I have to agree with you. I've tried phone support with other brands and it's been terrible. With Apple, I can take a 20 minute drive and speak with somebody w

I have to agree with you. I've tried phone support with other brands and it's been terrible. With Apple, I can take a 20 minute drive and speak with somebody who is knowledgeable, polite and actually able to authorise almost anything on the spot, even if it's not exactly in line with policy. Point in case, my brother's MacBook battery died about a month out of (non-AppleCare) warranty. The genius did some diagnostics and replaced the battery for free.