I sent my 5g 60gig iPod off to Apple to fix for me, because I got a sad face when I turned it on. They are sending it back to me claiming that there was abuse to it, and won’t fix it. I assume that they are referring to the screen, which is in terrible shape. (I keep it in my pocket, and after it got pretty bad, I figured that it was pointless to try to protect it with anything, because it was already bad.
So, long story short, do I have any recourse? Was me buying the Applecare thing pointless now?
I haven’t read the Applecare agreement, but to my recollection, usually on such agreements the wording says something like “Repairs which must be done as a result of abuse of the product are not covered by this warranty.” If its the same with the Applecare agreement, then you should send it back with a letter that says something like “The problem with this ipod is not related to the scratches on the screen. Please repair it. If I am wrong and it is related to whatever caused the scratches on the screen, then you may bill me.”
That is, if you’re willing to risk getting billed…
I also forgot to mention (yes, I did forget! Shut up.) that what started this whole thing was it falling off of a microwave. I haven’t read the applecare thing either, but does accidental damage count as abuse? Can I still get Apple to fix this for me, but bill me for it? (I’m sure that would be cheaper than buying a new one.
Sadly yes, it falling off the microwave would be considered “Accidental Damage” (Band Name!) a.k.a. Abuse…
if the iPod was running when it fell off the microwave, it’s possible that the hard drive may have suffered a head crash (read/write heads strike the rapidly spinning hard drive platter), or the impact may have jarred a cable loose
drops aren’t covered, if it was a simple mechanical failure yes, but not drops, sorry
Consumer electronics are really not economically repairable. About the best that can be done is to replace parts with high failure rate even then if it takes a technition more than a few hours to do that you would be better off buying a new one. A new 30 gig is $249. Repair work is about $60 to $100 an hour once you include the cost of tools lab space etc.
My ipod had the same icon a couple weeks ago (my IPod was G4 and purchased in December 2004). Every time I turned it on, there was a clicking sound (it happened when the hard drive was whirring up). I was able to get it working again.
I cruised the forums at apple and at ilounge.com. I did the hard reset, and then I accessed the iPod diagnostic mode to run to run tests on the hard drive to confirm it could still read and write. I tried a lot of things and it still wasn’t working. I think on ilounge, there was a post that said as a last resort to smack the iPod really hard (in a specific place) in time to the clicks. It worked, and I haven’t had any problems since.
I keep mine in a hard case and have dropped it numerous times.
the only iPods that are “easily” repairable are the first and second gen models (5 gig to 15 gig) with the top-mounted 6-pin FireWire port, 3rd gen and above are very difficult to repair, besides, Apple does not permit service providers to repair iPods, there’s no repair parts i can order from Apple…
the other issue on the hard-drive based 3rd to 5th gen iPods is that the headphone/hold switch assembly is attached to the logic board with an extremely delicate ribbon cable and friction connector, if you’re not extremely careful when taking the iPod apart you can tear the ribbon cable off the friction connector, then you’d need a new headphone board as well as a new hard drive, and headphone boards are harder to find than hard drives…
Also, can you guys repair it with your standard “repair,” which is apparently replacing it for a fee? I feel terrible for bombarding you with all of these questions, when I could probably just call Apple and ask them, but you’re here, and I’d go have to find my phone and everything to call them (and they’re not open yet.)
If you’re desperate, you can try some “alternative” repair methods, the most popular being to purposely drop your iPod on the floor. Also visit Apple Support for iPod forums http://discussions.apple.com/category.jspa?categoryID=146
I am not an authorized Mac service provider…try at your own risk yadda yadda
I’m hesitant to mention this for fear of jinxing it, but both me and a friend have brought in our unhappy ipods to an Apple store to have them looked at, and after a few questions and signing a piece of paper they just gave each of us a new ipod. In my case, it was a newer model than the one I brought in. The apple store people are some friendly folk! YMMV
Hmm, I know there’s an apple store in Fayetteville, AR, but it’s not showing up at apple.com. I probably won’t be up there again until maybe Christmas time, though.
To be fair, any brand of mp3 player (not just an iPod) might break from a drop or fall. And most manufacturers, to my knowledge, don’t cover accidents or damage under warranty.
You can always call and plead your case, but it’s likely that the internal components of the iPod were found to have been jarred by the drop (solder connections severed etc). That, and not superficial scratches on the screen, are likely why it was returned unrepaired. The repair depot can be a little finicky - sometimes they’ll refuse service for the slightest dent - but they’re going by the warranty that you agreed to when you purchased the iPod, so there’s not much recourse. Superficial scratches okay, physical damage not okay.
