Apple has a repair problem in India, the world’s second largest smartphone market

“If Apple wants to own the smartphone market in India, it has more problems to solve than mere price, if you ask its customers there,” Pranav Dixit reports for BuzzFeed News. “Globally, Apple is renowned for top-notch customer service, but India is another story. Despite Apple’s long-held view that there are “huge opportunities there for us” in India, where it now has just 1% market share, fewer Indians are buying iPhones. And as the company struggles with slowing iPhone sales in China, its third largest market, rampant dissatisfaction with service options in India only complicates Apple’s problems overseas. ”
“Apple does not operate any stores in India, where government regulations stipulate that foreign retailers must get at least 30% of their manufacturing materials from vendors in the country. For Apple customers… the only option is third-party service providers — listed on Apple’s Indian website. There are two kinds: Apple premium resellers (which have large product showrooms) and Apple authorized service providers (smaller stores that may offer only service without a showroom),” Dixit reports. “Customers in India say these outlets often provide terrible service, can take weeks to complete minor repairs, and set their own policies when devices are out of warranty.”
“In the near term, Apple’s partners are preparing to open a number of “flagship” premium reseller stores that will, at the very least, be larger than ones in India today, although it’s not clear if that will smooth out service,” Dixit reports. “As for an actual Apple-owned store in India, the company declined to say when one could arrive.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Hopefully, with Ashish Chowdhary now leading India operations, Apple floundering around in that country will finally come to an end.
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