Apple's Solution to iPhone Reception Problem

Apple employees are told to say: "The iPhone 4 is the best we have ever shipped!"

Law firm Kershaw, Cutter & Ratinoff LLP is apparently preparing for a class-action lawsuit against Apple and is soliciting iPhone 4 customers to contact them about its' reception issues. This is the same law firm that went after Facebook, Zynga, MySpace, RockYou, and others for advertising scams.  The firm has asked: "If you recently purchased the new iPhone and have experienced poor reception quality, dropped calls and weak signals, we would like to hear from you," the Sacramento firm Kershaw, Cutter & Ratinoff LLP posted on its website. J.R. Parker, an attorney for the firm, told ABCNews.com that the firm had received hundreds of responses to its investigation notices.

At the same time, this is going on Steve Jobs is spinning his marketing and customer service teams into action to find the public perception war. Employees are told to say that the device's reception performance "is the best we have ever shipped" and that its critical antenna flaws are "a fact of life in the wireless world." Apple employees are told not to perform service on iPhones with these problems and instead to give customers a PR driven recitative instead. Also, while some folks have reported that using a bumper case prevents contact with the antenna band and preserves reception quality, AppleCare reps are being told to not give bumper cases to disgruntled users.

Here's the full text of the Apple employee document reported:

1. Keep all of the positioning statements in the BN handy -- your tone when delivering this information is important . . .

• The iPhone 4's wireless performance is the best we have ever shipped. Our testing shows that iPhone 4's overall antenna performance is better than iPhone 3GS.
• Gripping almost any mobile phone in certain places will reduce its reception. This is true of the iPhone 4, the iPhone 3GS, and many other phones we have tested. It is a fact of life in the wireless world.
• If you are experiencing this on your iPhone 3GS, avoid covering the bottom-right side with your hand.
• If you are experiencing this on your iPhone 4, avoid covering the black strip in the lower-left corner of the metal band.
• The use of a case or Bumper that is made out of rubber or plastic may improve wireless performance by keeping your hand from directly covering these areas.

2. Do not perform warranty service. Use the positioning above for any customer questions or concerns.

3. Don't forget YOU STILL NEED to probe and troubleshoot. If a customer calls about their reception while the phone is sitting on a table (not being held) it is not the metal band.

4. ONLY escalate if the issue exists when the phone is not held AND you cannot resolve it.

5. We ARE NOT appeasing customers with free bumpers -- DON'T promises a free bumper to customers.

I like to buy products from companies that have the integrity to admit problems when they exist and handle them appropriately.  Management teams are faced with difficult decisions every day and this one is turning out to be a PR nightmare similar to BP (British Petroleum).