Apple Computer scored 74% in a recent international customer service survey, a full 12% higher than its nearest sector rival, according to a CNET.com online report.
The recently released March issue of Consumer Reports (www.consumerreports.org), which includes the results of a 4 100 consumer survey, indicate that Apple Computer is way ahead of its nearest rivals in terms of customer service - a difference of more than four percentage points in the survey is considered to be "meaningful".
The CNET report claims that at least one major hardware supplier "ran into a perfect storm" during the period in which the surveys were taken because telephone support hold times were "lengthier" and "exacerbated" by the proliferation of computer worms.
"It`s interesting to note that problems associated with computer viruses and worms are having a direct impact on customer service," says the Core Group`s RJ van Spanndonk. "It`s been widely predicted that 2004 will see a new generation of malicious code set to disrupt millions of computers the world over. Apple hardware, particularly those systems running the latest rock-solid versions of our Unix-based operating system, OS X, are immune to over 99% of all virus attacks. This explains why our customer service ratings were not adversely affected during the recent spate of attacks," he says.
"We are obviously delighted that Apple Computer, its products and associated customer service levels are in the spotlight for excellence once again. We know that the underlying strength of our operating system, Unix, is inherently more stable and secure than other systems. It`s evident that Apple`s big jump to OS X and the provision of secure computing is paying off," he says.
"In the past, these advantages were considered to come at a price. But now almost anyone can afford our entry level, OS X-based desktop computer, the eMac," says Van Spaandonk. "If you consider the extended life-span of an Apple machine, increased productivity and reduced after-market costs associated with service and repairs, our solutions are not only more stable and secure, but are in fact up to 30% more cost-effective in terms of total cost of ownership," says Van Spaandonk.
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