I’ve always found the people who work in Apple Stores to be incredibly helpful and, considering that their job is to sell you on expensive products, honest. One thing that’s never happened to me, however, is having an Apple Store employee suggest that I consider choosing a Samsung handset or Windows Phone over an Apple device.
But that’s exactly what happened the day that YouTube pranksters NelkFilmz dressed up as Apple employees and hit their local Apple Store, with the aim of selling Surfaces instead of iPads. They’re quickly weeded out by the real store employees, of course — at which point things just get awkward.
You can check the video out below.
Yes, it’s immature and more than a little silly, but you’ve got to give them props for trying — and for the genuine Apple Store employees taking it as well as they did.
Via: Irish Examiner
Luke Dormehl is a U.K.-based journalist and author, with a background working in documentary film for Channel 4 and the BBC. He is the author of The Apple Revolution and The Formula: How Algorithms Solve All Our Problems … and Create More, both published by Penguin/Random House. His tech writing has also appeared in Wired, Fast Company, Techmeme and other publications.
24 responses to “Fake Apple Store employees try to sell customers on Microsoft”
Pathetic POS. How low can they go?!
Its probably not worth Apples time, but I’d sue for the one guy they actually got to leave for lost revenue just to send a message.
Yeah, there’s no humor in this. Imagine pretending to be a salesman at a Mercedes dealer and recommending potential MB customers buy a Lexus instead.
I bet they were paid by Microsoft, it’s annoying that big companies try viral marketing nowadays.
You’d “bet” would you? Duuuh.
??
Actually Apple could press charges for criminal trespassing, but probably not worth the publicity.
Terrible stunt, not even close to funny with the way it was done. I feel bad for the customer and the Apple staff. Any prank like this should end up a ‘coming clean’ step and opposed to walking out saying ‘I quit’ which made it even more distasteful. I feel most sorry for the customer who were cheated on their experience, if they’d come clean at the end the customer could have been recovered. I’d have no problem if Apple wanted to see these guys charged (and the same thing if anyone did this in a Microsoft or Samsung store).
It was funny. It’d be more funny if they knew what products MS was actually selling (Lumia phones, Surface tablets/laptops for example)
That said – I wonder if they did to check the legality to make sure that they can’t get sued by Apple.
They forgot to wear the badges.
Idiots….
Best Stupid Video I ever seen… Microsucks!!!!!!
They could have been a lot more subtle and funny. It was too much college humour and odd.
While the guy is lying to the customer he says “I’d never lie to you”? What a dick.
One of the STUPIDEST videos I ever watched, just lost 5 minutes of my life I can never get back.
Really? Thats their idea of a joke? I am impressed by the restraint the real employees showed. I am positive the jokers could go to prison for doing that. This is no different than wearing a lab coat and impersonating a hospital employee. Thats not funny is it?
This ranks right up there with the idiots who bent (destroyed) iPhones, filmed in Apple Stores and posted. All in the hopes of going viral on YouTube, of course that could mean making thousands for a stunt.
Since they definitely stand to gain money out of this, they should be prosecuted,
This is almost exactly the experience when you try to buy a windows phone. The sales men try to talk you out of it (and they have never used one) Except they don’t quit. They are probably rewarded for switching you from a Microsoft product to android….
If that greedy eugenecist, Bill Gates, ever gets another penny from me it’s because he picked my pocket.
They forgot to bend some iPhones while they were there…FW’s
Haters gonna hate.
Maybe – just maybe – if he like, y’no like, like ab-so-lootly asked his “friends” if like they saw the latest like Harry Potter movie – dooooooooooooood. (Derrrrrrrrrr) Anyone for a swim?
I thought Cult of Mac was better than this!!!
Normally informative and engaging – you’ve apparently stooped to a low by posting this story.
Suddenly, this site is just, well, disappointing!
To use the fodder demonstrated in the video…..”I quit” (as a reader and follower)
Wow. Microsoft is desperate enough to pull this sad stunt to try to use Apple’s mindshare for their own publicity? Wonder where they got the idea? They must be close to having to announce even bigger losses than anyone imagined. Samsung will probably pick up these talented artists for themselves and retool this gag by trying to send them to their original, we thought this up ourselves, Samsung stores.