The owner of The Apple Shop, a cider store located in a small village in Norfolk, England has decided to change the name of his business after becoming tired of receiving calls from disgruntled iPhone and iPad owners.
Store owner Geoff Fisher said he’s been getting up to 24 calls a week from Apple customers experiencing issues with their various devices.
When Geoff’s Apple Shop opened in 1993, the iPhone and iPad was presumably little more than a seed of an idea in the mind of Steve Jobs. But since the Cupertino company’s mobile devices hit the market, Fisher said he’s been having to field an increasing number of calls from people thinking they were speaking to an employee of the tech company.
He said the situation became a whole lot worse four years ago when Apple opened a store in the nearby city of Norwich. The sudden increase in the number of telephone inquiries to his business from Apple customers was put down to the fact that the two companies appear side by side in the local telephone book.
“I’ve had complaints about broken iPods and dropped iPads and Apple Macs,” Geoff told the BBC this week. “It can be very funny, but some people are very rude and they slam the phone down.”
The cider seller says he usually tries to have fun with the situation, politely telling callers he can’t help them while suggesting they “come along and get some proper Norfolk cider to get over your sorrows.”
He said that in the 20 years since he opened the store, Apple hasn’t once contacted him to ask him to change the name. But since he’s been getting more calls, he’s decided it’s time to bring an end to the confusion, and will shortly change the name of his business to The Norfolk Cider Shop.
