OK, I am totally dusgusted with Apple. Why? Here's why ...
I am the author of 10 inspirational self-help books. All are available on amazon.com. I simply wanted to have my books available in the Apple ibookstore as well. I converted the first of my books into the necessary epub format and went to submit the first book to the ibookstore. Apple's website said I needed to fill out an application, and get an Apple ID, in order to submit content (my books). I started filling out the application. I signed up for an Apple ID. So far, so good. Then, the application said that in order to submit my book I needed to have an iTunes ID. I did not have an iTunes ID. It said I could use my Apple ID on iTunes. I couldn't, it wouldn't let me open an iTunes account. NO WHERE could I find how to get an iTunes ID. The ONLY thing you can do is download the iTunes app, which I didn't want and would never use. Next, I spent 20 minutes looking around the Apple website for help regarding this Catch-22 problem. Needing an iTunes ID but can't get one. Can't get an iTunes ID because I don't have one. Catch-22. No help was to be found. Next, I looked for a contact phone number. I found one and called Apple support. The lady was very nice and tried to help. She even understood my convoluted problem. She gave me the phone number for iTunes support. I called the number. There is no human being at iTunes support, only an automated voice tree!
By now, I was losing my mind. All I wanted to do is submit my "already published and already available on amazon" books for sale in the Apple ibookstore. No way I could find out to do that at Apple. Anywhere at Apple. BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE. BAD SUPPORT. When I get jerked around by BAD customer service, and its important to solve the problem, I call the company's corporate headquarters. I called Apple corporate headquarters. Another stupid automated voice tree, no human being. Finally, after calling 3 times, I got a human being on the line. I told him what my problem was (actually, it's Apple's problem). He understood. Then he told me that iTunes had no human phone customer service or telephone technical support by humans, only a support knowledge base and/or email support. I told him that I could not possibly email the problem to iTunes support; too complicated. He said that, outside of that, there was nothing Apple could do. Close to my wit's end, I said, "How about you connect me to the President's Office?". He responded, "There's no way to connect you to the President's Office from here." OK, enough is enough! That's it! I told him, "Then Apple doesn't get to carry my books! None of them. Ever." Then, having spent over an hour and totally wasting my time trying to become an Apple content provider, I hung up on them. Forever.
My new slogan for Apple? "We make the possible impossible."
Congratulations, Apple, this week, for your insanely convoluted un-intuitive BAD customer service and help, you deservedly earned the Stu Pitt Award!
