There is nothing worse than losing confidence. How do I feel when a product I've paid for and rely on has a problem? What's needed to make me feel comfortable again? In a market where I have lots of choice, at what point do I vote with my feet and choose another brand?

Dell has taken a hit. Is this directly related to "Dell Hell"?

Dell is doing something decisive about this and I have no doubt will come back even stronger. How much has falling customer satisfaction cost them? Is customer service now the key differentiator between the brands? Does Dell now recognize this with their incremental $150M investment into their support organization, and getting enthusiastic people like Richard to listen and react quickly to customer issues?

It's also a key point to understand that Dell has probably been delivering great service to a majority of customers throughout this time.

I'm frustrated that Apple hasn't taken up on the opportunity offered by our customers to address a confidence issue - MacBook random shut-downs:

- Dave Winer
- Doc Searls
- Scott McNulty
- Kevin Rose MacBook shut-down issues live on Diggnation Podcast (01:35 through 05:00)
- Liz at GigaOM
- Class Action suit

The list goes on and the conversation rages.

It doesn't matter that marketshare is up and user satisfaction surveys are strong. Dell had leading and growing marketshare and strong satisfaction survey results when "Dell Hell" started. For Dell, the market consequences have followed closely behind popular opinion, and are significant and no doubt painful.

How would I feel if I owned a MacBook with the random shut-down issue? Or was looking to buy one and saw the large amount of discussion on-line?

- I would want to know details of what the problem was and why it happened,
- I would want to know that the issue had been solved (or when it will be solved) and that new product available for purchase is unaffected,
- I would want a definitive plan so customers and the customer service organization had a clear process to consistently fix both the issue and my confidence,
- I would like to know that the business cared so any further issues would be dealt with, with my interests at heart.

Silence from Apple.

Is Apple addressing the MacBook random shut-down issue acceptably? Perhaps we have addressed the product issue acceptably, if not with 100% consistency.

In my opinion, Apple has done a poor job at addressing the confidence issue. Silence is an increasingly poor strategy. Popular opinion is influenced more and more by the conversations on-line (ref: Dell Hell and it's consequences). To the Apple exec, lack of confidence and poor popular opinion can be very costly. By choosing not to participate in these on-line conversations you lose any influence on the conversation. The amplification of the customer voice will only increase. Get involved. Bring  some value to the conversation. Innovate. Turn the support experience into differentiator. This is an opportunity.

Do you have a MacBook with the random shut-down issue? What could Apple have done better for you?