NOT Returning It) – Ryan Schultz

This isn’t the overview that I used to be anticipating to jot down for the Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional.

Final Friday, I took the time without work work, and went all the way down to the Apple Retailer in Polo Park, giddy as a child on Christmas morning, to choose up my pre-ordered Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional. The demo and walk-through went very nicely, and I’ve nothing however reward for the shop affiliate who led me by means of a primary tour of the AVP’s options. I picked up the eyes-and-hand navigation very quickly. I marveled on the expertise, declared it value each penny I had spent, and walked out of the shop, baggage in hand, feeling on high of the world.

I used to be informed that I used to be the primary particular person in Manitoba to stroll out of that retailer with an Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional. I needed to be on the chopping fringe of VR and AR. I needed to be one of many cool children. I used to be all set to go.

Nonetheless.

I’m presently on the level the place, until one thing adjustments shortly, I’ll quickly be strolling again into that very same Apple Retailer, the identical baggage in hand, with a repackaged Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional and equipment (e.g. a carrying case), to return all of them and get my a refund.

Why? Nicely, I’m glad you requested.

I’m returning the Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional for one cause and one cause solely. Throughout the order course of, I scanned a duplicate of my eyeglasses prescription, since I can be unable to put on my glasses below the face-hugging, ski-mask-like design of the AVP.

After I confirmed up final Friday to choose up my unit, they cleaned and put my eyeglasses right into a machine known as a lensometer, which mechanically measured my lenses and spit out a code, which then may then use to tug magnetic prescription lenses from the massive assortment of lenses they’ve saved at the back of the shop, only for the aim of demos. So, in different phrases, though I didn’t have my prescription lenses prepared but, I may nonetheless undergo the demonstration and walk-through course of in retailer which, as I’ve mentioned, went swimmingly.

The issue is, that I solely have 15 days to return the Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional for a no-questions-asked, full refund. The clock began ticking the second I left the shop. And, because it seems, my prescription lenses I ordered are presently nonetheless sitting in limbo in the US, and I can not come up with any actual, dwell particular person at UPS to clarify to me why they have been unable to ship them to me right now, after they have been promised:

All day, I saved refreshing the monitoring web page, ready for it to maneuver from “On the Means” to “Out for Supply.” It by no means occurred. The final standing of my order was dated July thirteenth, displaying that my prescription lenses have been sitting in a UPS facility in Louisville, Kentucky, the place apparently they’ve been sitting ever since. No phrase. No updates. No textual content or e mail messages with standing updates (though I had set them up).

That is when my nightmare began.

I spent the subsequent few hours this night attempting, in useless, to connect with an actual, dwell human being at UPS who may inform me why my prescription lenses have been caught in limbo. Each time, I landed up in an AI chatbot hell, which despatched me in circles.

So I’ve determined to return my Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional and get my a refund, as a result of there’s each chance that my 15-day return window goes to shut earlier than I may even use the rattling factor! I’ve assembled it, charged it, and put it on, as soon as—and I can’t see a factor with out the corrective lenses I would like. I can’t even start to set it up! The clock is ticking whereas I basically have a ineffective, CA$7,700* paperweight on my palms. And I get indignant.

Why Apple selected to accomplice up with UPS to ship their prescription lenses, and why Apple forces you to order the machine and the prescription lenses on the identical time, as a substitute of ordering the lenses forward of time, is one thing that I don’t perceive. Perhaps as soon as I truly get my palms on my prescription lenses, then I’ll return and purchase one. However not earlier than.

However I’m not going to take a seat round and anticipate UPS to get their shit collectively, and spring me from AI chatbot jail. I even tried to file a declare, just for it to be rejected, with a reference to the identical phone quantity with the identical AI chatbot I had fought with all night:

I used to be fairly prepared (keen, even) to pay by means of the nostril to be a glorified beta tester for Apple, however not if I can’t even USE the machine I purchased! This entire gross sales course of is screwed up for individuals who require prescription lenses, and till it’s fastened, they will have their Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional again, and my cash can sit in my checking account till they do get their act collectively. Sufficient. This isn’t the extent of service I anticipate from an organization like Apple, and the very fact they determined to accomplice with UPS, and their shitty customer support, simply blows my thoughts.

UPDATE Thursday, July 18th, 2024, 9:00 a.m.: My monitoring web page now appears to be like like this:

Subsequently, since I now have completely no thought after I can anticipate my prescription lenses, with out which my Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional is ineffective, tomorrow I can be packing up my machine, and returning it to the Apple Retailer to get a refund throughout the 15-day, no-questions-asked return interval.

UPDATE Thursday, July 18th, 2024, 10:44 a.m.: I’ve simply spent a really irritating half hour on the telephone with the Apple Retailer in Polo Park, which began by as soon as once more being interrogated by an AI chatbot who’s pretending to kind on a keyboard whereas telling me to please wait. After I lastly acquired by means of to an actual particular person, I couldn’t discover the unique buy receipt in my e mail in any respect, and I needed to soar by means of a number of hoops to ensure that them to ship me one other receipt, which I can be printing off and bringing with me on Friday after I return all the things.

I get angrier and angrier at this entire expertise, and that anger has nothing to do with the specs of the product itself; it has all the things to do with how I’m being handled as a buyer. UPS will get a lot of the blame right here, though my state of affairs illustrates that Apple may must rethink how the acquisition course of may should be adjusted for individuals who require prescription lenses.

UPDATE Saturday, July twentieth: So, I packed up my Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional and took it again to the Apple Retailer, the place I spoke with each the enterprise supervisor and the shop supervisor. They informed me that they needed me to benefit from the total 15-day return window, and subsequently wouldn’t begin the clock till my prescription lenses are launched from limbo in Louisville and are in my possession!

Subsequently, I took my packing containers again dwelling, and now we’re working from each side (mine and the shop’s) to determine why there was a delay in supply, and the right way to repair it. (Please observe that every one this occurred earlier than the Crowdstrike outage, which apparently can also be affecting UPS. As of this morning, the standing on my monitoring web page remains to be “The supply date can be supplied as quickly as potential,” and they’re nonetheless caught in Louisville, Kentucky, the place they’ve been sitting since July thirteenth.)

UPDATE Tuesday, July twenty third: Nicely, right now UPS up to date the monitoring web page for my prescription lenses to a standing of Delay, with the message: “We’re sorry for the inconvenience. In case you are the sender, please test with the receiver to verify supply. In any other case, chances are you’ll begin a declare to offer a decision.” In different phrases, UPS appears to have misplaced my lenses.

I as soon as once more tried to file a declare, filling out a number of pages of knowledge on the UPS web site, earlier than I as soon as once more acquired the identical error message as I did final week, which referred me again to their 1-800 phone quantity and AI chatbot hell. After yelling on the chatbot for half an hour (which, apparently, has not been educated on the phrase I WANT TO MAKE A CLAIM), I lastly acquired related to an actual, dwell human being within the Monitoring Division, who referred me on to a girl within the Investigation Division, the place I discovered that it’s now as much as the sender (i.e., Apple, or maybe Zeiss) to start out an investigation into what went fallacious. So, I’ve dutifully relayed all the data this girls gave me to my contact on the Apple Retail Enterprise workplace at their Polo Park retailer.

At this level I’m able to tear my hair out in frustration. It doesn’t assist that I’ve additionally been combating with each my financial institution and Canada Income Company this week, over a mistake which my former monetary planner made in 2022, resulting in fines I’ve to pay for all three of the 2022, 2023, and 2024 tax years. This factor with Apple was the cherry on high of a shit sundae, a very dangerous week general. However I digress.

Up to now, this has been a horrible customer support expertise, simply the worst one since I attempted to get my Valve Index VR headset repaired when it broke. On account of that expertise, I swore that I might by no means, EVER buy a Valve Index VR headset for the digital actuality lab venture I’m presently engaged on for the College of Manitoba Libraries, as a result of though I just like the Valve Index {hardware}, God show you how to if something ought to go fallacious, and it’s important to try to get help for an issue, or (God forbid) you need to speak to an precise particular person about the issue you might be having.

Valve’s complete help system is about as much as hinder, not show you how to, and maintain you from speaking an actual particular person, very like the UPS setup (and, for that matter, the Canada Income Service). I’d be capable to forgive, however I cannot neglect, and my present expertise with Apple, Zeiss, and UPS, is shaping as much as be just like my Valve Index debacle. (I observe with a sense of harsh satisfaction that my blogpost outlining my nightmare help expertise with Valve reveals up within the first web page of Google search outcomes if you search on “valve index help.” A minimum of, it does for me. Your mileage could fluctuate.)

You give Auntie Ryan a poor customer support expertise, belief and imagine that all people will hear about it, sweetheart! (Or, as I usually prefer to say, “I am that bitch.”)

At this level, Apple goes to work with the investigation crew at UPS to search out out what the hell occurred to my first order, and we have now already positioned a second, alternative order, which is because of arrive July twenty seventh to twenty ninth. And Apple will subject me a refund for the primary set of lenses, which we now assume are misplaced in Louisville. And I’ve obtained an apology each from the Apple Retailer, and from UPS, for the incovenience and problem. So, now we wait.

*price of a 1-terabyte Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional, two years of AppleCare guarantee protection, a carrying case, plus provincial and federal gross sales taxes (equal to US$5,628 at right now’s alternate fee)