Someone at Apple really needs to correct the interface coding so that customers do not have to already own (or have access to) a Mac in order to use the web to activate and sign up for One to One.
The day after purchasing our first Mac (an Air) we got your email saying "Time to activate your One to One membership." A couple days later, when the CPU had just shipped and we knew the expected arrival date, we decided to try to activate the One to One so we could begin to learn how to use our machine most effectively from the start. The text of Apple's email assured us that "You're one step away from getting started with One to One" and "Thank you for joining One to One. Please activate your membership online".
However, when I clicked the blue "Activate now" button from both Firefox and Safari on Windows XP Pro SP3, I was directed to a page with the URL
https://onetoone.apple.com/services/membership/activationLanding?activationCode=_##############_
which contained a One to One text box requesting that I must "Please use a Mac or iPad to access your One to One webpage."
You have GOT to be kidding! This is our first Mac. After all the Sales Pitches about how easy-to-use, thoughtfully designed, and compatible a Mac is, our first introduction as Owners is the experience of the implicit position that "We are a proprietary and incompatible platform, and this will NOT be easy."
So rather than just signing up online, we already had a technical support issue for a machine not yet in our hands. Customer telephone support personnel looked into the matter and let us know that they could not help us, and suggested we call a local retail store. They kindly provided us with the number for that store and suggested the we ask for a "genius" or a "store manager". When we called the store the helpful robo-support expediter informed us that a genius is only accessible online, so "please visit us at www.blahblahblah". We asked for the store manager. After waiting a few minutes, another helpful person got on and listened to our issue. However, they could not help us over the phone and suggested that we go to www.blahblahblah, sign up for a "genius" appointment, then drive to the retail store at the mall to activate the One to One we have paid $100 for in order to learn how to use our "easy-to-use, thoughtfully designed, and compatible Mac" that we hope to receive next week.
Brilliant.
As a first time Mac customer, I'm beginning to feel like I just made a $2000 mistake.
I'm not sure how many of your other previous first-time Mac customers who purchase One to One have felt as I do trying to activate One to One,
but it will be up to you to decide how many future first-time customers will.
BTW, our "genius" got us activated for One to One, and signed up for a personal appt, and showed us "our personal One-to-One website" at https://onetoone.apple.com/ on his Mac Air.
There, we can get manuals, do some preliminary research, etc.
So, since I’m already signed up I tried to log into "our website" this morning from my XP Machine:
"Please use a Mac or iPad to access your One to One webpage."
Brilliant.
The day after purchasing our first Mac (an Air) we got your email saying "Time to activate your One to One membership." A couple days later, when the CPU had just shipped and we knew the expected arrival date, we decided to try to activate the One to One so we could begin to learn how to use our machine most effectively from the start. The text of Apple's email assured us that "You're one step away from getting started with One to One" and "Thank you for joining One to One. Please activate your membership online".
However, when I clicked the blue "Activate now" button from both Firefox and Safari on Windows XP Pro SP3, I was directed to a page with the URL
https://onetoone.apple.com/services/membership/activationLanding?activationCode=_##############_
which contained a One to One text box requesting that I must "Please use a Mac or iPad to access your One to One webpage."
You have GOT to be kidding! This is our first Mac. After all the Sales Pitches about how easy-to-use, thoughtfully designed, and compatible a Mac is, our first introduction as Owners is the experience of the implicit position that "We are a proprietary and incompatible platform, and this will NOT be easy."
So rather than just signing up online, we already had a technical support issue for a machine not yet in our hands. Customer telephone support personnel looked into the matter and let us know that they could not help us, and suggested we call a local retail store. They kindly provided us with the number for that store and suggested the we ask for a "genius" or a "store manager". When we called the store the helpful robo-support expediter informed us that a genius is only accessible online, so "please visit us at www.blahblahblah". We asked for the store manager. After waiting a few minutes, another helpful person got on and listened to our issue. However, they could not help us over the phone and suggested that we go to www.blahblahblah, sign up for a "genius" appointment, then drive to the retail store at the mall to activate the One to One we have paid $100 for in order to learn how to use our "easy-to-use, thoughtfully designed, and compatible Mac" that we hope to receive next week.
Brilliant.
As a first time Mac customer, I'm beginning to feel like I just made a $2000 mistake.
I'm not sure how many of your other previous first-time Mac customers who purchase One to One have felt as I do trying to activate One to One,
but it will be up to you to decide how many future first-time customers will.
BTW, our "genius" got us activated for One to One, and signed up for a personal appt, and showed us "our personal One-to-One website" at https://onetoone.apple.com/ on his Mac Air.
There, we can get manuals, do some preliminary research, etc.
So, since I’m already signed up I tried to log into "our website" this morning from my XP Machine:
"Please use a Mac or iPad to access your One to One webpage."
Brilliant.