Just Say No

The iPhone doesn’t seem to be doing very well.

Take a look here and here for accounts on what seems to be wrong with it, despite what the involved parties are saying or not saying about it.

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again; to us, such situations have a three word solution: Don’t buy it.  You want to spend money on solutions, not problems.  Unless you’re a certified masochist, why buy a problem?

Nor does “Don’t buy it” necessarily mean “Don’t ever buy it,” or “Buy something else.”  If you want to give Apple a chance, fine, but why give them your money, too?  Fix first, money later.  

Obviously, people who already put out the money can no longer do that, but some can get their money back, and for whom it is too late or impractical, one could at least make at least one Apple employee aware that you are an unhappy camper, and if that’s too much hassle, you certainly can tell others, “Don’t buy it until they fix it.”  That’s a lot better than practicing “misery loves company.”    

Even if you don’t own an iPhone, you can help, too.  If you see some unfortunate with one, you can be educational and inform them, “I’m so sorry your phone doesn’t work right,” or “It saddens me to see you didn’t get what you paid for.”  Show that you care. 🙂

To me, this is elemental, and applies to any and every other company with equipment problems.  You reward good behavior, and withhold reward for bad behavior.   To buy an iPhone now while Apple goes autistic over the problem is like giving your dog a treat and a hug after he bites someone.  

If a four-year old does something wrong, and goes silent when confronted with this, do you reward him for it?  No?  Then why reward Steven Jobs and Company when they do it?  You don’t talk, we don’t pay.  

Apple is an economic creature, and even when they don’t want to hear about problems, they have to listen to the sales figures.  That’s the one sure way to get through to them, when dropped calls means dropped sales.  

Yes, this might be hard for some, but if you think an iPhone will be a booster shot to your coolness, how cool is it to have a broken phone?

It’s hard to define “coolness” but part of it is definitely a sense of self-respect.  Your money is as much a part of you as your head.  The more you respect your money, the more you treat it as something to be used wisely, the more others will respect it, too.  

Think about it.    

Ed