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Apple Ending 'Joint Venture' Program for Business Customers Next Month

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Apple this week announced that its "Joint Venture" program will be ending on February 22, 2021. In an email, shared by MacRumors reader Ben, Apple said existing members will continue to have full access to the program through this date.

apple business customers
Launched in 2011, the Joint Venture program provided business customers who purchased a Mac, iPhone, or iPad with priority technical support, training on Apple products and services, and setup assistance for up to five Apple systems. The program had an annual fee that started at $499, and additional systems could be covered for $99 each.

Joint Venture essentially provided outsourced IT for small and medium-sized businesses that needed greater support and service than standard Genius Bar appointments and AppleCare telephone support. Fortunately, businesses can still receive priority technical support by purchasing AppleCare Help Desk Support, which provides two designated contacts with unlimited support incidents for Apple hardware and software for $499 per year.

Apple says existing Joint Venture customers will receive a prorated refund for any remaining portion of their membership.

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Top Rated Comments

AngerDanger Avatar
AngerDanger
72 months ago
This is going to be a huge blow to people who enjoy looking at paperwork while sitting in front of Macs. :(



Attachment Image
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
newyorksole Avatar
newyorksole
72 months ago
If you worked within Apple Retail around 2008-2011ish you remember how annoying of a metric Joint Venture was Lol. Couldn’t sell that or MobileMe to save my life!

It won’t be missed. (Well, I guess by some it will be)
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
typecase Avatar
typecase
72 months ago
I loved having support that came to your business to fix this. I had them fix our Mac Pro on site and replace the logic board. Sucks that no support option like this is now available.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CWallace Avatar
CWallace
72 months ago

Timmy cheaping out to line his pockets further. Surprise surprise
If it was making Apple good money, they wouldn't be cancelling it.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
B
Brian Y
72 months ago

If you worked within Apple Retail around 2008-2011ish you remember how annoying of a metric Joint Venture was Lol. Couldn’t sell that or MobileMe to save my life!

It won’t be missed. (Well, I guess by some it will be)
Absolutely - although my memories of it were from behind the bar. Despite pushing it to no end, and one of the promises being a loaner machine, they never allocated us any machines to give to joint venture customers!

From what I recall, every time one came in that needed a loaner, we needed to basically move a retail unit to the ISU bucket then RTW it when it came back, as we weren't allowed to give it to another customer for "data protection" reasons - long before GDPR!
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
G
Groovemaster17
72 months ago
Ah yes! I was the designated Joint Venture Creative during 2013-2014. What a joke.

To think that we could support small to mid-size business from the confines of retail is laughable. Unless you were supporting a one-person photography 'company', the whole thing was way out of it's league.

Funny story- I once had a JV customer come in for support at the Genius Bar on a busy Saturday afternoon, and the manager on the floor told me it would be 'tough' to fit them in. Uhm... that's the point of the membership- priority appointments.

Nice try, Apple.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
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