Why Apple should give customer service tips

Well done to Apple for a piece of first-class customer service this week.

Without going into a huge amount of detail, I managed to order an album twice on iTunes.

Although you can only have one digital copy of an album, I had somehow pre-ordered and then re-ordered the same one.

I was subsequently billed for the pair and the money taken from my credit card.

Of course I sent an email immediately alerting Apple to the error, and I received a prompt reply assuring me my money would be refunded.In a couple of days it was.

So far this sounds like nothing more than you would expect of any company under the same circumstances, and you are right.

But here is where Apple, in my view, put themselves a step above.

I received a follow up email from a named person, with a real email address, asking if the matter had been resolved to my satisfaction.

The lady wanted to “ensure the issue had been taken care of”, and asked me to reply so she could be confident I was happy.

I was gobsmacked, and promptly replied saying thank you very much, and that the matter was resolved.

I got a reply within an hour saying I was “very welcome”.

It added: “Nothing makes Apple happier than to hear that we have pleased our customers.”

Now, I have always liked Apple products because of their efficiency, slick presentation, and the service you get in their stores.

And for such a mega-company to deal with a customer issue on such a personal level is worthy of praise.

Thank you Apple, and for the record, yes, I am a very happy customer.