Apple vs. Little Girl
What do you do when you get a letter offering suggestions from a third grade child who uses your product? Well, if you're Apple Computer, you didn't do what you should have...
...
First, if the child bought your product and is using it enough to write and share ideas, you know this is someone who cares and deserves a response. A nice response would be nice.
Well, that is unless you're Apple Computer.
And, if you're Apple Computer, you have your legal department fire off a formal letter rebuffing the child's ideas, advise them not to write again, and refer them to your legal policies online.
Well? Isn't that the standard corporate response these days? "Read our policy on the internet."
But what happened next makes a good read.
In fact, it's a good listen... go visit San Francisco's CBS 5 video-news story (streaming video) complete with an interview with 9-year-old Shea O'Gorman and her mom...
Katie Marsal CBS 5, San Francisco reports:
[quote]
Apple Computer recently held a meeting to discuss changes to its corporate policy after the company sent an upsetting legalese reply to a third-grade girl who had hand-written a letter to chief executive Steve Jobs. [End quote]
The Mom says "Apple needs some letter writing classes"
But folks, there is a ray of humanity in Cupertino after all.
Fortunately someone (Jobs?) at Apple had the decency to call Mark Aaker, Senior Council of Apple's Law Department, (the guy who wrote the letter) in on the carpet and make him call the little girl on the telephone and apologize for the letter.
BRAVO, Apple has now set a new policy for replying to letters from children.
Business 101:
When someone who purchased your product takes the time and thought to hand-write you a letter, you do NOT fire back a terse, cold-blooded reply from your legal department. That's worse than no letter at all.
Go to the full story:
http://cbs5.com/investigates/local_story_103023852.html
Click the "Play" button to watch the interviews -- it's a great piece of footage.
