Customer Service

They came for new iPads. Others for a date with a Genius. Some were wide-eyed first-timers, many were well-known regulars. Hundreds of people coursed through the Apple Store on Boylston Street on March 17 - one day after the computer-maker released its latest tablet - in a buzz of consumer euphoria that has helped the company create one of the world's most profitable retail empires, which hit $14 billion in sales last year. The Globe was given a rare inside look into how the Apple Store works, and how some of its 36,000 employees spread across 363 stores worldwide are helping to change...

A study of customer satisfaction at the Big 4 wireless carriers finds no significant difference between them. That's because of improvements in customer service at Sprint Nextel Corp. and AT&T Inc. The American Customer Satisfaction Index puts Sprint, AT&T, T-Mobile USA and Verizon Wireless within 2 points of each other on a 100-point scale of customer satisfaction. That's the smallest spread since the survey started looking at all four companies in 2005. It's also within the margin of error at plus or minus three points.

Friendly's Ice Cream LLC leader Harsha V. Agadi is expected today to resign as chairman and chief executive of the troubled chain, and the company's chief marketing officer is also leaving in several weeks. The leadership shake-up comes one month after the Wilbraham restaurant business emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Agadi, who joined Friendly's in August 2010 and invested his own money in the company, will remain on the board. Friendly's chief operating officer, James M. Parrish, is stepping in today as interim chief executive as Friendly's searches for a permanent successor.

Upscale retailer Nordstrom Inc. said its first-quarter net income rose a slim 2.7 percent as it spent more on free shipping and other initiatives that boosted sales but squeezed its profit margin. The earnings fell short of Wall Street expectations, and the department store chain's shares fell more than 5 percent in after-hours trading Thursday evening following the report. Sales have rebounded since late 2009 for Nordstrom and many other luxury retailers as well-heeled shoppers have gotten more comfortable with splurging again, despite the vagaries of the stock markets.

NEW YORK - Software company Oracle Corp. said yesterday that it is buying RightNow Technologies Inc. for about $1.5 billion so it can offer a broader range of software and services that help businesses manage customer service. Oracle is offering $43 per share for the tech service company from Bozeman, Mont. That is a 19.6 percent premium over RightNow's closing price of $35.96 on Friday. Yesterday, RightNow's stock rose $6.98, or 19.41 percent, to $42.94 on the Nasdaq. RightNow's board has agreed to the deal which is subject to shareholder approval.

I am so used to bad service and rude behavior and having to cajole people who work in customer service or the hospitality business to be hospitable to me, that it's all just part of an average day. I walk into a shoe store and the saleswoman doesn't say hello, doesn't ask, "May I help you," doesn't even look at me. I should walk out, but I don't. I find what I need, approach the cash register, and say, "I'm all set. " And she takes my credit card, puts the shoes in a bag, and without ever making eye contact, mumbles, "Have a good day. " Typical non-interaction.

Consumers are demanding better service in unprecedented ways. Public outrage has helped beat back efforts by Bank of America, Netflix, and Verizon to raise fees or alter services. Consumers are tapping into social media to air their frustrations. "In the past people would be angry, but they'd be all over the country talking to their neighbors," said Kit Yarrow, a professor at Golden Gate University. "Now they can connect online and have power. " For example, petitions on Change.org were instrumental in convincing Bank of America and Verizon to forgo new fees.

SALEM, N.H. - If you ever wondered where your old cable box goes when you turn it in, the answer is here: a big new facility built by Comcast Corp. to process returned consumer equipment and, the cable giant hopes, reduce customer complaints. The 135,000-square-foot plant processes set-top boxes, modems, and voice equipment. The mission is to make sure the equipment works the way it's supposed to when it is sent to a new customer's home. The facility opened earlier this year but became fully operational only in recent weeks - just in time for the fall...

Q. I am hoping that I can get some assistance with resolving a complete nightmare I am having with Comcast. At the beginning of the month, I called Comcast, told them I was moving to a new house, and asked for my services to be terminated at the end of the month. Three days later, even though I had prepaid for weeks, everything was disconnected. I tried three times to get someone on the phone to help, but was cut off three times. I was told my old service offer expired and that I could reconnect at a higher rate, and it would...

After just a day of heated complaints by angry consumers on social networking sites, Verizon Wireless last week shelved plans to charge customers a $2 fee to pay their bills with credit or debit cards. Despite the outrage over Verizon's "convenience fees," similar charges are almost everywhere. Such fees are routinely imposed by telecommunications providers, electric utilities, lenders, schools, and government agencies on consumers who pay bills with plastic or get help from customer service employees.

At 7 feet 8 inches, Igor Vovkovinskiy has to have clothes custom-made for him. It may take a while, but eventually he gets shirts, pants, even socks that fit him. But shoes are another matter. For years, Vovkovinskiy has had to put up with ill-fitting shoes that have led to serious medical problems with his feet and legs. Even after numerous surgeries, Vovkovinskiy is often in such pain that he rarely goes outside. But on Thursday, the 29-year-old Minnesota resident - the Guinness Book of World Records says he is the tallest man in the United States - ended a painful odyssey when he lumbered across the lobby...

At 7 feet 8 inches, Igor Vovkovinskiy has to have clothes custom-made for him. It may take a while, but eventually he gets shirts, pants, even socks that fit him. But shoes are another matter. For years, Vovkovinskiy has had to put up with ill-fitting shoes that have led to serious medical problems with his feet and legs. Even after numerous surgeries, Vovkovinskiy is often in such pain that he rarely goes outside. But on Thursday, the 29-year-old Minnesota resident — the Guinness Book of World Records says he is the tallest man in...

Sorry for the inconvenience. United Airlines is experiencing technical difficulties. That was the story in the first quarter for the world's biggest airline. It lost $448 million as computer difficulties delayed flights, hurt bookings and frustrated passengers. A growing fuel bill didn't help. And travel is usually weak in the first three months of the year. To passengers, CEO Jeff Smisek apologized for poor customer service. To investors, he said the hiccups are mostly over and the computer integration that caused them should lead to more profits in the future.

With the arrival of spring, visitors to Plymouth's downtown and waterfront must feed the meters or get ticketed. This year, however, that task will be less painful thanks to new parking pay stations that accept MasterCard and Visa. The goal is to improve customer service by providing equipment that is easy to use and contains more options, according to the Plymouth Growth and Development Corporation, the agency that oversees parking. Paid parking is in effect from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, with no exceptions.

They came for new iPads. Others for a date with a Genius. Some were wide-eyed first-timers, many were well-known regulars. Hundreds of people coursed through the Apple Store on Boylston Street on March 17 - one day after the computer-maker released its latest tablet - in a buzz of consumer euphoria that has helped the company create one of the world's most profitable retail empires, which hit $14 billion in sales last year. The Globe was given a rare inside look into how the Apple Store works, and how some of its 36,000 employees spread across 363 stores worldwide are helping to change shopping...

NStar has opened an information center at the Boston Public Library to provide information to customers affected by last week's Back Bay power outages, and by 5 p.m. fewer than a dozen people had arrived. One of those who came to discuss issues related to the outage was Franco Marzo, 45, the manager of Emack & Bolio's ice cream shop on Charles Street. He said the store lost a sizable sum, though less than $12,000, during the outage and was none too pleased about the company's insistence that it would not reimburse businesses for lost inventory, especially since...

A study of customer satisfaction at the Big 4 wireless carriers finds no significant difference between them. That's because of improvements in customer service at Sprint Nextel Corp. and AT&T Inc. The American Customer Satisfaction Index puts Sprint, AT&T, T-Mobile USA and Verizon Wireless within 2 points of each other on a 100-point scale of customer satisfaction. That's the smallest spread since the survey started looking at all four companies in 2005. It's also within the margin of error at plus or minus three points.