If you’re the type of person that absolutely detests the customer support calls, Apple’s newly released Express Lane might be just what you’re looking for. Apple has released a new online portal that lets you narrow down your support problems, and then contact the appropriate departments to address your hardware issues.
There’s been rumours that Apple’s been working on revamping their discussion board into something a little more intuitive, and while we don’t think Express Lane is that answer, it certainly does help to keep support claims in order. It also seems like another attempt at shilling some more Apple Care, but that’s to be expected.
If you don’t have Apple Care, Express Lane lets you know it before serving up your contact options, in step two actually, right after inputting your serial number and picking your support category. So if you plan on getting around purchasing Apple Care by using Express Lane, you’re out of luck. You’ll be asked to pay a one time fee, register for Apple Care, or apply for an exception based on predefined scenarios.
Express Lane incorporates some interesting features that will make your customer support experience a little less of a headache. You have the ability to track down appropriate contact information for your problem, as well as look up previous cases that have been discussed with customer support. That last one is a huge game changer. Ever since making the switch to Media Temple, I’ve found myself wishing all of the companies that I regularly converse with regarding problems would have a way for me to look through customer support notes that are left on my account. Apple’s done that, and now the process is a little more transparent.
While we can’t speak for the entirety of the service, as we don’t have any hardware problems undergoing support currently, Express Lane is going to be a major benefit to people trying to solve their technical problems, so long as you have Apple Care, or you’re willing to dish out for a one time fee to get your problems addressed.
