RT Walker's iBlog

Frustrated by iPod “Repairs”

Recently, one of our iPod Classics went down. My daughter lent hers to a friend to upload some music for her to evaluate. When she was finished, she simply unplugged it without ejecting it first - a BIG NO NO as any iPod owner / user knows. When her friend went to check the music to confirm the upload, she couldn’t turn it on.

So, we got the non-functional iPod back and I set about trying to figure out how to get it working again. I waded through the Ipod web-site and finally found the 5R’s for assessing your iPod. It was useless as it presumes you can turn the iPod on in the first place. Ours just shows the Apple logo.

Again, I waded through the Apple iPod web-site to track down information on getting it repaired. I was looking for information regarding how to get an estimate for repairs. WHAT AN EYE OPENER!!

They want $120 paid by credit card up-front before they even receive it. This is non-refundable and (I assume as I didn’t proceed any further) presumeably would be applied against the cost of a repair.

Again, back to the web-site where I found a phone number for a Service Centre and called to speak to a live operator about repairs. He confirmed the $120 advance charge for simply receiving the iPod before undertaking a repair. Well, foget that!! I am not going to pay $120 upfront for a two year old iPod without knowing what the final bill might look like.

Does it end there? No, I evaluated the iPod investigated further. What I first thought might be a corruption in the iPod’s operating system resulting in an endless feedback loop now looks to be a very low battery issue. The Apple logo comes up and when it fades I can just make out a “Very Low Battery” message.

So, I now conclude the iPod needs a replacement battery. Again, with reference to the Apple web-site, I find a battery replacement program with an, at least to me, ambiguous pricing list. One category lists a CA$149 price for “Repairs”, with a second column quoting a price of CA$69. So, does a battery replacement cost CA$69 or CA$218 ($69 + $149). Then there is the $39.95 shipping and Handling Fee and another note for a possible additional testing fee.

Bottom line: the iPod battery lasted two years and, in my opinion, Apple has their repairs priced to encourage you to buy a replacement iPod rather than have it repaired. Talk about a disposable product!

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