro with multi-touch technology when it comes out … when is that going to happen again?

Thank you thank you thank you!

Yours truly,

Amanda

Live from the Apple store

Amanda — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 16:58:25 +0000

My computer is broken.

BROKEN.

The port where you plug in the power cord has shorted out (or something) and my computer will no longer charge. And the battery ran out, as batteries inevitably do.

I just dropped it off at the Apple store, where they took my computer and 300 bucks and said “See you in five to seven business days.”

Oh. My God.

This is the dead middle of my busy season for work, and I have already had several major, nauseating, panic attack-inducing aca-mergencies (har-dee-har-har) in the past two weeks.

And now I don’t have access to a computer. At all. (Rob’s is broken, too. Of course!)

I’m not sure what I’m going to do with myself the rest of the day. I have been sitting here in the Apple store for the past hour checking my email and sending out frantic messages. I’m pretty greasy because I haven’t showered yet and I’m wearing once-worn yoga pants and a hoodie. I’m pretty sure the Apple people think I am a hobo. A bag lady with a Kate Spade bag.

I officially am living a tech-free existence. I am home alone for at least 14 waking hours a day, and now I can’t even get work done. I don’t know what I’m going to do with myself! What do trophy wives do? Go to the grocery store? Get a manicure? Spend five hours at the dog park?

I am driving to Chicago at the crack of dawn so I can beg my mom to loan me her computer for a week.

Wish me luck. If you don’t hear from me in 48 hours, call for help.

Vanity Fairest » Apple

An open letter to Steve Jobs

Live from the Apple store