Switching from PC to an Apple product, Gordon needed help in figuring out some of the differences in their operating programs. With a baby at home, driving to an Apple store for her $99 One To One personal assistance or using the free Genius Bar was too difficult.

So she tried calling AppleCare:

“When paying this kind of money I would expect Premium Service. However every time I have ever called I have had to wait at least 20 minutes to speak to a representative. It was one thing during the holidays when I know it’s difficult to meet demand, but I just called yesterday and had to wait nearly 25 minutes,” she wrote me.

“I have had no specific issues – just questions about how to do things as I have used PCs all of my life.  Yesterday I was trying to import a movie into iTunes to transfer to my iPad and iPhone and it was not working.”

I think she has a good point, even though I have had great service with the One-on-One program and lots of help from the Genius Bar, where I am going today because my MacBook Pro won’t start up.

If someone is going to pay a large fee for extended warranty and telephone service, they should not have to wait 20 minutes to talk to a representative.

Here is what Apple says about its warranty program, without of course mentioning wait times:

Every Mac and Apple display comes with a one-year limited warranty and up to 90 days of complimentary telephone technical support. Extend your coverage to three years from your hardware product’s original purchase date with the AppleCare Protection Plan. You get direct, one-stop access to Apple’s award-winning telephone technical support for questions about Apple hardware, OS X, and Apple applications such as iLife and iWork. And you get global repair coverage for your Mac and Apple display through convenient service options.

Tell us what has been YOUR experience.

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