Yesterday, my 6-month-old earphones for my 6-month-old iPhone broke. I knew I needed to replace them but I wasn’t thrilled about spending the money. Plus, all the reviews said they were crappy. (I personally thought they were fine once I figured out how to get them to stay in my ears.) I tried looking up some alternative headphones; I found several, but most didn’t have the microphone I needed or were way out of my price range. I did find the perfect replacement set at Best Buy; unfortunately, I could only purchase them online. (More than a day without listening to my iPod on the train? Sheer torture.)
So I knuckled under and decided to get the replacements. It was a gorgeous spring day and walking the two blocks to the Apple store was just what I needed. A cheerful associate in an orange t-shirt sympathized with my dilemma and pointed me upstairs. I spoke with another associate in a blue t-shirt; apparently, my needing help conflicted with his conversation with the security guard. But he plastered his fake helpful smile and dutifully showed me the three options to replace my headphones. The first were identical to what I had. The second were almost identical, except there was a great feature that allowed you to control the volume on your iPod. Only it was incompatible with the iPhone. (Thanks a lot smart guy. Get my hopes up then slam me into the concrete floor.)
He then showed me another pair that looked a lot like the first pair, but these had some sort of case that I could put the headphones in when not in use. Hallelujah! Only these were more than twice the price of the other ones. No thanks, I say. He tells me that these are as good or better as the third party headphones that are way more expensive. No thanks, I say again. I wonder aloud why I have to pay for the headphones in the first place as they’re less than a year old. “What did you do?” he asks. I must have given him my best diva glare because he instantly backpedals. “I mean, you must have done something for the glue to break, not that I’m accusing you of anything. You’ll have to pay for them. You can ask one of the ‘genuises’ but I’m telling you what they’re going to say.” I thank him for his time and proceed to wander through the store.
I was about to leave but I decided to stop by the “Genius Bar.” (I guess this is like Best Buy’s Geek Squad.) A cheerful associate in a blue t-shirt asks if I have an appointment. “Do I need one?” I ask. She says, “Let me see what’s going on,” and introduces herself as Katie. And in a simple case of “You have not because you ask not,” I explain to Katie what happened and she sympathizes. “That shouldn’t have happened. Let me see about getting you another pair. Can I see your iPhone?” Startled, I hand her my phone and she checks for pertinent information. Confirming my identity, she says, “Give me 5 minutes and I’ll get you another pair.” She hands me paperwork I need to sign, saying I’m getting replacements – for free.
Sure enough, less than 5 minutes later, Katie comes back and hands me a brand new pair of headphones and sends me on my way. The sun was shining just a bit brighter as I exited the store, with $30 still in my wallet, my new headphones and knowing that I could drown out the sounds of train that very afternoon.
I’m a PC… but I can dig the Apple.
donnad69
