Tim Cook's apology to Chinese customers fully translated, published online
A translated version of Apple CEO Tim Cook's apology letter to Chinese customers over apparent after-sales service concerns was published on Thursday, giving deeper insight into the tech giant's tactics in the region.
Translated by Forbes contributor Laura He, Cook's letter apologizes for "misunderstandings" regarding Apple's warranty policies, while announcing new iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S repair initiatives specifically designed for China.
As noted by He, Apple did not make an English version of the letter available, saying it was meant only for the Chinese market.
Selected portions of the translation:
Dear Chinese consumers:
Over the past two weeks, we have received a lot of feedback about Appleâs repair and warranty policy in China. We have made a profound reflection on these opinions, studied Chinaâs âThree Guaranteesâ regulations together with government authorities, examined how we communicate about our repair policy, and checked our management practice for Appleâs authorized service providers. We are aware that insufficient communications during this process has led to the perception that Apple is arrogant and disregard, or pays little attention to, consumer feedback. We express our sincere apologies for any concern or misunderstanding arising therefrom.
[â¦]
Meanwhile, we also realize that we still have a lot to learn on operating and communicating in China. Here, we assure you, Apples commitment and enthusiasm for China is not different than any other country. Our ideal is to give the best user experience and customer satisfaction, even more it is our promise. It has been deeply rooted in Appleâs corporate culture. We will make unremitting efforts to achieve this goal.
[â¦]
We realize that our website didnât clarify the policy before. We hope the following statement can answer all the questions about the service provided by Apple.
Apple is making greater efforts to ensure Appleâs service providers to follow our policies and endeavor to offer consumers the highest quality service.
[â¦]
We will make unremitting efforts and continuous monitoring of Appleâs authorized service providers to make sure consumers get the highest quality service.
Now, itâs convenient to give feedback on service-related issues.
[â¦]
We give our heartfelt thanks to everyone for valuable feedback. We always bear immense respect for China and the Chinese consumers are always our priority among priorities.
Tim Cook
Apple CEO
Cook issued the letter, which was subsequently posted to the homepage of Apple's Chinese website, came after state-run media outlets lambasted the company for allegedly nefarious warranty practices. One day after the apology was posted, those same publications, as well as the Chinese Foreign Ministry, heaped praise on Apple for taking accountability.
17 Comments
[quote name="AppleInsider" url="/t/156825/tim-cooks-apology-to-chinese-customers-fully-translated-published-online#post_2305469"]Meanwhile, we also realize that we still have a lot to learn on operating and communicating in China. Here, we assure you, Apple?s commitment and enthusiasm for China is not different than any other country. Our ideal is to give the best user experience and customer satisfaction, even more it is our promise. It has been deeply rooted in Apple?s corporate culture. We will make unremitting efforts to achieve this goal.[/quote] Not a bad letter, but this part should have been worded differently. There is still a mentality in China that they count more than anyone else. Treating them "no differently than any other country" is a step down for that culture.
But no change to the whole 'replace with new phone and not just replace some parts' which they claimed is different than the rest of the world (it isn't). They are still doing modular repairs. And no mention of the iPhone 5, is it not sold in China?
!? Probably not, I think.
By necessity every company has to offer a slightly different experience in every country they operate in. I'm sure Apple strives to provide a uniform, excellent experience, but the culture, expectations, laws, business practices, and expectations are different everywhere. That's why Apples prices, policy, and practices can vary somewhat in every country.
I'm curious why there are so many ellipses in this translation. I wanted to see those parts. Is it just that the translator though Google Translate did a good enough translation on those parts?
I f?ind this trans?lation ques?tionable.