Apple: The Case of the Missing Logout Button

Yesterday I was visiting Apple’s online store and upon leaving the website realized that it shared something in common with the Hotel Califo
ia. “You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave!”

After ten minutes of playing “Where’s Waldo?” in search of the logout button, I sought out the “Geek Squad” a.k.a. my husband, the “IT Professional”. “Honey,” I asked, “where is the logout button on the Apple store website?” He immediately shot me a look as if to say you have got to be kidding! “I’m not kidding,” I said. “I can’t find it anywhere.”

Fully anticipating that he would be able to resolve this issue in a jiffy, he confidently took hold of my wireless mouse and began scrolling through the page. “Hmmm…..that’s odd. I don’t see it either” he said. On that note I did the unthinkable…Yes, I called Apple’s technical support number.

As the phone began ringing I kept trying to think of a way I could ask the technical consultant the whereabouts of their website logout button without sounding as if I was “intellectually challenged”. “Hi, my name is Anne Fellegy, and I am going to ask you the dumbest question that you will be asked all day. Where is the logout button on your website?” There was a long pause and what sounded like crickets chirping in the background. “Excuse me, but did you ask me where the logout button is?” I swallowed hard and responded by saying “yes, I am requesting your technical expertise with locating the logout button for your website.”

After being placed on hold for what seemed like an ete
ity, it occurred to me that maybe I hadn’t asked such a dumb question after all. While I waited, I started to search the Internet to see if anyone else was experiencing the same problem. I found out in a hurry that I was most certainly not alone!
“Ms. Fellegy, are you still there?” “Yes, I’m here.” “After checking with my colleagues we have concluded that there is no logout button on our website. I completely understand why this would make you uneasy, being that your credit card information is stored and I assure you that the matter will be looked into…”

Wow! How does a successful company like Apple forget to include a logout button on their website? If I have learned anything from this experience, it is this…There really is no such thing as a dumb question!