- General
- May 26, 2019
- 5 minutes read
Ahrendts Rebuffs Criticisms Of Dwindling Customer Service At Apple
Ex-Apple retail chief Angela Ahrendts image: Apple Apple’s former retail chief Angela Ahrendts recently shunned and put down criticisms of declining…
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| Ex-Apple retail chief Angela Ahrendts
image: Apple
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Apple’s former retail chief Angela Ahrendts recently shunned and put down criticisms of declining customer service at Apple stores at an interview with Bloomberg TV at the C2 business conference in Montreal, Canada. This is just a while after she joined the board of Airbnb, serving as the company’s third independent non-affiliated board member alongside former American Express CEO Ken Chenault and former Pixar Studios CFO Ann Mather.
Tons of Apple customers have taken to customer forums, social media, and conversations with reporters to complain of dwindling customer service at Apple stores. This is important given that Apple stores are one of the company’s major revenue sources and make up a large part of its brand. Several current and former Apple employees have blamed the influx of complaints on a combination of factors including slipping quality of staff as Apple expanded rapidly, and stores having become mostly a branding exercise as opposed to serving mission customers.
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| An Apple store in London
image: Apple
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On the other hand, Ahrendts who departed Apple this April after five years as retail chief have rebuffed the criticisms. “I don’t read any of it, and none of it is based on fact, it’s everyone trying to find stories,” She said in a Bloomberg interview. “When I left, retention rates were at an all-time high, up over 20 points in the five years,” and customer loyalty scores “were at historic highs. Again, I know the facts,” Ahrendts said.
“With my five years, mission accomplished,” she also said. “We had a five-year plan, we executed to that five-year plan, and there’s a tremendous amount in the pipeline.” Ahrendts was previously CEO of Burberry from 2006-2013 before joining Apple. She was one of the highest paid executives at Apple, with a $26.5 million compensation package in 2018 and $73.4 million in 2014, her first year on the job.
The retail chief position at Apple is now occupied by Deirdre O’Brien, an Apple veteran who has been with the company for 30 years and also doubles as its human resources head.
