South Africa’s sole Apple Mac distributor, The Core Group, are YET to utter a word of sympathy or explanation in response to what is now fast becoming a mad frenzy of frustration and anger for many South Africans consumers.

Our first article entitled “WATERFRONT APPLE MAC ISTORE DOES NOT NEED YOUR BUSINESS” was wildly received and has, thus far, received more than 100 comments – only one of which was positive. Most of the comments are to do with The Core Group and their holier-than-thou attitude and arrogance, which has been clearly displayed by their subsequent lack of response and disregard for the continued anguish suffered by the South African consumer.

This of course has nothing to do with complaints on other websites (like MPieters) to do with the exorbitant prices charged for Apple goods on our shores, compared to the rest of the world. One common complaint is how labeled prices in the iStore can often change by the time you reach the counter, due to “the weakening of the Rand.” But, when the Rand strengthens, there is no reduction in price. Double standards, some might say..

Calls for Apple US to get involved (regarding Core’s abuse of their SA distribution license) as well as consumers being urged to buy grey Apple Mac products, rather than deal with The Core Group or the iStore continue. This led to more concerned articles including “APPLE CORE?S DEAFENING SILENCE CONTINUES” and “CORE GROUP INSIDERS COME FORWARD” which include such calls, as well as comments made by past and present disgruntled Core and iStore employees.

And then, on Saturday, we received this comment from yet another flabbergasted iStore customer.

# Simon Sandler Says:
May 23rd, 2009 at 11:53 am e

Disgrace!

I am writing to inform you of the poor service I have received at your iStore in waterfront Cape Town.

I have been a fan of apple products since before Apple became commercial in SA.

I bought a new iPod shuffle less than a month ago from your iStore. However, the right ear phone speaker began to distort and I believe that the speaker has blown.

I took my product into the iStore to get the ear phone repaired.

The one service consultant informed me that he needed the ipod as well as the speakers, the charger and the original box. The other consultant said that I just need to leave the ear phones. I asked if he was sure and then he said to me that he didn?t know. They took me to the counter to enter my details into their mac. After 10 mins and a reboot of the system, I was informed that the network was down. The consultant then informed me if he could take my number so that he could call me when I must come in again to give my information. I told him that he must take my details manually on a piece of paper. He then told me that he couldn?t do this. He had to go and ask another consultant about where the manual order form was.

Finally, we filled out the form. When I say we, I filled out the form for him. Ticking boxes that he had forgotten and filling in boxes correctly that he had half filled in.

I asked about the R150 penalty fee? He couldn?t explain this to me correctly.

My product is less than a month old. The service from your store is archaic. This consultant was uninformed, disinterested and unhelpful.

This whole process took me half an hour. The store was not busy. Come on! Half an hour to get an ear phone replaced/repaired.

This service is not good enough and as sole distributor in our country, you are single handedly ruining the reputation of a brilliant brand.

Regards and hoping my iPod will come back to me soon and the problem will be sorted out.

S

One wonders how much longer they will let this continue? ESPECIALLY since the common thread throughout the BARRAGE of complaints has to do with their “not giving a stuff” attitude – a notion they seem adamant on reinforcing.

What an INCREDIBLE display of how NOT to handle these types of situations!

Well thank God you won’t need to deal with iStore or The Core Group to get your hands on this 3G iPhone – because we’ve got it for you already!

We launched the competition at the end of last week with the instructions given to you during the 2oceansvibe Weather Girls show with Tracy McGregor.

We will be announcing the winner before 5pm tomorrow (Wednesday 20 May 2009).

Seth rolls with the iPhone 3G
You WANT this phone

All you need to do to enter to competition is forward me your transaction number after playing the EuroMillions lottery via sms. That means that you will have a chance to win a fortune and, if that fails, you might even win an iPhone!

It’s very simple to do and you can find the instructions at the top of the screen after clicking HERE.

What’s more, PlayEuroMillions will double your first deposit into your account, which you then use to play the lottery via sms or online. (Whilst the iPhone comp is open to all people playing via sms, the money doubling vibe is only for new registrations and only if they deposit within a week.)

Remember, to enter THIS particular iPhone competition, you MUST play via sms.

GO! GO! GO!

COMPETITION CLOSES AT 15:40 ON WEDNESDAY
WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED AT 16:00

Oh dear, it really is a sad state of affairs.

We have been reporting the iStore/Core Group saga to you since last week. It began with my personal account of a dismal experience in the Waterfront iStore (here), which ended up with me going next door to Incredible Connection.

I then followed up with an article (here) responding to reader’s questions, confirming that South Africa’s Apple distributors, The Core Group, had not yet released a statement nor had they attempted to make contact with regards to what is rapidly turning into a diabolical situation. I went on to say that they must know about the drama, as the story I wrote comes up at the number 1 position in Google for the search phrase “waterfront apple mac” – the story is very much out there.

But then it became clearly as to why the Core Group don’t seem to give a toss.

They never have..

For those of you who haven’t had a chance to peruse the comments section of the original article (92 so far) or the follow-up article, here are some interesting pearls.

# Hectique Prognosis Says:
May 17th, 2009 at 8:19 pm e

Let me see if I get this:
Core is the sole importer of Apple products in South Africa, because they have sole rights for distribution. They resell to retailers in South Africa… AND they have their own retail stores? Does that not sound teensy bit wrong? They must really have the other Apple resellers by the balls. Any wonder they behave as if they own the place? Talk about a conflict of interest…

# Anon a miss Says:
May 18th, 2009 at 1:50 pm e

They won’t respond and why should they? This Core flaming will all blow over soon and then it will be business as usual. Besides, what do they care? Those Apple products that you guys bought from Incredible Connection/Digicape etc were IMPORTED BY CORE anyways! And where are those resellers gonna get more stock from? From Core, LOL. Its not like anyone else is even ALLOWED to import Apple products into SA. Monopolies are so lame and there are LOTS on South Africa.

Guess Who Says:
May 18th, 2009 at 2:28 pm e

I worked for Core HQ. Most resellers really hate The Core Group. Makro, Hifi and IC, the are forced to do business with Core. Believe me, some people from Core are not welcome anymore at these Head Offices.
They lost TomTom, (google TomTom / Core South Africa,) there are law suits because they ruined the TT Business. Unfortunately they have Nintendo as well, this is going strong as far as I can see. Go to Apple Sandton, they are grey importers as Core will call them, believe me the offer good service and full warranty !

 

# Can this be? Says:
May 18th, 2009 at 11:46 am e

All this info is most disturbing. If CORE is the only Distributor in South Africa, but are also infiltrating the Retail market, where does their loyalty lie when it comes to stock allocations? Would this explain why at times the iStores have stock, but not the other Resellers? Can this be? Somehow this doesn’t seem right… Talk about a monopoly…

MAC GIRL Says:
May 18th, 2009 at 9:45 am e

I worked at the istore for 2 years and working for the core company was horrible. I believe that customer service is comes first! And to them it wasnt, it was the last thing.. they were more worried about what the store looks like than anything else.
I aggree with the earlier post…. the reason for lack of knowledge is staff leaving after 2-6 months cause the core company treat their staff like crap!!
When they are not happy with a staff member they will work that person out of the company in the most horrific ways!!NO MATTER IF YOU WERE ONE OF THEIR STAR EMPLOYEES!! they just dont give a shit! And yes.. they do have the resellers by the balls… as the resellers cant complain cause there is no point to complaining if you can only deal with them and no one else. I also aggree with another post that said they should stick to distrubuting… and stay as far away from the retail stores as possible…. the worst part is… they wont! they are trying to increase their footprint and opening up more stores…. the waterfront was the first store to open.. and it was suppose to be their blue print store…they promised they will perfect that store before opening any others… but they didnt… the waterfront store had so many issues but they continued to open more… (money hungry)…
not realizing they were hurting the brand by doing that…
there are so many wrongs i dont ever think there would be a right!

 

# budmoto Says:
May 15th, 2009 at 5:17 pm e

The Core Business Group…. little people with big money.

I worked there and realized I couldn’t stay on and keep my sanity so I left. Service is abysmal.
The manager there, Karen, is a great person and good at what she does but she relies on Core and you can only imagine what that is like.
Your best bet is to support DigiCape until they are strong enough to compete with Core for the rights to distribute Apple products in South Africa.

# NOT!!! Says:
May 15th, 2009 at 4:19 pm e

The sad thing is that Core have forgotten that their main business should be DISTRIBUTION (as the only authorized distributors of Apple in SA), but they are so busy trying to push the resellers out of the market, that they’re stuffing up the entire brand in this country. No stock, no service, no nothing…. Mac products are so over priced in SA – I guess all the profit goes into Core’s pockets, ’cause apparently the resellers ain’t making much on it…

 

# Minnaar Says:
May 12th, 2009 at 12:03 pm e

That store is a joke. With the recent rand instability I was once again surprised at the wonder that is Apple in SA.

I went in to buy a dock for my iPhone, and it had a printed price on its package of R399. When I reached the till they told me sorry, the price has increased to R470.

Now this I dont understand. If you have it in stock, how can the price change the moment I buy it?

Is there not some law against this?

Apple in South Africa is a joke – the computers are overpriced compared to overseas as well. Lets see how long they take to decrease the prices now that the rand is stronger.

 

# PaulMark Says:
May 12th, 2009 at 12:47 pm e

I am a Apple convert through and through. Great products and (internationally) great service.

Since returning from the UK I have been shocked by the Apple retail experience in SA. There is no official Apple retail presence in SA. The iStores (owned by Core) are the closest thing to it. Unfortunately they are poor imitations of the genuine article. To start with the products are completely overpriced. This is blamed on exchange rates but of course the prices never go down when the rate improves. The staff know next to nothing about the computers they are trying to sell and seem to have the attitude that they are actually doing you a favour!

Wish Apple would realise the damage that Core is doing to their reputation for good service and open their own official Apple retail store in SA.

Havent said all that I have had good experiences at Digicape. Prices still arent great (Core sets the prices) but at least their service seems pretty decent.

 

# Anonymous Says:
May 15th, 2009 at 5:41 pm e

I am a current iStore employee (I cannot say which store), and I just have to say that I fully agree with Seth.

While I consider myself and a select few of my colleagues to be great salespeople and very knowledgeable with Apple’s products and accessories, as well as the tech industry in general, the majority of employees are not.

The reason for this is that the turnover of staff is very high (the average period of employment is usually only a couple of months before they decide to leave) and as a result they don’t have time to be trained properly or gain experience.

In my opinion, the reason the staff turnover is so high is because Core treats their employees, to put it simply, like complete shit. They do not keep their promises, their demands are unrealistic and they are very stingy.

I really hope Apple enter the market in South Africa and open up one of their official retail stores. Employees like myself and a few of my colleagues will happily abandon Core to work for Apple, officially.

Regards,

Anonymous iStore employee.

And so it goes on..

For those of you who haven’t had a chance to peruse the comments sections – check the original article and the follow-up article.

With the comments section of our original Waterfront Apple Mac iStore article closing in on the 100 mark, Core’s non-response seems very much in line with those same comments.

And I doubt they aren’t aware of it. When the comments section includes responses from current and ex-employees, as well as the owner of the Claremont iStore and a Google number 1 result for the search phrase “waterfront apple mac,” one would think it had come to their attention.

Not enough..

This, from a current Waterfront iStore employee (featured in the comments section of the original article):

Anonymous Says:
May 15th, 2009 at 5:41 pm

I am a current iStore employee (I cannot say which store), and I just have to say that I fully agree with Seth.

While I consider myself and a select few of my colleagues to be great salespeople and very knowledgeable with Apple’s products and accessories, as well as the tech industry in general, the majority of employees are not.

The reason for this is that the turnover of staff is very high (the average period of employment is usually only a couple of months before they decide to leave) & as a result they don’t have time to be trained properly or gain experience.

In my opinion, the reason the staff turnover is so high is because Core treats their employees, to put it simply, like complete shit. They do not keep their promises, their demands are unrealistic and they are very stingy.

I really hope Apple enter the market in South Africa and open up one of their official retail stores. Employees like myself and a few of my colleagues will happily abandon Core to work for Apple, officially.

Regards,

Anonymous iStore employee.

Do yourself a favour and check out the rest of those comments . Out of a current 85 comments, there is ONE positive comment. ALL the rest are negative and most of them are directed at both the iStore and the SA distributors, Core.

Look, they’re consistent – I’ll give them that.

I am still a bit shell-shocked after my harrowing visit to the Waterfront this morning. I went to get some passport photographs and decided to pop into the Waterfront iStore shop who (I was under the impression) sell most Apple Mac products. I was looking for an iPod shuffle, as my normal iPod is too big to jog with, as is my iPhone. I just wanted a little one to hold my gym songs – you know, like Rihanna’s “Rehab” and The Pointer Sisters’ “Jump”!

The iStore shop at the Watefront
They don’t like selling Apple Mac products

So I cruised in and waited for a few minutes for anyone to notice me. I did two laps of honour, to be honest. there was one other customer in the shop and three members of staff – one of them helping that customer.

It was like something out of the movie Chopper. Those of you who have seen it will remember the scene in the prison when all the people in the cell deny having witnessed Chopper’s recent murder (which happened right next to them). “Well, officer, I missed it all – you see, I was washing my hands in the basin. And Jimmy was watching me wash my hands. And Bruce was watching Jimmy watch me wash my hands” etc etc.

You get the idea.

“Bradley” reluctantly decides to get involved and I explain to him that I need an iPod Shuffle. Cool, he says, as he gets me one from the display cupboard.

We go to the counter. I’m in a bit of a rush as I’m just here to get the iPod – I’m not looking for an experience or anything.

“Have you bought from us before?” he asks.

“I don’t know,” I answer. “Do you take American Express?”

“Yes we do. What is your surname please?”

I give him my surname.

“What is your first name.”

I give him my first name.

“Could I get your home address if that’s ok?” He gave me the option.

“Nah,” I said, “I’d prefer not to” as I looked around to see if the shop doubled up as a pharmacy – who have to by law get your details if you buy certain products.

“Okay,” said Bradley, “Can I have your phone number please.”

“I’d rather not give my phone number, bru. I just want to buy the iPod and move on with my life. Can I do that please?”

“We need your phone number” said Bradley.

“Can you not make the sale without my phone number?” I asked, bemused.

“No, I can’t,” he replied.

“I see. Do they sell these things next door at Incredible Connection?”

“Yes they do,” confirmed Bradley.

“Cool. Goodbye!” as I spun on my heel and went next door to Incredible Connection.

I did not walk fast and he made no attempt to stop me. I swear to God – it was QUITE bizarre.

They had the same unit there at Increidble Connection for EXACTLY the same price. And no-one asked me any questions to beef up any database and ruin my shopping experience. And even if they did, I DOUBT they would have denied me the purchase if I chose not to.

In and out – that is what MOST people want from their shopping experience.

Thank you Incredible Connection.

iStore – FAIL.

I won’t be going back anytime soon.

Have YOU had a drama with the iStore or Core, the company that owns it? Let us know by leaving a comment to this article.

Recent remarks on Twitter include:

iStore V&A is a joke Seth. This one “techie” dropped my iphone 3G trying to fit a iphone NON-3G case to it. (@charlformd)

Apple’s lack of official presence in SA allows the greed and incompetence of Core (iStore) to ruin it’s reputation 4 service (@paul_mark)

they can’t force you to give them your number!!! (@andrewfarr)