Second hand unit returns, short battery life, limited warranty among some of problemsYou don't have to be an Apple fan to appreciate the iPod. Going by looks alone, it's a sweet little device. A friend once said on IRC "The only people who hate iPods are those who can't afford one" -- whether or not it's true, I don't know, but there is very little not to like about them. Price could be one of those things.
When you shell out a good wad of cash for something, you expect to get some top-notch service from the manufacturer and operability out of the device. It's one thing buying a $100 MP3 player and having it stop working, but it's a completely different story when you spend $500 on an iPod and its battery dies, or it stops working.
That could be the source of the frustration that many iPod owners are feeling. Among some of the crap customers have to deal with is the fact that shipping your brand-spanking-new iPod for repairs will not mean you'll get your iPod back. Chances are that you'll receive a second-hand/refurb unit. Here's an example from a Guardian reader:
Simon Charles writes from Maidenhead to point out an unusual quirk in Apple's repair policy. "I bought an iPod for my son for Christmas [2004] and after one week, the battery was already down to only 30 minutes' use, [which is] no good," he writes. "Apple said I should take the unit back to the retailer because I had only just bought it." However, the retailer, in west London, suggested that Charles send it back to Apple for repair via the website. But he was perturbed to find, when scrolling through the service request pages online, that, having waved his iPod off to the repair centre, "you will not receive the same iPod that was sent in for service". As Charles puts it: "I was not impressed that Apple now wanted to take my new iPod off me and give me a second-hand one in return."
Not impressed is an understatement. Double-yoo-tee-eff? How is this acceptable in the least? I don't know of any other company that will send you back a second-hand product after you send yours in for repairs -- under a valid warranty. IMNSHO, that's absurd.
The article over at the Guardian is an interesting (and eye-opening) read. Needless to say, I'm a little anxious about purchasing an iPod now. I would not be a happy camper if I were to send it back for repairs, and I got a scratched-up, second-hand unit in return.
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