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Cj of Berkeley CA (07/18/08)
I find it not so coincidental that someone else described the same problem I recently have had with my 30GB iPod classic. My iPod had just reached around 1400 songs too when I got an error message that shows an iPod with a sad/dead face (an exclamation mark, upside down triangular side also appears in the bottom left portion of the image). Unfortunately, my iPod is out of warranty.
I bought my iPod under the impression that it would be a life-long investment, but many of my friends and, apparently, many of the people on this site also express that their iPods do not last them for what...more than two to three years. I am out $300 and now have to consider what other kind of mp3 player I can buy to replace my iPod.
Gavin of Quedjinup OTHER (06/30/08)
Americans, don't feel alone, we get bad service too. After putting about 1400 songs onto the 30Gb ipod it no longer communicated with the PC. The PC indicated there was a disk fault with the ipod. If you wiped off all the music on the ipod and started again the ipod was again OK until ~ 1400songs were copied.
I sent this to Apple twice under warranty with a full expanation of the problem, and they followed their standard procedure, which is to wipe off all the contents and then see if the ipod will record, which of course it did, so they sent it back twice saying it was all A-OK.
I have a [bad] ipod that won't allow me to record more than ~1400songs onto it, and apple have done nothing about it, and no longer have to now that my warranty is expired.
Eric of Salt Lake City UT (06/27/08)
I purchased an Apple Ipod for my son in March 2006 From Comp USA. They sold me an expended Two Year warranty that was supposed to cover the product for Two years after the Mfr. Warranty of 1 year ran out. My son noticed that a few of the pixels have gone out leaving blank spaces in the display. I tried getting help online and finally had to surrender due to the complexity of their site.
I telephoned Apple and was turned down. They claim that the Two year extended warranty is actually a ONE year because the first year is automatically covered. I paid an additional 30% for an extra year? I dont like being ripped off by a stuffed corporate suit. I thought Apple had more integrity, but as I found out I am wrong. My advice: read the very small print at the bottom of the contract.
I am out over $350.
Hilary of Sacramento CA (06/24/08)
My 16 y.o. nieces IPod 80 gig classic is emitting shocks through the earbuds. We have tried several pairs - it is obviously a problem with the Ipod itself. Apple is only willing to replace it with a refurbished one (I was told it would be either one that didn't pass factory specs the first time or one that is used, using used parts) & the warranty period will be the original (of the one we currently own), which is set to expire in a couple of months.
She has 7,000 songs that will be lost in addition to not being able to use the Ipod that she purchased with her own money less than 1 year ago. Apple is not taking any responsibility (never once an apology) & in fact states they have never heard of this problem (google it yourself!). I asked for either a brand new Ipod or a refurbished one with an extension on the warranty (we paid for a brand new Ipod, not a used one & if the warranty on the new Ipod expires in a couple of months, what if we are inheriting another problem?
Sue of Stillwater MN (06/17/08)
My daughter purchased an 8gb video ipod. At 10 months the hard drive crashed and the ipod would not power up. Went back to the apple store and they did give her a refurbished one since it was still under warranty. Now 2 1/2 months later and the warranty expired, her screen cracked from the inside. Went back to the Apple store and they said that it cracked from impact.
The ipod was in her front pocket of her jeans and she never bumped into anything. We were told that this is not covered under warranty or our extended warranty. This kid is very responsible with her ipod and it is an extension of her body. She has had one for the last 4 years and has never had any issues other than the above. So right now she has an expensive shuffle.
The screen is cracked. Can not figure out how this would have happened.
Regina of Clovis CA (06/16/08)
So I bought my IPOD Classic in May of 2007 and two weeks ago June of 08(basically 13 months after I purchased it and one month after the warrenty expired) the thing will no longer charge. I went to the apple store and they gave me three options. I could get 10% of a purchase of a new IPOD (so what, that equals to about 20-40 bucks, wow what a discount, they couldn't give me more than 10% since my IPOD is barley a year old), I could have a third party fix it, or I have to pay 70 more dollars to Apple, on top of the $300 I paid for the Ipod to have them replace a battery, not fix the hard drive or anything complicated, but just to replace a battery (which probably only costs 10 bucks). Actually they wouldn't even be replacing the battery they would exchange my IPOD for a refurbished IPOD. Yeah I really want someone elses IPOD that didn't work.
So after filing a complaint with Apple (yeah thats gonna do something, they even state after you submit the compolaint that no one will contact you), I have not decided what to do. I went ahead and let apple ship the refurbished IPOD to their store, but I don't think I iwll give them any more of my money. But I'll let them hold on to that for a while, I haven't paid for it, so they can pay for the shipping and handling of sending it back and forth. I was so suprised by the amount of people in the store with their issues about their Iphones and Ipods. and this was just one store where you have to make an appointment to come in and the next available appointment was 6 hours from now.
I can't believe I spent this money on my Ipod, yeah its great to have your whole music collection with you, but for a company thats making billions off the people, especially in an economy like today's, they should not be able to get away with this. This was the first IPOD I bought and it will also be my last.
* $300.00 for my Ipod and the time it took to download all my CD's into the computer (about 3500 songs) * $15.00 in gas to drive to the Apple store not once but twice today, just to find out I would have to spend another 70 bucks for the repair. * The time it took for all this that I did today at my hourly rate of work would be approximately $100.00.
Jimmy of Hainesport NJ (06/15/08)
I have had this iPod for some time now, not sure how long. This has only happened to two songs, but it is getting to be a problem: even though a song plays normally on iTunes, it stops at a certain point on my iPod, even without ANY presets. This is not my doing at all.
Bruce of Alexandria VA (06/03/08)
I purchased a mini apple ipod. Less than a year after purchasing, it started to malfunction. Having purchased the extended warranty plan through Best Buy, the ipod was sent to Apple, only to be returned with the claim of not covered under warranty due to water damage. This ipod had never been near water and I was confused. Before I could comment to the Best Buy employee, he told me that claims of water damage by Apple were a scam intended to get them out of fixing ipods covered by warranties. He looked at the photo of the ipod hard drive and noted that no water damage was visible. He proceded to send the ipod back to Apple, claiming that the damage was due to poor packaging during the shipping process.
Apple fixed the ipod and sent it back. Unfortunately, now that I am nearing the end of the 3 year warranty, the ipod has again stopped working. And, not surprisingly, Apple has once again rejected the warranty claiming water damage. This time, the Best Buy employee is telling me that they have to take the Apple recommendations at face value and there is nothing they can do. It seems to me to be an amazingly slick but transparant scam to get extra money up front for warranty coverage, but then not honoring the warranties.
Would love to have some recommendations on avenues I can pursue in resolving this matter. At the very least, I would like to have my issue noted so people realize what they might be getting into when they spend money for extended warranty coverage that will not be honored.
Mark of Chalong OTHER (05/30/08)
We purchased a brand new iPod 160 from the apple shop in Phuket at chrismas, less than 1 month latter it stopped charging, we took it back to the store, who first said there was nothing wrong with it because it worked fine when placed and their playe which is hooked up top the mains. But we told them again that it will not accept a charge from either the PC or wall charger, we asked for a replacement of the problem to be fixed and they said no to both because of a small scratch on the case and they also said they did not care about any warranties offered when we purchased it. we also asked them about where we could get it repaired and they sid they did not know which seems very funny coming from nd apple store.
Bottom line is we are left with an almost new ipod which does not work and should be covered by the warranty and the apple store where we bought it has been very unhelpfull to the point of ripping us off. So if any one has any advice what to do next that would be very helpful and take our advice be very carefull when buying an apple product in thailand and especialy the branch in Central Phuket
we now have no ipod and are very frusted by the way the staff of apple have treated us here in thailand
Brett of Palm Beach Gardens FL (05/30/08)
I have bought two ipods.both of them have been replaced before the warranty has expired .The problem is that they give you refurbished ones instead of new ones. I am now having to restore the thing every single day. I just went to the store, because you cannot call and make an appointment, and they are so booked, nobody would help.
My family has now been through four Ipods and two computers from apple. Everytime something breaks it is right after the warranty expires, and we are out of luck. Please dont do it to yourself. Stay away from Apple products.
Cindy of Reno NV (05/29/08)
I've had my ipod less that 3 months and when the screen broke Apple refused to fix it.
$187 out of pocket
Natasha of Padbury OTHER (05/22/08)
I bought my ipod in september 07, it is now only may 08 and the thing is totaly frozen. It wont respond to any thing including the 5r's that are supposed to solve all problems and my computer does not recognise that it is connected. I can't turn it of and it is frozen in the songs section, i can't scroll or go back, I can't pause or play. I use this every day in my job and I was told that Apple ipods were the best mp3 players. I can't afford to buy one every 8 months.
I found setting that blasted thing so frustrating when I first got it that I had contemplated returning it with out ever having had the chance to use this thing that I had saved for for so long. I totaly regret ever buying it and I will NEVER NEVER ever have anything to do with Apple. And worse still, to admit that there has been so many problems with these 2nd gen Nanos but provide absloutely no customer service.
I feel extremely frustrated and distressed that something that I worked so hard to save for and was finally able to buy has disappointed me so much. I bought the ipod because I had been told that they were the best and they had plenty of accessories to protect and carry unlike some other brands that realy had none to offer at all. I use my ipod daily at work (Approx 6 hrs a Day Mon to Fri), it has always been in a leather case on a lanyard around my neck.
It is such a trivial thing to some people but to me it was a real achievement for me to buy one and to some people 100's of dollars is nothing but I expect that something that is so expensive would last longer. Some supposedly top of the market technoligical marvel, designed to change the way people listen to music doesn't even last the waranty period. Poor form Apple, Poor form.
Kunal of Mumbai MA (05/14/08)
i have lost my i pod bill my i pod is in warranty period so the problem is i m not getting the warranty on my i pod
Juan of Sydney OTHER (05/02/08)
I have just 1 year with my shuffle and it does not work. I think IPOD just realese things for a short period of time. I prefer do not buy any MAC products.
Terry of Plymouth MN (03/21/08)
I tried to redeem a $30 gift card. After selecting the songs and attempting to download, I got stuck in an endless loop of instructions that go high and drive after the action was completed. For example: 1) authorize computer - check, computer authorized; 2) synchronize iPod - check, iPod synchronized; 3) high and dry - back to start page.
Well, I will agree that Apple iTunes has no customer service. They do list links for contact by subject. They are all broken. It is the same type of endless loop that you get into when you're trying to get the (very expensive) product to work.
Hours of wasted time trying to make it work electronically. Hours of time wasted in a phone queue on hold and talking to ineffective, powerless bureaucrats well trained in the run around. A fat bill for nothing received.
Norma of Orlando FL (03/11/08)
In 4/07, I used over 6000 Bank of America rewards points to purchase an Ipod 30GB. Approximately 2 months ago it broke, and we were told by the Apple store in th Florida Mall, that the hard drive broke. It would cost $140+ to repair it, because it's out of warranty based on the date of purchase. I was told by Apple customer service that Bank of America purchased it in 10/06. I do not believe that we should be held accountable for when the company purchased the item, since that's out of our control. If the consumer is not able to purchase insurance, there should be a disclosure regarding what date of purchase means, in respect to warranty. I am simply asking for a replacement.
I could have used my rewards points, which is reflected as income, to purchase something that had no chance of malfunctioning. I am out in excess of $300.
Camilla of Chicago IL (03/10/08)
I purchased an ipod last year with a two year warranty and was not informed that there was not accidental protection. My ipod is damaged and they're saying that my warranty was over, but it is not, Walmart clearly states on my receipt of a manufactured warranty of 2 years.
I feel I was lied to just to buy the warranty and it was not specified the the warranty did not covered accidental damages. I would not have purchased the product or warranty.
Camilla of Chicago IL (03/10/08)
I purchased an Ipod last year with a two year warranty and was not informed that there was not accident protection. My Ipod is damaged and they're saying that my warranty was over, but it is not. Walmart clearly states on my receipt a manufacturer warranty of 2 years.
I feel I was lied to just to buy the warranty, and it was not specified that the warranty did not cover accidental damages. I would not have purchased the product or warranty had I known that.
Dan of Fremont CA (03/02/08)
Two Ipods died on me. The last in 2006 -- it was less than 2 years old. It lasted just long enough to be out of warranty when it died. I recently visited the Apple support website and was quoted $277 to fix it.
Annette of Berryville AR (03/02/08)
I don't really think this is the forum for airing my frustration with Apple, but it's the first place I've found that will let me complain at all. Apple forums are difficult to navigate, and I can't post a question or complaint there for some mysterious reason -- even after registering and signing in. Apparently, I have been duped like lots of other people into purchasing one of Apple's black hole products. I've had my IPOD for less than a year (7 months to be exact) and have had to ship it to the factory for repair once and have had to take it back to the store (where I luckily have a service contract) more than once. And it still doesn't work properly. Updating and syncing it takes an eternity, and I have to repeat the process at least twice to move all my music. (We won't even mention the inability to sync photos or podcasts.) I've restored the stupid thing on my own more than I've taken it back to the service department, and I still have the same problem and some new ones each time I restore.
Everyone else seems to complain about jumps in volume (that happens on mine) and problems with the maximum volume. I seem to have the opposite problem -- my volume won't turn down all the way. I know this doesn't seem like a problem, but when I have background music playing while I read, sometimes I just want it to be white noise in the background. When the volume slider is at its minimum, I can still hear the music at a lever very near where I would normally listen to it. Now I read about complaints with the battery, and today I noticed that after charging my IPOD and listening for less than an hour, the battery is down to half -- my screen only stays on for about 5 seconds, so I'm not running the battery down there.
Most frustrating of all, is the lack of support information actually with the unit. Everything is online. While I'm a big supporter of backing up documents online, I think that for the amount of money I spent for this product, I should have gotten something more than a brochure about how to use it; and it should last longer than a cheaper unit. I actually replaced a less expensive device with this one (mainly for the option to store photos on it -- which this one is unable to do without crashing or distorting the images). The cheaper device was a fraction of the cost of this device, had expandable memory, worked on ordinary batteries (inexpensive and easy to replace), and worked reliably! AND it came with a user's manual! For the price I shelled out for this IPOD, I could've bought 5 of the other unit with a vast supply of batteries and memory cards. Apple really has a racket going here. Never liked them . . . never will. I can't even find a way to contact them to complain directly. That tells me they know what they're doing to the consumer and just don't care.
This has been a major investment in a device I am expected to replace frequently. The device does not live up to its advertised expectations, and it spends more time in the shop than in my possession.
Brian of Bedworth OTHER (02/28/08)
I only had the product one month when a mark appeared on the surface, and the picture was distorted. I took the item back to Argos who stated it needed to be returned to Apple, I received a phone call the next week to state as it was accidental damage (which I still objected to), I would have to pay 20-30 to have the item repaired. I agreed to this. I then received a phone call to say that as the item was water damaged (has been nowhere near any water), I would have to pay 20 to GET MY BROKEN IPOD BACK. This I objected to, and after lots of arguments with Argos Nuneaton, I eventually got my I pod back--still broken but without charge. I have been nowhere near any water, and when you pay 150 you expect it to last more than 4 weeks, and do not expect to get hasseled trying to get a replacement product.
I am 150 out of pocket. I have used petrol on 3 occasions backwards and forwth to Nuneaton. I am really annoyed over this,
Jason of Seattle WA (02/19/08)
My wife and I purchased a 30GB iPod in May of '06 to use at our wedding in August. It worked great until we took it to Cabo for our honeymoon, when it refused to work on the plane ride down. I could feel the hard drive skipping inside the iPod. Anyway, we let it be until we got home where after charging it worked fine. We only used it on and off (worked great every time) until we flew to Austin in late May of '07. Again, the same exact problem. The screen freaks out, and then it dies. This is always happening on the airplane. This time it won't work at all in Austin. We get home to Seattle, and I take it to the Apple store where we bought it. The guy at the bar takes it plugs it in and tells me it's dead. Bad hard drive. I could purchase a remanufactured one for $150 or something since it's a week out of warranty. Are you kidding? Something that costs $300 only last a year? That's obscene. I get a customer support number from him and go home.
I spend the next 3-4 hours fighting with Apple on the phone. After talking with 2 or 3 people they agree to do me a favor by looking at it and replacing it for free. They pass me off to an actual tech who has me go into the disk management thing. I'd never downloaded any updates because we had dial up the whole time. So, he has me re-format the iPod, update it and it works great. He tells me if anything goes wrong within a month to send it in. Well, it works awesome until today. Which is 2/18/08. Guess when it stopped working again? That's right. On the airplane ride to Denver. My wife turns it on (hoping against hope) that it works. No dice. Dead iPod. It doesn't work at all in Denver, and now that I have it home to charge it I've got 'sad iPod' icon. Has anyone else heard of iPod dying on airplanes?
I refuse to purchase something that even Apple admitted to me on the phone last time is designed to only go a year or so. 'Why?' I asked. 'People like the newest version, so they buy a new one every year.' Really? I'm sure a lot of college kids get one at the start of every year, but I don't think I should have to drop $300-$400 once a year to listen to compressed music. Nice work, Apple. Last one of your products I'll ever buy.
Other than the $300 purchase price? None. I'm not dumb enough to go buy another one. Apple's quality control isn't. It's an oxymoron.
Sharon of Deux Montagnes OTHER (02/18/08)
In September, 2007, Apple was offering a deal: purchase a MacBook and get an iPod for a rebate. The company requires that you send off ALL the packaging from both computer and iPod that includes serial numbers. I did so. However, the company has been saying, in response to all my letters, that they cannot honor my claim. First they said that I hadn't sent in all the packaging, which of course I had--and was expensive to send by mail. Then they claimed that they couldn't honor the claim at all. Furthermore, Apple contracts out the work for receiving this claim to a company called Resolve. There is no actual address, save for a P.O. box, and absolutely no phone number.
The cost of the iPod was $169.00 + tax. The company claim was to provide a full rebate of this iPod. If I had known that they would flat out refuse (making several false allegations, or going out of their way to provide obstacle after obstacle so one will simply give up), I would not have purchased a computer. I've had trouble with this particular computer, in regard to the keyboard and certain keys sticking; and I've had a lot of trouble with Mac's in the past. This company no longer provides fair or good service.
Melissa of Laporte IN (02/10/08)
I've owned my 30GB Ipod for about 7 months. It was working great. I bought lots of songs and videos from I-tunes. I had it playing in my house and charging at the same time. I unplugged it and turned it off, everything was fine. We left shortly after that to go to Chicago, about a half hour into the ride I went to plug it into the radio to listen to it and the charge icon was on the screen and it was frozen. We tried everything, and it still won't work. So now all the money I've put into it for videos, and songs is wasted and not to mention the cost of the Ipod.
Simon of London OTHER (02/10/08)
For Christmas 2007, Roberts released a great gadget for ipod called the Roberts robi. This attachment for ipod boasts an lcd screen which lists the digital channels capable of reception by the robi. This is a lot better than the official apple radio attachment which only picks up analogue radio stations and in my case, developed a poor connector to the ipod. So in summary - robi picks up more digital stations and plays them in higher quality than the apple radio attachment for ipod. The complaint is about the new update to ipod released by apple. This update (v. 1.1) means that the robi is now obsolete. i.e. It will play radio for 2 minutes and then turn off the entire unit (ipod + robi). It is incredibly difficult to find even a place on itunes or the apple site to complain and when you do, it gets sent to sales. Surely apple are guilty of malpractice by releasing this update that shuts out competitors altogether. If any apple technical support people are reading this then an update that lets robi work is politely requested.
About 50 gone to waste for the robi. And a lack of digital radio. + broken heart because 5live sports extra is a top station.
James of Canyon Country CA (01/29/08)
I purchased a perfectly performing Apple Ipod Classic 80GB in September, and after upgrading the Ipod firmware on the ITunes site, my Ipod is now dead. I luckily had a warranty through Best Buy but will be without my Ipod for a month. This is unacceptable. This is a known problem/defect judging from the Apple On-line forums.
I am without a product I paid $270 for. This is an enormous inconvenience as I live in an area with limited radio coverage. This issue in conjunction with Apple's m4p encoding, ensures that people are forced to keep buying Apple products and software that do not work well.
John of London OTHER (01/24/08)
I bought an Ipod shuffle for a friend. They tried to load music via cd, but the ipod will not register on their pc. I tried loading it on mine with the same problem. I contacted Ipod customer services three times; they never respond to the problem and only send me special offers in response. Do they have a customer services department?
Robert of Brandenburg KY (01/19/08)
The $359.99 Apple IPod Classic I have will not connect to the, Apple ITunes Store. Every time that I try, I get a message. The message says, "cannot connect to server". Tried to get help on phone. The Indian who I contacted was no help--couldn't understand him. This was to be a Christmas present for my son. I guess that it will be a late, late, late, late, Christmas.
Darryn of Riverclub OTHER (01/11/08)
I bought my IPOD 2 years ago, only use it once a week and have never taken it out of my house. It no longer works and I find this unacceptable. It was an expensive purchase and APPLE should have informed me that its life span is only two years.
The cost of replacement is $250 US Dollars
Fawn of Yelm WA (12/27/07)
I have a new ipod nano that just ran out of the in-store warranty of one month. We used the ipod at the mall, then left it in my garaged car, which did get cold, but we never had freezing weather in that week. When we got it out and brought it into the house, it developed condensation inside of the screen. I looked on the website (Apple) to see what to do about this, and it said just let it warm up and that it should be fine in weather down to 4 degrees (like I said, we have not even had freezing weather here, much less 4 degrees). So, it didn't start working at all, and I called the company customer service. I described what was wrong, what it looked like and what happened. I was told that yes, the warranty would cover it, and they would send an envelope to me to send it to them in. So they did, and I sent it back.
A couple days later, they returned my ipod and I thought wow, what great service! Then a couple days later they sent another ipod, which was actually ours (the other was a new one, I guess). I was never told that they would be sending me a new one, just that they would pay for the repairs on mine. With the broken ipod that they sent back was a note that the ipod was determined to have water damage. I am not sure what happened in shipping, but I am sure it never got water or any other liquid on it. Now they are telling me I have to pay $235.00 for the one they sent, because it is used (we thought it was ours!). We were never even told that they were sending one! Not only that, but that is far above the retail cost of a new one! When I called to resolve this they put me on hold. I am on hold right now, still, as I write this. I have been on hold today for an hour and 47 minutes now.
$235.00, and lots of time on hold
Deepanshu of Ghaziabad OTHER (12/18/07)
I bought a 30GB ipod classic with video 3 months ago. At first it worked all right, but then I formatted it. I formatted my ipod because it had some virus on it, so to remove the virus I formatted the ipod. Now I don't know what to do and the manual on the net does not describe anything about it? Now I can't sync songs and video in my ipod .
Sue of California MD (11/26/07)
I ordered a personalized Ipod 8gig Nano with express shipping. I logged into my account midway through the ordering process. I input a delivery zip code for taxation purposes, entered a new credit card with my new address, and the Ipod still shipped to my old address which is across the United States. This set in motion the most unbelievably slow resolution process I have ever seen. Apple refuses to change shipment info mid-shipment. The first rep I spoke with says they will not take the Ipod back so Fed Ex would have to help me resolve the incorrect shipping address. This was ridiculous and wrong, as FedEx is expressly forbidden by Apple to change the shipping address. FedEx was great and express shipped the Ipod back to Apple, who has a special department for handling this problem. However, no one that I can talk to in Apple can call this department or find out the status of my now returned Ipod.
Apple has had it for a week, and now after my 7th or 8th call following up on this thing, I am told they allow 10 business days to reship the Ipod once it gets to the return center. More maddening is that no one can or will follow up on this item! I have spoken with supervisors at Apple, and even the info I have received from them has been contradicted by future calls. This is ridiculous. I thought Apple was a quality company until now. Also, because I put in a delivery zip code and that is how they calculated tax, at the very least they ought to have a system that says oops, I am charging the wrong tax for the shipping address I am using! It should have been a red flag. Unbelievably poor service.
Felicia of Kempton PA (11/26/07)
I bought an Apple iPod Nano 3rd generation 4 gb. I only had it for 6 months, and I can't put songs on it and can't remove songs.
Ray of Lawrenceville GA (11/14/07)
There are countless complaints on the iPod discussion boards stating that upgrading to the newest version of iTunes has caused problems - lost music, iTunes won't load and so on. Apple have not had the common courtesy to acknowledge that the problem exists, nor offer a solution. They do however still have hyperlinks asking for MORE people to upgrade to the newest version. Apple - your customer service is diabolical.
Kyle of Charlotte NC (11/12/07)
I bought an iPod Nano 3rd Gen 4GB, and it will not transfer photos from a PC to the ipod. Also, text files and games won't transfer, only music. Have searched online only to find hundreds of similar accounts, some with ridiculous workarounds and fixes. Some say its NTFS filesystem with PCs that cause a problem, so I tried on a FAT32 box I have. Some say converting to PNG, BMP or reducing the size/quality will work. Some say the filename can't have numbers in it, or must end with lowercase jpg. None of these (shockingly) have fixed the problem. Not sure what else I can do. Tried to contact Apple, so far unsuccessfully. They 'seem' unaware, but the complaints by others I am reading are months old. I'm very frustrated since I can only use a small functional part of what I purchased.
Melissa of Ridgewood NY (11/12/07)
I purchased a 30 gig video iPod in December, 2005. I also purchased the warranty. The iPod stopped working completely just days after my warranty expired. One day, I accidentally dropped my $359 iPod, and it began working again. But now the headphone jack has stopped working, for no apparent reason. Non-Apple repair centers charge no less than $50 to fix it, and I don't know what will break next! The video iPod is a very poorly made device. The nano is a little bit better because it uses a flash drive (which can handle being shaken) instead of a regular hard drive (which can't). Never again. My iPod is only good to be used as a $359 "paperweight."
Simon of Singapore (10/12/07)
The battery of my Ipod died after little less than 2 yrs, and I found out that to replace the battery will cost me SGD150 at the authorised Apple store. I got a shock, and I don't understand why such a battery will cost that much? Later I found out that there is a lot of complaint about the Ipod battery problem, and seems like I am not the only one. I really feel that the Ipod sucks and Apple is not a good company as what I was expecting.
Terry of Huntington Woods MI (09/19/07)
A salesperson called me from to sell Apple-Care for my son's recently purchased Apple Notebook and i-Pod. He went through the terms & price of both and for the i-Pod, he said, You know how all batteries slow down over time. Well, with this coverage, when your son's i-Pod begins to slow down anytime between now and 06/26/09, you just take it in to an Apple store & they'll see that a new battery is installed. This one-time-battery-replacement-in-the-first-two-years makes this deal worth it because Apple batteries are so expensive. Who would turn down a deal like that?
I agreed to purchase both offers (for the computer & i-Pod). Soon after, two invoices arrived. The computer coverage was for the amount told to me, but the i-Pod coverage was $59.00, not $39.00. I called Apple and was told that the salesperson had quoted me the price for a different type of i-Pod, and for the type my son owned, the price was $59. I told them that the salesperson didn't ask me what type my son owned.
Carolyn of Marlboro, NJ (09/03/07)
I purchased an Apple iPod (30gb) for daughter. Three months after purchase, she gets a frowny face on screen and thing is dead. Went to Best Buy, where we purchased, and they asked if we had purchased extended warranty (No, I was under impression that apple made a good product). BB said I could only go to apple store if I didn't purchase the warranty.
I went to Apple, but they only look at stuff if you make an appointment. I went home to make appointment on line. The only appointments that came up seemed to be between 3 and 5 o'clock. Since I don't want to lose a day of work, I don't know what to do.
Lauren of PA (08/16/07)
My girlfriend purchased a 60MB ipod for me for Christmas of 2005 for approx. $456.00. It wasn't until Jun of 2007 that I finally had the time to get it up and running. I spent days uploading songs into the I-tunes program and it was working fine. Then towards the end of July of 2007 it stopped functioning completely. I tried everything the i-tunes website said to do with no results. Finally today, 16 Aug 07, I drove from Philadelphia to King of Prussia Mall to the Apple store in an attempt to get it fixed. I waited 2 hours for someone to look at it only to tell me that the hardware was bad and there was absolutely no way to repair it. Then he had the audacity to inform me I could purchase a refurbished one for $170.00. So basically they want me to spend a total of $626.00 for a working Ipod. I find that ludicrous. Because the warranty was only one year I was unable to have them pay for it. Why should I pay for something that was obviously a problem that started at the plant and not with me. Now I have a $456.00 paperweight!!
My girlfriend is now out $456.00.
Jesse of Las Vegas NV (07/25/07)
I purchased an I-Pod from Target a little over a year ago. One month exactly after the date of purchase the dang thing went kaput. It stopped working and gave me the url for support. It turns out there's nothing they can do for me. I haven't called Customer Service yet but a product that costs over $300.00 shouldn't have a limited one year warranty. Actually, a product that costs that much should not go defective after one year. I'm pissed and I already know they're going to tell me they can't do anything about it.
Jill of Fairbanks AK (07/19/07)
I sent in my second Ipod, Nano for repair. It showed me a message about my firewire was not hooked up correctly. As I did not have it connected to anything I did not understand the message. I then place the iPod in my iHome and listened to it that night. That was the last time it worked. It will not turn on. I sent it into AppleCare Service for repair and it was returned to me saying it had internal damage related to a liquid spill or contamination. Seeing as the unit is around my neck or in the iHome I don't see where it would have gotten liquid in it. This is the second unit I have gotten and it only lasted 4 months, just the same as the first on I had. I had the same message on the first one and it was replaced with no problem. But not the replacement is giving me troubles.
Pallavi of New York NY (07/13/07)
I bought an ipod nano and the battery died down after 6 months. As my ipod is still in warranty,I took it to the apple store 5th avenue, and after much waiting they told me that i have to take an appt for another day. I have 2 small kids with me , and I lugged them back and took an appointment for the next day. I was made to wait for a long time in spite of the appt., and the kids really became cranky. The ipod bar guy was not very friendly and cooperative. Well he did replace the ipod, but the new one is not working either. I wasted a whole day trying to solve and trouble shoot he problem but to no avail. I have my flight back to India today, so I have to leave my ipod behind with my husband who will spend his time ( being a doctor he has shortage of it ) running to and fro the apple store. I am very upset and distressed esp because music is my life line .
Mike of Jonestown PA (07/10/07)
Went for a run with a 4 month old Ipod. It started to rain. I had a case for the Ipod but the cheap thing stop working. I sent it to Apple under their 1 warranty but they refused to fix it. I guess when I read that the warranty covers normal operating conditions that outside does not equal normal.
Adam of Ashland KY (06/29/07)
After searching the past 2 days trying to figure out how to get warranty work on my 5-month-old iPod video, I have decided to call this a lesson learned the hard way. I came across this website while trying to find a way to send my ipod back and I decided to not even get in contact with Apple because I would just end up losing my head! I won’t buy another Apple product.
Zachary of Bartlett TN (06/22/07)
I was getting ready to hook it up to my computer and clicked on the menu button and the screen was messed up. It was just plain white with a small red line going through the center. I called customer service and they said I have been putting pressure on it, which I haven’t. They want me to pay to have the screen replaced.
Joe of Scranton PA (06/16/07)
Purchased a 30 gb Apple IPOD for my son for his birthday. Item worked fine for approx 3 months. It had a 1 year warranty. My son bumped the ipod which caused two dents in the rear of the case which are very small and did not affect the operation of the IPOD. Approximetly 4 or 5 hours later the IPOD would not play will not charge and shows an error message when it is turned on. The unit was sent to IPOD who noted the two dents and sent the IPOD back without repairing or replacing. I contacted them by phone and subsequently sent two letters. During the phone call I expressed displeasure with the fact they attribute the failure to abuse without ever opening the device to determine the failure. I eventually opened the case and found no interior damage to the hard drive which is positioned inside with a rubber cushion. The dents in the case do not appear to have ever contacted the hard drive and the shock factor was minimal. I have read numerous complaints from IPOD customers who have been experiencing the same problems as I have with no satisfaction from Apple.
I paid 350.00 for an item which only lasted several months.
Scott of Adelaide, Australia (06/05/07)
In 2004 i brought an apple ipod 4th generation (non colour) after 6 months i dropped it off a bench 30 cm high and it dented the ipod, destroying the ipod. Forced to buy a new ipod, as it was not covered by warranty (which i can understand). The warranty still had 6 months left on it.
With the next ipod working fine it gradually acquired dents in it, even through a rubber case. Then recently in 2007 it inexpicably stopped working. I followed their steps on what to do, i had not dented it at all for over 4 months. Visiting the apple store i was told that i would yet again be forced to buy a new ipod as there were minor dents on the ipod. I asked if i could pay to get it fixed and i was straight up told no, that i could not fix it, as apple did not fix it.
Yet they fix ipods for resale with their replacement program. The replacement program i was told is where for $379.50 australian dollars they take your ipod and replace it with an ipod of the same generation. After they receieve your ipod they repair it and consequently plafe it in the replacement program.
I just dont know why if they can fix it for resale why i cant pay to have it fixed for my own use. It is just plain profiterring and creating a fixable object obselete.
Brad of Mcdowall OTHER (05/18/07)
I am currently in Germany so I rely on my iPod for entertainment. You can imagine my delight when after upgrading the firmware on my iPod, based on a iTune's pop-up window that appeared on my laptop while I had my iPod plugged in for charging, that I was left with a wall charger icon on my iPod display and was no longer able to use it. I searched on the net to discover that to complete the firmware upgrade the iPod must be plugged into the AC wall charger. Due to the fact that the iPod's manual says you can charge the battery using the USB port, when I travel I don't take my AC wall charger with me, I rely on the USB port of my laptop.
Ralph of Yucca Valley CA (05/11/07)
Ipod froze up after 3 months. Battery died, hard drive crashed. I opened the case and the product is poorly made. The data cable is connected to the hard drive by a piece of tape -- which makes it non--standard and very flimsy -- most data cable are attached to the by connectors on the end of the cable, not just taped on.
Christopher of South Hamilton MA (05/07/07)
The problem is the much lauded Click Wheel. This is my third version of the same iPod model since last fall and my warranty has expired. My model has been fraught with problems.
People like me were left with few choices. We could continue to bring in broken iPods to be replaced with another iPod that will probably break. This would go on for a year unless our warranty wore out. That is, unless we paid an extra $60 to extend our warranty just so we could have our iPod replaced by the same model that will still probably break.
Brian of Brooklyn NY (05/05/07)
I presently have two step children that bought expensive IPODs from Apple Computer valued at approximately $600.00. Both devices might as well be expensive paperweights. Between both IPOD units, they have been sent out for repair 6 times and are still freezing up, not powering up.
Gina of Orland Park IL (04/26/07)
I purchased my ipod in the fall of 2004. A week later my ipod froze and would not turn on, so I gave it back to best buy to exchange it for another one. Another 30 days went by and my ipod froze again! Best buy wouldn't accept it back to I had to send it to the apple company. They eventually fixed it, but keep in mind this was my 2nd ipod. About 6 months later my ipod messed up again. I called the apple company and they told me my contract expired and the only way they would fix it is if I paid $70 to extend my warranty, so i did and I sent my ipod to there company again and they gave me a new one. So that was ipod number three, another 5 or 6 months later I my ipod stopped working again!!! I FINALLY HAD ENOUGH! so i called the company and told them about it and they said theres nothing they can do, but they said to just send my ipod in again and they will fix it. I sent it in and they gave me a new one. THIS IS THE FOURTH IPOD I HAVE GOTTEN! IPODS ARE NOT WORTH HAVING, THEY ARE A WASTE OF MONEY AND i should've just got an mp3 player instead!
Chad of Covington WA (04/23/07)
After having the 30GB ($300) iPod for less than a year, it just froze and stopped working. I tried all the fixes they recommend and nothing works. I've actually thought about switching over to be a Mac user (I've always used Windows). But after this, and hearing all of these experiences, I think I'll stick to Windows. I don't want to put my business in the hands of a company that cares so little about its customers.
Mike of Plainfield IL (04/20/07)
When i bought my ipod today (4/20/07) and then i turned it on it worked all fine i put my songs on there and i listened to it for at least 2 minutes and then turned it off and now it doesnt turn back on and the battery is fully charged but it wont turn on, and when i put it on the charger it still doesnt turn back on!
John of Golden CO (04/16/07)
Apple's engineers are idiots. They come out with a newer edition all the time but never consider the most important things. Things such as battery life and corrupted files. The most annoying experience is having to restore my ipod.
Don of Cambria, CA (04/15/07)
Less than 3 months after the "complimentary" warranty expired, so did my son's iPod. There was no abuse, it was never dropped or submerged in water.
I had a very frustrating conversation with a polite fellow on the phone who told me that it would be $140 or so for them to fix it. I sent it back to Apple with a note explaining that we expected them to fix it at no charge.
It was sent back to us with a note, polite again, telling us to go to hell.
We suffered a $300+ ripoff. The use of the i-pod worked out to more than $20/wk.
Eric of Rehoboth MA (04/09/07)
I purchased two 4 GB Apple iPod’s Labor Day weekend 2005 - one for me and one for my wife. Last week my ipod froze and a week later my wife's ipod froze. I now have 2 iPods that are less than 2 years old and worthless.
Koula of Calgary Canada (04/01/07)
I have four Ipods (3 of which I consider boat anchors now). The first IPOD I purchased was for my sons birthday in July 2005. Before the year was up, the battery wouldnt hold a charge. We were away on vacation and by the time we got back the warranty was up! Here we are not even two years later with an IPOD Photo that DOES NOT WORK AT ALL! Of course I was told the warranty was up and I have to pay an outrageous amount of money to have it fixed (it would be cheaper to buy a new one). I thought ok, I will give Apple another chance. In June I purchased and IPOD mini 1G for myself. I barely use it. The other day I go to turn it on and the battery that was FULL WAS DEAD! I couldnt even turn it on. I recharged it and it was doing some weird things (turning on and off etc). In November 2006 I purchased a New Video IPOD for my son and a pink IPOD mini for my daughter. As of recently, my daughters IPOD turns itself on and off while she is listening to music. The battery is also starting to lose power and dies quickly. My sons IPOD isnt working like it use to when we purchased it 5 months ago. To date I have spent $1123.66 on four IPODS that dont work. I took the three back to Future Shop where I bought them and was told that it would cost me roughly around $120.00 per IPOD for shipping and handling to send it in for the warranty work!
Kathy of Newport KY (03/28/07)
Bought an Apple Ipod about 5 months ago and it just quit working. Spent $250.00, and another $160.00 for an extended warranty on it. Sent it back to Apple to get it repaired and had to wait for a month to get it back. Went to use it for the first time since I got it back and it won't do anything again. You would expect a quality product for what you paid. They won't give me my money back or even exchange it for a new one.
Angela of Canton OH (03/20/07)
For Christmas, we had purchased my daughter an Ipod thinking these are a hot items and it would be very convenient for her. She also got an I-tunes gift card to load music, videos or movies. The real kicker is that unless you have a credit card you can't even use this gift card, so you are out the money you paid for this because you can't return them. This is not stated on the gift about needed a credit card to create an account and there's only way around that is if you have AOL. I called their incompetent headquarters and I spoke to about 11 different people who had no knowledge of an Ipod how they work or otherwise.
A of Madison, AL (02/24/07)
I have had my ipod LESS than a year and have had to send it in 2 times. The first time, it froze and made a beeping sound for almost 10 minutes. After it unfroze, it erased all my songs, both from itunes AND my ipod!!!
The second time I sent it in was because it would scroll through all the songs without stopping. After I plugged it in my computer, it had said the ipod was corrupt.
Shelly of San Francisco CA (02/23/07)
I received a brand new 30GB iPod as a gift a little over a year ago. Since that time I have had it replaced 4 times (for a total of 5 iPods). The various problems I have had are it freezes, plays 5 seconds of a song and goes to the next one, wipes out everything on the iPod when it syncs, it sad faces over and over but when you plug it into a wall plug it works fine, the hard drive dies. This final time I was so frustrated I mailed it back to Apple with a letter detailing my experience.
Today I received my iPod back in the mail with a letter saying it was out of warranty. Big shock. What is shocking though is that when I sent it to them it would start; it had once again deleted the 10,000+ songs I had loaded to it but it would turn on. Not it won't do anything, it won't turn on, it won't charge, it won't reset, nothing.
So not only do they not stand behind their product, they sent me an iPod that is in worse shape than when I sent it to them. I will NEVER purchase ANY Apple product ever, period.
Shelby of Huntley IL (02/15/07)
We purchased the IPOD at Best Buy. This was one year ago. Since then, we have had the IPOD in for service SEVEN times. Three trips to the factory and four in-store repairs. Shame on the customer service (none) and the quality of their product (none) and the unbelievable annoyance we have to go through when they SHOULD replace the product and back it like any company owner worth their salt would do. My daughter worked her butt off to save for this IPOD and I will never let her purchase another.
Jim of Caldwell ID (01/17/07)
I purchased 2 apple ipods for my 2 sons and they couldnt get them to work with their computers. I went to help them and i couldnt get them to work either. The instructions are not very explicit.I am pretty good with the computer and it frusterated me that i could get it to work. They need better insructions.
Robert of Williston, TN (01/07/07)
I bought a 30gb video Nov 2005 for my son. It would not hold a charge. I called apple care, they sent me a protective box to send it to them to be repaired. I was not sure about sending it in the mail so I took pictures of it and sent it.
The ipod was in perfect shape, not a scratch on it, but I got a call a couple of days later saying my ipod was damaged which coincediently voided the warranty!
I see this has happened to a lot of people.
Jonathan of Warren RI (12/29/06)
On two occasions over a two week period I returned my 30g iPod video for the same repair. There is a thin red line running vertically down the screen about half an inch from the left edge. After receiving the iPod unprepared the first time, I called customer service and explained the problem was not fixed and the line reappeared within a day or two. The man from customer support assured me it would be fixed and I returned it again. Again, Apple returned my iPod without repair. This a clear line, not difficult to see at all, and yet they refuse to acknowledge and remedy the problem.
Brenda of Spokane Valley WA (12/28/06)
I purchased a I-pod three years ago and have had problems with the battery from the moment I recieved it. I bought the extended warranty and still have had probles, I can not locate my orginal receipt but I purchased this product online and they can not provide me with a receipt. I know there was some kind of recall but Apple will not help me with this info. I feel this product was a lemon from day one and that Apple knows it and will not make it right.
Tian of Chicago, IL (12/21/06)
I have had many problems with my ipods. I've gotten one almost every generation (gift and otherwise) and so far, have been disappointed with the abysmal quality of each one.
Ipod 3G 30 gig wouldn't connect to the computer so I had to get a new one from tech support. Right after my warranty expires, my 'new' ipod dies a quick death. The battery doesn't charge for more than 1 minute making it virtually useless.
Ipod Nano, despite all their advertisements about extended battery life, this one didn't hold a charge either and frequently dies before 3 hours. On occasion, the screen would flicker, my songs would play jumbled. Finally, it ended up only playing music in 1 ear. I threw out a perfectly good set of headphones thinking that was the problem, but it was really this ipod.
I covered my ipod with a double layer of invisible shield and a decal as well as a black felt case. Never dropped it or did anything even remotely damaging. My ipod started developing streaks INSIDE the screen that finally split the screen making my ipod video video-less. The Mac genius said, "No, the screen is broken on the inside. you broke it. we don't fix that."
My ipod is only 3 months old. The outside of the ipod is completely FLAWLESS. Even in the places where it wasn't covered (where a 'dent' would be according to him), there was nothing. I don't know how I could've broken my ipod 'on the inside.'
What does the apple warranty cover?
Brian of Ellicott City, MD (12/17/06)
I saved money for a long time to get a 30gb iPod. Only two and a half months later, still under warranty, the iPod stopped working.
I followed all of the directions to restore it on itunes. Finally I called customer support and got basically the same advice as what I had already done. I then went to an Apple store and the support person there did the same thing that I had done myself. He then pointed out a barely noticeable dent in the upper left corner of my device that had to be held at a certain angle under bright light to be seen. I had never seen the dent before and had always taken extra care not to damage my ipod and even bought a protective case to put it in.
The employee at the Apple store said that it was battle worn and that must be the reason it wasn't working.
I paid $261.45 for my ipod with hard-earned money that took me half a year to earn. I can't afford to replace it any time soon and so I have lost all that money.
Rachel of Toronto OTHER (12/14/06)
I recieved an iPod Video 30 GB for Christmas 2005. In late November 2006 the iPod began to shut off on its own for no reason. The battery wasn't low it just shut off. Then on December 14, 2006, one day after my mother purchased the product, it started to make a wierd noise when I started it up or switched songs. This was one day after the warranty expired. After reading everyone's experiences I feel like because the last straw happened one day after the warranty I don't even want to bother contacting Microsoft.
Jason of League City TX (12/06/06)
I received an Ipod 30G Video as a Christmas gift in 2005. I opened it and attempted to turn it on. Nothing. I hooked it to my computor to charge it. Nothing. I took the dead ipod in to the Apple store and they said I received a defective unit as a gift. They exchanged it free of charge due to the warranty. I took my new one home and it worked flawlessly for six months. For some reason now it only plays out of one side of the headphones. I did nothing to damage the Ipod. I took it to the same Apple store as the previous one and the tech person said it's just basic wear and tear and I have to buy a new part. I have never worked on an Ipod before, nor do I have any desire to. I doubt I even can. He said he would be kind enough to open it up for me, but it would cost me two hundred dollars for him to just look at it. He never did give me a part # to order a what I needed. Needless to say this jerk was very smug and in no way helpful to the servicing of my Ipod. What a waste of $300.00 this product is.
I wasted my entire day driving accross town to the Apple store and received no help at all. My Ipod still doesn't work right and now is making a funky operating noise like it's working extra hard. I will never purchase another crappy Ipod in my life. Besides, this thing has a battery and functions as a hard drive, but has no means of cooling itself. Brilliant. Did Apple test these things or what?!
Kelly of Los Angeles CA (12/06/06)
I got an iPod mini for Christmas 2004, but I barely ever used it. In September 2005, the screen went haywire and I could no longer see or use the functions. I also have problems turning it on or off. Luckily it is stuck on shuffle, so sometimes I am able to listen to it. Sometimes.
Randy of Palos Verdes CA (11/30/06)
Hello, My Ipod mini was less than two years old and it needed a new battery. The sales person in the Apple store gave me the number of Ipodresq so I could order a replacement battery and fix it myself. Ipodresq told me they were easy to change but after I received the battery I found out it was very difficult to change. I damaged my ipod in the process and now it the select wheel does not work. My ipod is now practically useless for selecting songs.
I will have to buy a new mp3 player. The ipod cost me $250.
Michele of Marietta GA (11/18/06)
I purchased a 5th generation 30gb ipod serial#JQ5521HWSZT with extended warranty, less than 1 year ago. The battery has never held a charge, it has taken apple forever to get the shipping box to me, only to find out that apple will not fix the battery. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the ipod except that it won't hold a battery charge longer than 4 hours.
Apple has informed me that the ipod is damaged, because of a dent on the back of the unit. The dent was not there when I sent the unit to apple, and everything else works great, but they said they can't even fix the battery, because the warranty has been broken. Can you help me please? All I want is the ipod to hold a charge.
Nancy of Philadelphia, PA (11/10/06)
Apparently, there was an activation kit, that we never got, so when our IPOD broke down (the 6th one in a year!) they refused to fix it because even though they had our money, they claimed that it was not valid because of the activation kit!! Who knows if they ever really sent it?!
There must be a better MP3 company out there!
Thomas of Chicago, IL (10/19/06)
My 30 GB IPOD was purchased 1.5 years ago. The warranty expired six months ago.
Having confidence in the Apple brand, I opted not to purchase a warranty extension. The unit was used occasionally, while in the car or on my home audio system. One day, it just locked up. I visited the Apple Genius Service Bar in Chicago with my friend from Florida who was having the same issue. After testing both units for 45 minutes and helping other customers simultaneously who had the same issue, both products were pronounced dead and I was offered the standard 10% discount for trading it in. I thought this was outrageous.
Clearly, Apple has a design issue with their storage component.
Mary of Springfield, MO (10/03/06)
I bought an ipod over the internet from the apple store. I did not think anything of it as apple has always been a good name and excellent customer service. But not this time.
My ipod has never worked longer than five minutes because it does not hold a charge. I mailed the product to the office in Cupertino and they mailed it right back to me. My ipod is still under warranty and so they sent me a box to mail to the TECH department. I mailed to them they sent it back supposedly all fixed. Not so.
And they had the nerve to tell me that because I took advantage of the free engraving it was now personalized and therefore not eligible for exchange. I am out $249 plus tax and shipping and my useless warranty is up this coming FEB 15, 2007. Help!!!
Laurie of Wilton CT (09/29/06)
I bought an Ipod (cost $300) 1/5 years ago and it was frozen. I took it to the genius bar at my local Apple store to be fixed. It was pronounced dead. I elected to purchase the Nano (half the value of my last one) and turned in my defective Ipod for recycling, thus being the best option. I am devastated by this experience. How can Apple which has a reputation for innovation and quality not have a better warranty in place ... I feel I am entitled to a lot more than a 10% discount on a new Ipod after spending that kind of money just a year and half ago. This is so wrong.
Diane of Charlotte, NC (09/04/06)
My husband purchased the first IPOD 60 gig Photo that came out 2.5 years ago to the tune of $600. I primarily use the IPOD in the car and hooked up to our stereo. Last week the IPOD seized up. I hit some keys and it was fine. Then yesterday it locked up twice. This morning, when I pressed the keys to unlock it, it made this grinding sound like gears churning.
I made an appointment with the Mac Genius at my local Apple Store. I was told that the hard drive froze, common to IPODs that are more than 2 years old. He asked me what I primarily used it for and I explained basically in the vehicle. He says, IPODS last twice as long when on its doc vs. being in the car. I said, "Well that is a joke because using them on the road is what makes the IPOD so appealing".
Since it was more than 2 years old, Apple would not support it.
He said one option was to have Apple recycle it. I am seeing stars by now and asked, "What does recycle mean?" He says, "you turn it in to us and we give you a 10% discount". Is this not a joke???
Jason of Aurora CO (08/31/06)
I purchased an Apple iPod, after only two months I noticed a crack developing in the screen. The iPod was never dropped or damaged in any way. I contacted Apple and was told that it would probably be covered under the warranty. I was sent a shipping box, which I used to ship my iPod Video 30G to be repaired, and in about a week received the box back with my iPod, untouched, and a note telling me it was not covered.
I am out the $300 for the iPod Video as well as the additional $300 I had to spend to purchase a new Apple iPod Video.
Anthony of New Haven ,CT (08/29/06)
I purchased a 30GB iPod video in April '06 and on August 22nd, it wouldn't turn on. Apple sent me a prepaid DHL shipping box, I followed the instructions, and properly sent my ipod to Apple's service center. Apple received my Ipod the 25th of August, and on the 28th I was sent an email stating that my Ipod would not be serviced because of damage on the product's casing. They said if I wanted it fixed I would need to pay $255 (plus tax).
I know that my Ipod did not have any type of physical damage whatsoever because I always use a protective case, and I never dropped it. I called Ipod and inquired about the alleged physical damaged. After being placed on hold for periods of 30-50 minutes, being transferred and disconnected, I finally got in touch with somebody from the service department who informed me (like he was reading something verbatim) that a group of technicians examined my ipod and determined that it had dents on the casing and even the smallest dents can cause circuit failure because the product is so compact. And therefore such issue was not covered by Apple's warranty.
I asked him to be more specific about the dents, but he couldn't answer that question. He just kept on re-reading his talking points. I asked to talk to a supervisor, but all she could do was quote the same talking points. I again asked her to describe what Apple meant by dents...she could not. She said that maybe I did not notice the dent! I said that if the dent is not noticeable to the naked eye how can it cause the ipod not to work.
She simply said that they would send me back the ipod and that I could take it to the nearest apple store and have it re-evaluated.
Jody of Warren MI (08/24/06)
I purchased an ipod 12/17/04 and it broke. Best Buy replaced it but now it is freezing.
I am trying to get it fixed under my warranty but now Best Buy says there is a dent in the ipod and it is not covered under the warranty.
Laura of Daly City CA (08/12/06)
Our household has purchased 4 iPods - 2 were dead within a year, one that is barely over a year is on the verge of dying. The other is only a few months old but I suspect it will only last a year. Sadly, the 4th one is a video ipod which now I am wondering why I bothered if it's only going to last 12 months? After reading over the other complaints it seems we are not alone. One would expect that after spending $300 on a product you'd get 2-3 years out of it. I hope Apple comes up with a good recycle plan for these since they seems to be disposable.
Sara of Norristown PA (08/11/06)
I used my ipod on Friday and it was fine. I went away for the weekend and didn't use it or even touch it the whole time. I tried to listen to it on Monday and the sound was extremely distorted (it wasn't the headphones). I bought it in April 2005 for $250 after saving for it for 2 months. I brought it to the Apple store in the mall (Aug 10, 2006) and the guy told me that the problem is 'mechanical'. They don't fix mechanical problems and since my warranty is up that the only option I have is buying a whole new one for 20% off if I 'recycle' my old one. Doesn't that mean that they take it, fix it and resale it?
So why not just fix mine to begin with? I had a 1500 song mini, but now they only have the 1000 song nano or a leap to 7500 song ipod. I fill my 1500 ipod every few months so I would have to buy the regular ipod at $300, with the discount being $240 (very close to what I paid originally). Plus, I'm in college. I saved all that time to buy the first one, I can't throw away that kind of money again just for it to break in another year and a half. So... I spent $250 on an ipod that didn't even last a whole year and a half and the only thing I can do is trash is and buy a new one? Sorry, but I think they could do better then that.
Catherine of Edison, NJ (08/11/06)
I have an iPod mini that I sent to Apple to repair. I got an email 3 weeks later telling me that the problem is not the battery and it will cost $205 to fix.
Thomas of Quakertown, PA (08/10/06)
I purchased an Apple iPod on June 12, 2006 for $317.99 and on August 6th it would not work (after setting by itself overnight). I called Apple and had a rep go through a series of questions to analyze the iPod. His help did not get the product to work so we arranged to have it picked up to be replaced by the Apple manufactures warranty that is for 1-year.
I checked the update status on August 9th and they had already looked at it. They claimed it was not covered under the manufactured warranty because there was a huge dent on the back of the product, that voided the warranty. First thing: the product did not have a large dent in it. The product did have a small indent on the back that I got from trying to use their docking system. Second issue: the product stopped working over night while setting on a computer desk,so it had nothing to do with physical damage.
I was told I had two options - just take my broken product back or have them send me another one at a cost of $250! This is totally unacceptable to me.
Gina of New York NY (08/09/06)
My 20GB iPod just died after just 1 year of use (I bought it on July 17, 2005; it died on Aug 7, 2006). It worked on Saturday and didn't work two days later. I have no idea what happened. I brought it to Tekserve in NYC for servicing in the hope that it was a battery issue. They could do nothing for me except offer to sell me a new one at a 10% discount. Needless to say, I declined. Apple has an incredible scam going with the iPod. How many other companies can sell a product for $300 that doesn't even last a year, and that they won't offer to repair for anything less than the cost of their newest product? I would like to participate in any action being filed against Apple. This product was a lemon.
Kathleen of Oak Bluffs MA (08/09/06)
I purchased an ipod for my son for X-Mass.It froze and wouldn't work.In his frustration he dented the back.It was still under warranty.They wouldn't fix it under warranty because of the dented back but it was broken before that.Of course its my word against thiers.I paid $200.00 for it and they wanted to charge me $259.00 to repair it I am furious! This company has quite a thing going for themselves. You can't change the battery because you can't get the back off so you have to send it to them.For 50.00 they will replace a battery.
Outrageous! Whos going to pay more to fix a product than what they paid for it? so of course the person will go out and buy a new one. What a scam.This multi million dollar company can't even stand behind thier product or thier customers.Something needs to be done!!These little contraptions are not what there cracked up to be, and neither is the company that sells them.
I had them ship the ipod back to me unrepaired.Because my son is almost 18 and is earning his own money he of course went out and bought a new one.I wasn't happy but what can I do.Economically it was wasted money out of his bank account, and I know the same thing is going to happen to this one.Its just a matter of time.
Mark of Aurora CO (08/03/06)
We bought my 15 year old son a 30GB iPod for 2005 Christmas at a cost of over $300.00 In March or April, he had the unit hooked to a computer to record some music. When he came back to it, the screen was distorted and the unit would not work. We sent the unit in for warrany repair and received a form letter back saying, After inspection, it was determined that the damage to your iPod product resulted from accident, abuse, misuse or misapplication. What in the world misapplication is, I have no idea. This type of damage is excluded from coverage under Apple's warranty.
So I called the company. I was told that they do NOT open the iPod's up to see whats wrong with them. Because our unit had some scratches on the back and a small dent, it wouldn't be covered under warranty. I asked how do you know that the cosmetic damage on the back of the unit caused the problem? Didn't matter. I think it gives them an excuse to disallow warranty work. I will use this unfortunate experience with Apple as an expensive lesson and never buy another Apple product again.
John of Alamo, CA (07/26/06)
Purchased an iPod in Dec 2004 - Returned it for repair in Sept 2005 (9 months). Apple sent a replace device which only lasted through June (2006) (9 months). Both devices failed after only 9 months of use.
I do not have extended warranty so Apple says my only recourse now is to purchase a new device since the warranty is out. My issue is that neither the first nor the second device lasted to a degree that a reasonable person, under normal operating use would consider acceptable for a product costing $250.
Doreen of Santa Rosa, CA (07/24/06)
Purchased (3) three 30g IPODs and warranty package at Christmas time. At the four month stage, one of them was plugged into a computer to charge. When I came back there was what looked like black ink inside the screen. No outward damage.
Sent the IPOD in for repair under warranty. APPLE sent it back saying that it was not covered. In reading other complaints and talking with other IPOD users it sounds like APPLE is making a product that is so fragile it is like walking around with a raw egg in your pocket.
Sarah of Ncm, NJ (07/22/06)
I purchased an iPod Video for my son this past Christmas with the extended warranty. This June, my son plugged it in to charge it and the screen went black. The iPod was very hot.
I finally figured out how to send the iPod in for repair. Imagine my surprise when I was told that it was damaged due to extreme force in plugging in the power cord, therefore it was customer neglect and was not fixable. It was returned broken but we were told we could purchase a refurbished ipod for $255! For another $50 I could buy a brand new one.
Doug of Hillsboro OR (07/22/06)
I purchased 4 ipods for my family. At less than 2 years old, 3 of 4 will no longer function. 2 of the 3 had problems with the drive within 6-months of purchase and were replaced via the warranty (with referbs no doubt). Because they are past warranty at this point it would cost $300+ to fix each one according to the web site. No chance of that happening. I'm so completely dissappointed with the quality of the Apple product that I will *never* purchase another Apple product again. I will also strongly suggest to my friends and colleagues to avoid purchasing Apple products in the future. It would behoove the Apple management to review the quality of their products before dumping them on the market.
Corrinne of Modena NY (07/19/06)
This is the second iPod I have had that does not turn on or charge.
Rick of New York, NY (06/24/06)
I have bought three iPods over the past two years for friends and all three iPods have broken down. I've tried everything on the website with no results.
I've thrown away over $1,500 in ipods and accessories and will never trust or buy from this company again.
Keisha of Upper Marlboro, MD (06/12/06)
I bought an Apple Ipod Mini in April of 2005 thinking that it would outlast all of the portable CD players that I'd been replacing over the past 2 years. However, the Ipod Mini lasted only a little over a year before breaking.
Without warning, an image of a file appeared on the screen suggesting that I contact Apple Support online. After doing this I followed all of the online suggestions for fixing the mini but to no avail. I finally took it to an Apple store where the customer service representative was unable to fix the issue. He suggested that I send it back to Apple saying that there was a problem with the battery charging and that Apple would then replace my mini for a fee of $60.
I found this unfair but was willing to do anything to fix the mini. Ultimately, Apple returned my mini saying that it was not a battery issue and that my mini was longer covered under the 1 year warranty. It's absolutely ridiculous!
Karen of Cheltenham PA (06/10/06)
My daughter's ipod stopped working after 3 months of use. It was under warranty and we sent it back for repair. They denied repair stating that it had been dented and that voided the warranty. We did not send in a dented ipod. The photos taken were blurred and it was difficult to see exactly why they denied the claim. They were firm in their resolve. To repair the ipod would have cost $255. We spent $300 for it. It felt like they were using any loophole they could find not to honor their warranty. I have always been a MAC user, but am seriously unhappy with the product and the service I received and will never buy their product.
Karen of Ellicott City, MD (05/28/06)
I purchased an Apple 30g IPOD. Three weeks later my daughter left it on the computer to charge. When she got home from school, she found that the screen looked strange. It had bled.
I took it to Best Buy and they told me it wasn't covered under the manufactuer's warranty nor the extended that I purchased from them. I took it to an Apple store and they said there wasn't anything they could due because it wasn't covered.
I called Apple and they were not any help. It will cost about $150 to get it fixed.
Penelope of Portland, OR (05/11/06)
8 days after buying my $400 60GB iPod I noticed a cracked and bleeding screen. My iPod was not dropped or treated with any negligence.
When first speaking to an employees at the Apple store I was told the iPod would be exchanged because two weeks had not yet passed. No Problem. After a brief moment and two other employees surveying the situation, I was told that the iPod could not be returned because, in their opinion, the damage was not covered under the two week warranty. (then what is?)
Certainly one of the worst customer service experiences I have ever had. My first and last Apple purchase.
Shawonda of Brooklyn, NY (05/11/06)
I purchase the iPod Video in Feb '06. Just 2 months later the inside of my iPod cracked (no crack on the outside). I don't know how this occurred all I know is I bought the case and other accessories for this iPod to keep it in good condition.
I called Apple, sent it in for repair, they sent it back to me unrepaired and said warranty doesn't cover lcd and that my warranty has now been voided.
I spent over $300 for this item,not including all the accessories.
Margaret of Nokomis, FL (05/06/06)
I purchased my son an iPod at Best Buy and bought the 3-year service contract. After just 6 months the iPod stopped working so I took it back to Best Buy. The tech said the sad face icon on the screen usually meant the hard drive died.
Best Buy sent it back to Apple. They had it for a month before sending it back to me saying the warranty was void due to tampering and liquid damage. There was absolutely no tampering done and the only liquid it may have been exposed to is sweat due to the fact that my son uses his ipod while skateboarding.
I am stuck with an ipod that does not work at all and a worthless, paid service contract that still has over 2 years on it. Both Apple and Best Buy have refused to do anything for me.
Pete of Oak Park, IL (05/04/06)
I have (had) a 2 month old Apple iPod mini that was in perfect condition - no scratches, no abuse. I actually kept it in 2 cases. A week ago, I attached it to my computer to charge the battery and the screen went out.
I purchased a 2-year warranty, but amazingly my iPod has a crack in the screen (visible to only them) and is not covered under their warranty. The warranty actually states that exact point.
My guess is they have an issue with the screens and don't want to take responsibility. I lost $200 for the unit and $59 for the warranty.
Nicholas of Newark Valley NY (05/03/06)
I returned a Apple IPod Mini for warranty service and was told the unit was damaged and not covered, even though I returned the unit in excellent condition (one minor scratch). Upon receiving the unit back from Apple (un-repaired) I found it in fact damaged. Apple needs to step up and accept blame for the damage.
Apple warranty service damaged my IPod and will not honor their warranty.
Shannon of Boulder City NV (05/01/06)
Bought a $300 Ipod and the protective case, within a few months the LCD screen cracks on the inside. I bought the Warranty from Best Buy, but they won't cover even though they sold it to me saying "If ANYTHING were to happen...", well they lied. This Ipod was never dropped or abused in any way, it has no scratches, is in perfect condition except for the inside of the screen. Now it looks as if Apple won't stand behind their product and replace the defective parts.
Casey of Blue Island IL (04/26/06)
$400 iPOD only about 4 months old & the screen went bad. Mailed it in, got it back, and was told that it must have been abused so they refuse to fix it an no charge. I was in my daughter's room when it was working, I had her turn it off to talk about something, and when she turned it back on she stated the screen was not working. It was never abused or dropped.
Lorenzo of Fairfax Station, VA (04/24/06)
Apple iPods that are unreliable or defective continue to be sold. Today I had to buy my third IPOD in less than 2 years. Problems: batteries, recharging, freezing, and finally not working at all. Several friends of my 16 year old son have had the same experience!
Sorry but this (the third) iPod is the LAST ONE THAT I WILL ALLOW IN MY HOUSEHOLD !
Heather of Grants Pass, OR (04/20/06)
We have had our 60GB Video Ipod since early Jan 2006. We are now on our third one because after just a couple of uses the iPod crashes and will not come back to life. We have not finished a whole video and it crashes.
iPod has done a great job of sending us replacements, but now I am worried about the warranty. What if we need another one in a month, it does seem like a pattern. Do all video iPods do this, or is it just mine?
Marisa of Seattle WA (04/20/06)
I've just been through the ringer with Apple Care. My ipod audio jack was broken and it's taken them so long to give me a straight answer that my six months of free service is up and now they're trying to charge me like crazy to fix the problem. Here's what happened: -called aplcare, they tried to tell me it was a software problem and gave me a long list of stuff to do to fix it myself, they said go to the apple store and they will fix it for me onsite -I found an apple store in my area, they said it was a hardware problem they couldn’t fix and I should call aplcare to have them send me a box, free of charge, to send my ipod in for repair.
Called aplcare, they said go to the store first, then tried to tell me it was a software problem, then said go to the website -went to the website and filled out a service request, they sent me a part that had nothing to do with the problem. Called aplcare, they said go back to the site and fill out the same service request, -went to the site, filled out another service request, now they say theres a $32 fee for shipping because I’ve had my ipod more than 6 monthes -called aplcare, they said I had to pay that fee or pay $60 for the aplcare protection warranty. I explained to them that if customer service had known what they were talking about it at all I would've been able to get my ipod in in the 6 month period, and they wouldn't budge.
My ipod doesn't work, and my only option is to give them at least $32 more money to *maybe* fix it for me, or spring more charges on me.
Paul of Oxford MA (04/18/06)
My wife bought me an Apple iPod (20GB) as a gift. This is the third one in our family. One (our 24 yr old daughters) failed completely. It was replaced with a refurbished unit, which has now failed. My unit plays for about an hour, and then will stop playing and lock up completely. I have to let the battery die completely, recharge it fully, and then it will being working again - for about an hour. Total junk. I'm tossing mine in the trash and looking for another brand of player.
Since Apple seems to blame every iPod failure on "physical abuse" and refuses to honor any warranty, these units are a huge waste of money for anyone who buys them.
Harold of Fort Pierce FL (04/10/06)
I bought a 30GB Video IPod December 19, 2005. I also purchased the protective case for it. March 28, 2006, I went to use it and the LCD screen stopped working. I called the Apple 800 number and was informed that they do not cover the LCD screen. To pay over $300 dollars for something that does not last for more than 3 months is a scam. I was told to use a third party repair place who would charge another $160 to repair it. I was told it was because I was too rough with it. I'm 50 years old and do not misuse my property. I think something should be done about the way Apple is defrauding the public with its poor quality products.
Over $300 for an IPOD that lasted only 3 months and that Apple would not repair. It would cost another $160 to repair and who is to say how long that will last
Scott Davis of Gibsons, Canada (03/28/06)
When I called AppleCare's 800 phone number to buy the AppleCare, the operator needed me to read the serial number off the back of the IPOD. I wear contact lenses and my vision is corrected to 20/20 and I use power 1.0 reading glasses for detail work. I was unable to read the serial number on the back of the IPOD because the type font is microscopic white gloss painted letters closely spaced on the shiny chrome case.
It took many tries to distinquish the individual letters such as S 8 Z 0. I was upset and expressed my disappointment to the operator that their Apple product designers would approve such small fonts to be printed. Yesterday my AppleCare policy arrived in the mail. It came in a bubble wrap 8 x 11 envelope and postage paid was $1.05. I opened the envelope to find a 4 page letter [8.5 x 11] folded and two card stock [5.5 x 8.5] quick guides.
Once I saw the contents I became upset at the choice of a bubble wrap envelope because they are difficult to recycle and more expensive than a N0 10 standard paper envelope. The cost to mail this weight of paper first class across Canada is only .51 cents. I had trouble reading the cover letter and the important information such as my protection plan number, product description and serial number because it was printed in black type font 1/16" high. I think this is type size 4 or 5. The cover letter page was half blank because the type font was so small. I looked at the rest of the form letter and it was all in the same type font. I then called the Applecare 800 number and made a complaint about excessive expenditure of mailing and the microscopic type font used to communicate important information.
Tang of Berkeley CA (03/26/06)
A little over one year ago, I bought a 4th geratiaon Ipod 20G for my daughter, It dead in 10 month. So my daughter took it to the Apple service in Boston where she studing. They replace it with an refurbished one. It has the problem too since day one. One has to shake it to make it work. But since my daughter need to come back to California for summer break. She waited to go to service until back to Boston. Now they said its warrentee is expired, and refuse to fix it. What kind of warrentee is this. Apple can keep giving this kind of crap until the warrentee is over and say sorry, bye bye, you are on your own. I sware I will never buy any Apple product any more.
Deanna of Port Deposit MD (03/25/06)
I purchased 3 Apple ipod, 5th generation, 30 Gb, videos for this past Xmas. I have three children ages 14, 15, and 16. So I didn’t buy them for small children. My 15-year old took his out of his pocket and the internal screen was bleeding. We called apple right away, they are supposed to be warranted, and after being on the phone for over an hour as well as emailing pictures, we were told there was nothing they could do other than repair it at a cost of more than $250.00. Now, this was less than a month after receiving them.
I was very upset over this and decided not to give up, so I went online to the apple site. They sent me a pack to send the ipod in and take a look. I got the ipod back in the same condition it went out it. I am very disappointed in apple and will not purchase from them again. I think they need to get the glitches out of their products before they sell them to unsuspecting souls. It’s funny the screen started bleeding, the ipod worked for a while then froze, I sent it in to be unfrozen and they did nothing. My children asked for nothing else at Xmas, except these and now I have one son who does not have one.
I spent more than $1000.00 on these ipods, so my children got very little else, as I am just a middle class mother that works very hard for my money. Too hard for it to be wasted on an item like this. I think apple should make sure their items are replaceable, as well as in perfect working order with no glitches before they put them on the market for us to purchase them and to make good on their warranty. I think there needs to be a lemon law on electronics like this.
James of Edmonton Alberta (03/23/06)
I bought the 30G iPod shortly after Christmas and in early March I took it out of my pocket and the screen was cracked internally and not working at all. The music still worked but it was impossible to navigate. I had a protective case on it, )though not a large plastic one just a leather one) and I was advised by the place that I bought it that it didn't look like it had been damaged from the outside (it was in perfect condiditon).
Mac declined replacing it and sent it back. I think this is terrible constomer service for such a large company and I am urging everyone I know noit to buy iPods as they are way to fragile and no one should pay $360.00 for something that lasts under three months. Again I am very dissapointed with Macitosh and have been a loyal customer for 10+ years.
Eileen of Pocasset MA (03/22/06)
I bought an Apple 40 GB Ipod for my husband exactly 14 months ago and spent a sum of around $500 and had stopped working 13 months after purchase. It had never worked free of problems since purchase regardless of this, but now it is completely wasted. I have read all of the other complaints and now realize we are by far not the only ones with this issue. We called Apple and they told us that it would cost $275 to repair and that it may revert back to the same problem and not operate again.It appears to me that Apple should be more sympathetic since it is quite apparent this product is an absolute lemon. What makes them think that this kind of money is a drop in the bucket for their consumers?
Lauren of Barrington IL (03/19/06)
I got an Apple 30gb video iPod in October. It broke soon after that and Apple replaced it with another one by late November. In February, the screen on the replacement iPod cracked from the inside (the outside is fine - I don't know how this could have been outside damage) and now the entire screen will not function except for a tiny piece in the bottom corner about half a centimeter long. The sound still works but there is no way to select a song or watch a video. Luckily I had it on random shuffle mode when it broke so I can at least still listen to something.
To my knowledge I never dropped it or did anything else that could have broken it. I always kept it in a case and took good care of it. I just took it out one day and it was broken. So I go to the local Apple store and tell them what happened. They tell me Apple doesn't cover a broken LCD screen. They also tell me it was my fault. The reason? I kept the earphones wrapped around the iPod to keep them from tangling, which is apparently enough pressure to break the iPod.
Kevin of Fort Lauderdale FL (03/17/06)
I received 40GB Ipod as as gift in October 2004. In February of 2006 (14 months), it quit working completely. At first, the problem was intermittant with just the click wheel 'skipping'. The problems then progressed to the iPod not working at all. I did all the resets and reloads that Apple suggests and it worked again. For like 5 minutes. I called Apple customer support to complain. They suggested to do all the resets, etc which I told them I did.
I was told that it would cost $277 to fix because my iPod model was "obsolete" and out of warranty. It only cost $299 new! And, what am I supposed to do with all the accessories I bought? To make a long story short, my iPod no longer works after only 14 months and Apple will do nothing for me, or all the other people that have the same problem. How can we let these corporations get away with selling us junk? Whatever happend to stnading behind products and keeping customer happy? I will be spreading the word to not by Apple products, especially iPods.
Becky of Vidor, TX (03/17/06)
I purchased a 30GB Ipod for my 15 yr old son for Christmas 2005. In Feb a black spot appeared on the screen and the left side of the screen stopped working.
We returned the Ipod to Best Buy (where we purchased it, along with an extended warranty). The service man at Best Buy told us that they had had a lot of the same problem with these Ipods and more than likely the Ipod would be replaced.
Several weeks later we get a phone call that says the problem was not covered under the warranty and it would cost $309 to repair. We paid almost $400 for the Ipod and warranty! They said the only way the screen could have busted (as they called it) was "physical damage".
I can assure you that my son has taken care of his Ipod as he was very proud to have one. They basically told me that my son was lying to me and I should ask him again because he must have dropped it or hit it against something.
I am very disappointed in the way Apple handles their business and I am also disappointed in Best Buy. They push you to buy these products and the extended warranties telling you that they cover everything - just bring it in and they will repair or replace at no charge.
Neither Apple nor Best Buy keeps their word.
Sonia of Port Washington, NY (03/16/06)
I bought the ipod video 30gb 2 months ago and the video feature on it doesn't work. It downloads the video, but there is no sound.
I'm not the only person that this has happened too. I have two friends with the same problem.
Ai of Cleveland, OH (03/15/06)
I bought an IPOD mini in August 2005 and started having problems with the battery. From September 2005 through January 2006, I continued to have problems. The battery wouldn't stay charged, then it would turn off when it showed full battery power.
I took it to the Apple Store three times. All three times, they stated NOTHING was wrong with the battery and they wouldn't replace it. In fact, the third time, I couldn't even turn it on after they had it. I was told I had to send it to California for service at a charge of $30 for shipping & handling.
FINALLY, they replaced it, but they replaced it with a refurbished one b/c Apple doesn't make Minis any longer.
A week later, I started having problems with the new refurbished ipod -- the screen started to flicker and fade out. When I called Tech support, they basically said that "something" must have happened from the time I received it until the time I called them because NOTHING was wrong with it when it was shipped to me.
Consequently, I've spent almost $250 for this IPOD that doesn't even work.
Erik of Honey Brook, PA (03/09/06)
After 9 months of using my iPod, the device froze. I went to Apple's iPod support website and was advised to reset the device, which I did. The device rebooted. I was able to use for another 3 weeks until the symptom occurred again at which point I repeated the reset procedure.
This time, a folder with an exclamation point appeared and I could not reset. I could hear the disk almost skipping or looping. I had to restore the iPod. This took several DAYS and many HOURS of research - not to mention time reloading all of my songs.
The device was fully re-charged and it appeared everything was back to normal operations. I played a song and half way through the device stopped, skipped through the remaining songs on the album and then displayed the Main Menu screen. I could not play any subsequent songs nor could I turn the device off.
I reset the device and got the folder with the exclamation point again and heard the disk skipping or looping.
I was fed up and called the Apple iPod support line. The person "helping" me was unfriendly, unhelpful and insisted that I go to the dispatch website. I logged in to the dispatch website and when the time came for payment, Apple (iPod) wanted $255.95 for the price of the service and $15.36 for tax for a total service fee of $271.31.
That's over half of what was spent on the actual unit!
Sylvia of Rolla, MO (03/04/06)
We purchased an iPod for our son for Christmas.
Apple did not report that these mini music computers needed a hard-case or that they were so fragile. My son dropped it and cracked the screen. He can no longer use this $330 Christmas present. He used it for 2 months--it was the only present he asked for because he knew how expensive they were.
We sent it to Apple for repair and they sent if back saying they couldn't fix it because it was "external force".
I believe Apple should inform the consumer that if it is dropped one time and the screen cracks they will not replace it. Had I known it was that fragile I never would have purchased it.
Carlton of Greensboro, NC (02/28/06)
Last month Apple published it's latest updater for the Ipod called the 2006_1_10 Updater. Ever since using this version of the Updater my Ipod (as well as many others on Apples "support" forum) does not respond when plugged in to my PC for update. Not only does it not respond but it also locks up my PC.
Apple's published fix for this is to use the Updater to restore the Ipod, which of course is impossible because my PC is inoperable when the Ipod is connected, and the fact that the "solution", the 2006_1_10 updater, also caused the problem to begin with.
I understand that these things happen, but almost 2 months later Apple has failed to acknowledge the issue or respond to any consumer complaints. It is virtually impossible to email, phone, or otherwise contact Apple support.
Also rumors abound how it is very coincidental that the 2006_01_10 updater is just past the 1 year warranty mark for people who purchased their Ipod for the 2004 holiday season.
Richard of Media, PA (02/27/06)
I bought my son the new Ipod Video at a cost of $400 from the Apple Store. After two months the screen developed a large spot on it.
We sent it back for warranty coverage and were told the screen was cracked. The screen is not cracked that we can see. There may be a screen internally that cracked but this is a manufacturing defect which Apple is dancing around.
So we are out $400. This product is without a doubt a piece of junk, and is the last product we buy from Apple.
Susan of Perry Hall, MD (02/22/06)
My daughter has had her mini ipod for about 2 years. She just informed me that it hasn't worked for 1 year. (Teenagers!)
The sound quality is awful, so we bought new head phones, still having problems. The sound is scratchy and distorted. We've reset/restored the ipod with no results. Sometimes the ipod will play fine if it is sitting still on a desk, but as soon as you touch it or try to move it the bad sounds start again.
From searching the web for solutions, there seems to be a problem with the connector pins for the headphone jack. The pins are rigid and just the action of plugging in headphones or using the ipod makes them loose thus causing the sound problem. There were also some reports of poor soldering of the pins.
The Apple Store won't help me, they'll only give me a 10% discount on the purchase of a new ipod. I think the ipod should last longer than that.
Joanne of Dover, NH (02/16/06)
I purchased the iPod for my daughter for Xmas. In less than 3 weeks the screen had a large blotch on it and the controls no longer worked.
I called Apple - no help there. I called the store where I purchased it - no help there. I went to the Apple store, waited 2 hours to see a "quality service professional" only to the told that my daughter must have "brushed" the item against something and "broke" the screen. No coverage would be honored.
When I tried to explain my side, the person behind the desk said: "It is your problem. Now either buy another one on the way out, or please let me help the next person". !!
D of Parma, OH (02/07/06)
After a month of light use (iPod has never left my house. I listen to it before i go to sleep and put it on my night stand--THAT"S IT) my LCD just cracks. I don't know how, i just pick up my iPod from my nightstand and it is cracked. Apple's web site is very explicit that it's not covered, fine. But I've asked three times if I CAN GET IT FIXED. I'LL PAY FOR IT.
I get the same answer every time, "We don't cover LCD damage."
I wasn't using the ipod in any remotely irresponsible way. I know I will never convince them of that - fine. But to not even answer my question and just insist over and over that they don't deal with that is just horrible customer service.
Jane of Glenside, PA (02/03/06)
I was having a screen problem with my iPod mini so I called Apple customer service. When I tried to explain that I just wanted to know if the screen problem was something I could fix on my own, I was told that I needed to pay $59 to join something that I could not understand. (language difficulties). I think they said if I didn't want to pay excess shipping and diagnostic charges I had to pay $59 upfront.
So I drove to an iPod store. After waiting 15 minutes and watching everyone “act” as if they were busy, I interrupted them and asked if someone could help me. I was asked if I had signed in (I am new to iPod and did not understand the iPod procedure). I was told to sign in and that I could be seen at 6:30pm (it was 2:00pm). My only recourse, since I didn't have 4 1/2 hours to wait, was to go home, sign up on the computer and come back again. And all this before I even know if the problem is fixable.
I think the Apple service is deplorable and deliberately misleading. If I need a new MP3 player, it will not be an iPod. ?
Stormy of Chula Vista, CA (02/02/06)
My Apple iPod was purchased March 6th, 2005. The battery problem has been going on for 7-8 months. When I'm listening to the iPod it will cut off however the battery always shows “fully charged”. When I turn it back on it shows the battery is “dead” or “no power”, but then refills when I keep listening to it. It jumps around from full to depleted. This occurs every day and I charge it every night when I go to bed.
Also, once I attempted to go to a new artist and found all my music was gone. The music was gone for about 2 weeks and then showed back up again. I charged it and it did the same thing with the fully charged battery. This problem occurs with all my friend’s iPods as well.
I contacted customer service but they refused to repair it, even though it is under warranty, because there is a tiny dent on the left side where the earphones go. The repair rejection letter from Apple is a standard letter, not addressed to me personally, does not have an exact diagnosis and was not signed by anyone. I don’t believe that anyone bothered to look inside the iPod or check it out.
My opinion is that Apple has had a lot of problems with the iPod Mini so they designed a way that will hopefully make the problem go away (the letter and any cosmetic reason). When you pay $200 for an item, normal wear and tear is suppose to be acceptable, and the item should work for more than a year.
Ryan of Franklin, TN (01/29/06)
Surprisingly my iPod has lasted about two months without having any technical problems. I just have a complaint about a poor choice I made that apparently many other people have made.
Excited to play my new 30GB iPod in the car, I bought an iTrip. In large print, the box claims the iTrip will “work with all types of iPods” and then a side notes claims “at least ones with a dock connector”. Not knowing much about iPods, I was unaware that the new 30 and 60 movie iPods did not have the dock connectors.
This was a total waste of $30.
Becky of Buena Park CA (1/10/06):
Bought an ipod mini, along with my husband, less than a year ago. Worked great for 9 months, then all of a sudden the battery loses its charge. I tried all their suggestions of resetting it back to factory settings, no luck. So I take it to their store. First time there, there's a four-hour waiting line. I'm told to come back.
I come back another day, they say theres no-one available and I cannot sign up to be seen. I wait anyways, just by the desk, for 2 hours. Finally, a man asks me the problem, and I explain it. He then assures me it's a software glitch with working with pcs, and that all you have to do is reset it. I explain that I did this, and he insists on doing it himself. Alas it works for the five minutes he tries it on the mac, then says he'll reset it for the pc for me and it'll be fine.
So I go home, put all my music back on, and voila, it's failing again. Now, I know what you think, that its my computer, well, no, because my husband's ipod works fine, and he got it the same time. I try calling, and I can't find anyone to help me, they just refer you elsewhere. There is nowhere online for help. I know that in one month my warranty is going to expire and that I'll be forced to abandon the $300 investment in the product, or to pay more money to fix something that will likely break again.
John of Amsterdam, Netherlands (1/10/06):
Our second 40gb ipod to fail in one year was just put in for replacement. This is an average of one every three months (we just moved from the States to the Netherlands so it sat in a box for three months as well). When we took it for repair/replacement the employee there said that he was not surprised once he saw that it was a 40gb. He said that these come back all the time and the 40gb is a defective line. (the worst case he has seen was 5 ipods in 5 months). He said the ipod would be replaced but would definitly breakdown again.
Reading your complaints - it seems the 30gb may have the same problem. We have sent it off for replacement but with only a few days left of the warranty we wanted to avoid having to extend the warranty (at a cost of $70) and upgrade (at our own cost) from the 40 to the 60gb (advice was that the 20 and 60gb did not have the problem of the 40gb). Because we bought it the USA I contacted Apple customer relations whose attitude was basically tough luck and that they would do nothing (if anything) until the new one (which we haven't got yet) had broken down and that it would have to be in the USA.
So even though we have a defective product and simply want to exchange it for a more reliable product we will have to get the knew one, extend the warranty (hello extra profit for Apple), wait for it to breakdown, wait until we are back in the States (Apple stores outside of the USA have nothing to do with Apple in the USA - even though mutlinationals have no borders), go to the Apple store at the Grove in LA (place of purchase) and make a huge scene (because we will not be in the US long enough for a postage turn around when we do get there)! Customer Satisfaction Not Guaranteed!
Ben of Auckland, New Zealand (1/8/06):
I bought one of the 20gb ipods and after 8 months it failed and locked up. Apple will not replace it as it has the smallest little dent in the back of it, the ipod has was working fine with the tiny dent in it before but they are saying that I can't prove that it's not the dent that caused the problem. This is ridiculous especially as it is common knowledge that there is problems with this particular generation of ipods, the guy from their service centre even admitted this. I spent $500 and you would expect your ipod to last more than 8 months.
Julia of Rochester NY (1/6/06):
I bought a 4th generation 40 gig Ipod with all the accesories spending over $500. Long story short -- about one year and two weeks after I purchased it it had a folder with an exclamation point show up. I tried all of the troubleshooting on the website none of which worked. Also to get it repaired cost well over or cose to what a new one would be. It also makes a whiring clicking noise and then turns itself off. The harddrive has gone bad after only a year.
I took very good care of my ipod always had it in a protective case and now I have wasted over $500. I will never ever buy Apple again. My sister just had hers do the same thing and so did her friend! Just look around on the internet there are websites full of hundreds of postings from people with almost the same story.
Joy of Sunnyvale CA (1/6/06):
I bought an iPod Nano black or my son for Christmas. After using it for only about 2 hours the screen cracked. I got online to Apple's webite and got a customer service phone number and called. I spoke with a customer service rep who wasn't very friendly, bascially telling me that I damaged it. I was the one using it at the time so I could honestly say nothing happened to it. I was in a car traveling at the time listeneing to music when the music stopped and looked down at the iPod on my lap and the LCD display was cracked and the iPod no longer works.
The iPod no longer works and after only 2 hours of use and over $200 I am out of luck. Apple told me that I damaged it and I could send it in but the screen is not covered under warranty and I would be subject to $100 charge if I am found at fault.
Joy of Hamilton Twp NJ (1/4/06):
Within 2 days of my son purchasing the IPOD Nano the screen was not functioning and had the rainbow colors going through it. We returned to the store and they refused to help us stating that probably from us wrapping the headset around the nano or putting it in our pocket made the screen crack. They said try contacting Apple to pay to have them repair it. I tried and they are telling me to make an appointment at one of their stores. The closest...an hour away.
We now traveled to the store twice for problems with the IPOD. We now need to travel another hour away to have it looked at. My son used all his Christmas money to purchase this item and with 48hrs it was no longer able to function properly. We now need to travel another hour away to have it looked at. The advertise in their commercials that it is small enough to be carried in your pocket but do not specify on the packaging or in the commercial that if you do so it will crack the screen.
Apple needs to be held responsible for this not being specified on its product for all to see. I will never deal with Apple again if this how they need to make their $ by ripping off people a couple hundred dollars at a time.
Vicki of Simi Valley CA (12/30/05):
My daughter received a mini ipod for her birthday in August of 2005. It worked for a month. We recently got it exchanged at our local Apple store by the so called "geniuses" at the store, he said it had a software issue, he ran a diagnostic on it at the time. Today we spent another two and a half hours waiting to get service at the same Apple store. Another "genius" ran a diagnostic on the new ipod. We returned home only to find that this new one didn't work again. It says "...disk error"... who knows why.
The employees are pushing a two year warranty pkg. for about 60 dollars! The "genius" told a lot a people to buy it because Apple would have to continue fixing and/or changing the ipod as many times as needed with the warranty. We have spent over 8 hours trying to make this thing work. I would like to just get a refund but Apple only allowed it within the 30 days so now we are stuck! Very upset.
Joanne of San Pedro CA (12/30/05):
I was given an iPod mini as a gift in March 2005. The only activity on it was when songs were downloaded on it and when I listened to it one time, although I did charge it on a regular basis. Approximately 8 months later it froze on me and the next day it went completely black. I took it into the nearest Apple store. They had no answer for me. There was another customer next to me with the same problem. She told me of a friend of hers with the same problem. Apple's solution was to replace it but with a shipping charge of $29.99 because I didn't have a warrenty. Or they would waive the charge if I bought a years warrenty for $69.00.
I later called Apple's care service line at 1-800-275-2273. I spoke with Chrystal at ext. 2995. When I mentioned I thought it was unfair to charge me shipping, she told that that was their policy and there was nothing she could do about it. I asked to speak with a supervisor. She said supervisors don't take calls from customers because of the high volume. She even told me that sometimes when you don't use your iPod often enough then you can still have problems. A salesman, Luis, at the Manhattan Village Apple store in California told me damage could be done because of too much activity. Clearly, this is nothing short of ripping off the customer.
Curtis of Honolulu, HI (12/29/05):
The iPod's battery life sucks...buy mine back for 10%....that will be enough for me to buy lunch, thanks.
Kirsten of Ithaca, NY (11/19/05)
Power cord failed -- cannot charge my I-pod Mini which is approximately four months old.
Anthony of Enumclaw WA (11/1/05):
On my son's Ipod mini the LCD display became blotched & unusable. The Ipod would still play, but you had no controls. There was no physical damage to the Ipod at all. They said that the LCD screen is not covered under warranty. So basically we are out of luck. What a rip-off.
Edgar of Conyers GA (10/26/05):
I bought a 20gb iPod brand new. After 9 months it completly crashed. I took it to Apple and they replaced it free of charge because it was still under its 1-year warranty. Three months later the refurbished one crashed completly too. This time they won't replace it because it was one month over the original purchase.
I just basically flushed over $500 down the drain.
John of Endmoor, United Kingdom (10/26/05):
I sent my daughter's mini ipod back for repair in July. After 6 weeks I started phoning Apple care to see what the status was. I was told that it could not be repaired and that it was with the engravers getting the personalized details engraved. After numerous phone calls and holding on a 0870 phone number which is premium rate, I still have not received the ipod. I am sick of | 
