Apple developer support can be pretty unsupportive

While many of the complaints about how difficult it is to get an application approved for the iTunes Store have eased off, Apple can still be hopelessly unhelpful to developers. The story below was sent on to me by the developer involved – I’ve removed all identifying information, but the email exchange is otherwise unchanged. WARNING: What follows is not an example of useful customer relations.

Before you read this, bear in mind that they weren’t even trying to get an app approved here. This was just to enroll in the iOS Developer Program, so that apps could be tested and developed in the future. This is something that the developer was applying for as a paying customer – Apple would be getting money from this. And yet… well, read on. I’ve included the original email exchange below, with identifying information removed. But here’s a shorter version, paraphrased into a conversation:

Short version

Developer: Here’s our application for the Developer Support Programme.
Apple: Denied! The email address provided doesn’t match up with the name of the applicant. Now you need to go get a new email address and a new Apple ID and re-apply.
Developer: But… we’re a company. Email addresses aren’t just lying around on the ground. We need to get Infrastructure to create a new one for us. Look, your system actually allows us to change the name of the applicant. Can’t we just do that, so it matches the email address? It would just take a second…
Apple: No. Go and reapply from the start.

Long version

From: APPLE
To: DEVELOPER

Subject: iOS Developer Program

Dear Developer,

We are in the process of reviewing your iOS Developer Program enrollment information.

In reviewing your Company Enrollment application, I have found the following information:

Applicant Name: [NAME OF COMPANY]
Email: [EMAIL ADDRESS OF DEVELOPER]

Please note that applicants are required to register under their name and not company’s name or other invalid name. I have withdrawn your application and you can submit a new Enrollment Request with the applicants name.

Should you wish to enroll again for the Standard Program, please submit a new enrollment using a different Apple ID and email address than the ones used for your original enrollment. Before submitting your NEW Enrollment, please clear your browser’s cookies, cache and history, ensure that it is configured to accept all cookies, quit and restart your browser.

Once you have completed the new enrollment, please then contact us back with the NEW Enrollment ID so that we review the NEW application.

We hope that this information is useful to you. Please let us know if you have any questions regarding this information.

Best regards,
APPLE

From: DEVELOPER
To: APPLE

Hi,

Is it necessary that a brand new Apple ID and email address be created and used to continue this enrollment? As I was creating the application for a company which distributes unique email addresses to staff via the infrastructure department upon staff recruitment, creating a new address is not a trivial task.

Upon logging into the current Apple ID account I quickly discovered features to amend the accounts first and last name. Could this not simply be used to amend the details so that they adhere to signup policy?

Best,
Developer

From: APPLE
To: DEVELOPER

Dear Developer,

Thank you for your email.

As previously advised, it is not possible for us to change the applicant’s name. Please re-renroll with the correct details, using a new Apple ID and email address.

Thank you for your assistance.

Best regards,
Apple Developer Support

What we think?

This isn’t meant to be a scathing inside report or anything. It’s just an amusing look at how excessive bureaucracy turned “developer support” into something entirely unhelpful. This is a service that advertises itself as “the fastest path from code to customer”. I guess… unless you give the name of your company instead of your own name. Then you have to wait another week.