Mac Repair Survey

The June 2007 issue of Macworld magazine includes a reader survey on satisfaction, including repair issues. According to the survey, 34% took their computer to an Apple store when it suffered problems, while 29% took it to an authorized service center. Another 25% telephoned AppleCare (about half the Mac owners purchased AppleCare). When you think about it, that 34% vs. 29% figure doesn't represent a significant difference. To me, that means that Apple resellers may be suffering on the sales end, but they're staying even with Apple on the repair end. [Actually, the survey found that 56% of Macs are purchased via the Web, and about 66% of those from apple.com. Apple's retail stores and authorized resellers each accounted for 20% of purchases.] Interestingly, on the subject of service, shipment to an authorized service provider received the highest marks for resolution of Apple product problems (72%), compared to visiting an Apple store (67%) or reseller (71%). Apple stores rated low for promptness (48%), but rated rather high on courteous service (77%). So, it seems that resellers haven't been completely knocked out of the box by Apple's retail store initiative.