Apple dont appear to know where Ireland is!!!!

dub45

Anyone else get an email telling them that ''the Itunes music store is here''

''Presenting a whole new way to experience music.
The iTunes Music Store has arrived in the UK. Now, whether you're on a Mac or a Windows PC, you can buy your favourite music right from your desktop. Change the way you listen to music: if you don't yet have the latest version of iTunes*, download it today.

Buy music for just £0.79 inc VAT per song.
iTunes comes with the iTunes Music Store built in, so you can shop for and download your favourite music with just a click. With over 700,000 songs and growing, the iTunes Music Store has what you are looking for. ''

Its not that I am super patriotic or anything but surely Apple should know better than to advise its Irish customers that the Apple Store is now available in the UK?

flywheel

as Apple opened their plant in Cork in 1980 'they' are well aware of where Ireland is

looks like someone may have pulled the wrong mailing lists to target, unless your address has made it's way onto a UK based one?

dub45

I have no doubt that they are aware where Ireland is.

I doubt though that they would write to their German customers telling them that something was available now if it was available only in France.

It is just laziness and dare I say it contempt on their part for a small country - they just cant be bothered to get it right.

If you buy something from the Apple store they direct you to an order status page which does not work for Irish customers because we dont have a zip code.

I have pointed this out to Apple reps on several occasions but of course we are just a little country.

flywheel

Originally posted by dub45
It is just laziness and dare I say it contempt on their part for a small country - they just cant be bothered to get it right.

laziness of the individual who selected/built the mailing lists to use perhaps, but to accuse a company of contempt because you were sent an email is kinda OTT

if you go the the http://www.apple.com/ie/ site for Ireland you can see it is for UK & Ireland... can be common enough for large companies to either merge or have the Irish site as an extension of the UK one (we are but a small market) - take a look at the http://www.microsoft.com/ireland site - you can easily end up being linked to the UK site for content - or http://www.sonyericsson.com doesn't even include Ireland

looks like you may have quite a project on your hands to get a 'Republic of Ireland' web site / content from all the global corporations - but good luck if you decide to take it on

robbie1876

That Sony Ericcson site really irritates me. I had been thinking of buying one of their phones, but it annoyed me so much I bought a Nokia instead. No response from them regarding the mail I sent explaining this.

luckat

I buy Apple stuff because they make good stuff. But if I were choosing between an Apple gadget and an equally appealing gadget that was made by another company, this kind of discourtesy would make me choose the other company's product.

Bad marketing, rude and basically stupid.

If someone sends this out on some of the more nationalistic Irish-American maillists it would be a black mark for Apple - remember the time all the Irish-Americans were pouring away their Northern-Ireland-made whiskey and swearing never to buy the brand again because some idiot CEO made some anti-Irish comment?

dub45

Originally posted by DubWireless
laziness of the individual who selected/built the mailing lists to use perhaps, but to accuse a company of contempt because you were sent an email is kinda OTT

if you go the the http://www.apple.com/ie/ site for Ireland you can see it is for UK & Ireland... can be common enough for large companies to either merge or have the Irish site as an extension of the UK one (we are but a small market) - take a look at the http://www.microsoft.com/ireland site - you can easily end up being linked to the UK site for content - or http://www.sonyericsson.com doesn't even include Ireland

looks like you may have quite a project on your hands to get a 'Republic of Ireland' web site / content from all the global corporations - but good luck if you decide to take it on

Where did I ask for a special site for Ireland? Would Apple email people in France telling them that something was available to them when it was only available in Germany? Most unlikely and why? Because they would know better - are we not entitled to the same courtesy?

flywheel

Originally posted by dub45
Where did I ask for a special site for Ireland? Would Apple email people in France telling them that something was available to them when it was only available in Germany?

i was trying to highlight that their internet operations cover the two territories UK & Ireland together, so having two territories merged can lead to content (incl. emails) being mixed... having a dedicated site for Ireland with content produced for it alone you would unlikely get any UK specific content

if i got the email, rather than feeling i was being treated with 'contempt' or it was an affront to my Irish heritage - i'd just unsubscribe or delete it

Originally posted by dub45
Would Apple email people in France telling them that something was available to them when it was only available in Germany?

well as the email to people in France would have been written in French it's doubtful they would have written one about German specific services, as the UK & Ireland both speak English it would be easier for UK content to be sent here - as demonstrated by the email you got

BrianG

dub45

Originally posted by DubWireless
i was trying to highlight that their internet operations cover the two territories UK & Ireland together, so having two territories merged can lead to content (incl. emails) being mixed... having a dedicated site for Ireland with content produced for it alone you would unlikely get any UK specific content

if i got the email, rather than feeling i was being treated with 'contempt' or it was an affront to my Irish heritage - i'd just unsubscribe or delete it



well as the email to people in France would have been written in French it's doubtful they would have written one about German specific services, as the UK & Ireland both speak English it would be easier for UK content to be sent here - as demonstrated by the email you got

BrianG

I do not care how many territories a website covers that is their decision. By ignoring the email people would be allowing them to continue with their contempt laziness and rudeness. And I never said it was an affront to my Irish heritage please have the courtesy not to put words into my mouth.

And I am aware there is a difference in the language which German and French people speak. My point is that Apple should be aware of where their customers live and show some respect for that fact - simple as that.

They never have any problem charging Irish prices!

flywheel

not sure why you're taking it out on me i was only 'trying' to give some possible reasons why the mix-up happened

Originally posted by dub45
And I never said it was an affront to my Irish heritage please have the courtesy not to put words into my mouth.

i never said you did - that was aimed at luckat's post above yours

anyhow i'll step out of this thread (that i was only trying offer an explanation in), as you just seem to be looking for a target to argue with

BrianG

Maoltuile

Originally posted by dub45
I do not care how many territories a website covers that is their decision. By ignoring the email people would be allowing them to continue with their contempt laziness and rudeness. And I never said it was an affront to my Irish heritage please have the courtesy not to put words into my mouth.

The problem is not with "Apple", but "Apple UK". Calling a spade a spade, a lot of English people *do* regard us as an inexplicably wayward part of 'Britain'.

And I am aware there is a difference in the language which German and French people speak. My point is that Apple should be aware of where their customers live and show some respect for that fact - simple as that.

They never have any problem charging Irish prices!

Adobe UK do... (anyone else at that big Creative Suite event in Dublin a while back, where they put up sterling prices on the screen? <cringe>)

dub45

Originally posted by Maoltuile
The problem is not with "Apple", but "Apple UK". Calling a spade a spade, a lot of English people *do* regard us as an inexplicably wayward part of 'Britain'.



Adobe UK do... (anyone else at that big Creative Suite event in Dublin a while back, where they put up sterling prices on the screen? <cringe>)

The problem is with Apple thats what I am writing about.

Maoltuile

Originally posted by dub45
The problem is with Apple thats what I am writing about.

"Apple" outside the US is composed of national offices.

The point I am trying to make (before you snapped my head off) is that this is a general problem with multinational corporations who have given responsibility for their Irish operations to their UK office.

dub45

Originally posted by Maoltuile
"Apple" outside the US is composed of national offices.

The point I am trying to make (before you snapped my head off) is that this is a general problem with multinational corporations who have given responsibility for their Irish operations to their UK office.

So you confirm my point the problem is with Apple - the fact that iit may be a general problem does not in any way justify it. It is up to Apple to know where their customers are.

kevmac

Have to say that getting those emails with Sterling prices from Apple annoys me as well.

It's all about professionalism.

ZENER

Just got one too ! - I'm often annoyed when sites want a postcode and wont let you any further unless you have one

ZEN

PS 1000th post Yippee

ZEN

flywheel

Originally posted by robbie1876
No response from them regarding the mail I sent explaining this.

looks like they have sorted it, someone posted this over in the Mobiles / PDAs board: Sony Ericsson discover a new country!

BrianG