[kc311v2]

I am a little upset with Apple right now over their handling of AppleCare. Here is my predicament.

In April '04 I purchased an open-box 3G 40GB iPod. In Jan. '05, the HD failed (sad face icon on bootup). Brought it to my local Apple store, they replaced it for me since it was still under the original warranty.
That same visit, an Apple salesman offered me an AppleCare Protection plan for $60. I thought about it for awhile and said "OK".

Fast forward to today. Charge on the iPod lasts maybe a half hour, hour tops. I'm ready for a battery replacement, but I remember that I purchased the Protection Plan back in Jan. '05.
I forget to register for the Protection Plan, so I call up AppleCare and ask if they can take care of it. I tell them of my situation. I give my receipt number and iPod S/N to the kind woman on the phone.
She tells me my Protection Plan is obsolete.

Here's the thing: On the receipt of the Protection Plan, it says in clear bold letters: Warranty good through January 22, 2007.

Woman on phone tells me I'm SOL despite what it says on receipt. The protection plan I purchased is for the original purchase of the iPod, not for the replacement.

I call up the Apple Store from which the Protection Plan was purchased, tell them of my situation. They said I'm SOL. I ask if they are not willing to honor what it says on the receipt. They say no.
Thanked her and hungup.

I hate to say this, but this situation has left a sour taste in my mouth, and I'm not sure I'll be purchasing another iPod. I've been a Mac user my whole life, I love Apple. I'm familiar with the ideals in corporate America and the fact that they're in this business for the money. I'm just VERY disappointed in how Apple has treated me. I felt suckered into buying that 2 year protection plan. I wasn't even told that the Protection Plan would only cover the original purchase, not the replacement. If that was the case, I would not have purchased the protection plan.

Sorry for the long rant, but I'm wondering if there's anything I can do here or if anyone has been in the same situation. Why would I pay $60 for a 2 year Protection Plan for 1 year and 4 months? I don't see the logic in it.
Why would Apple not honor what it says on the receipt they gave me? Is there a case I cannot make? Is all hope lost?
Any feedback is most appreciated.

[eleazar]

Complain your way up the corporate ladder. While being nice to the first line of customer service, ask to speak to their boss and go from there. As a last minute act of desperation if all else fails, raise hell in an apple store when it is super crowded. Be stern but not an ass. Always seems to work for me.

[chipchen]

The receipt is merely indicating the two years if purchased on the same day as the iPod. That's just how it is, two years from the original purchase date of the iPod.

Wouldn't it be unfair the the person who bought the protection plan with their iPod to only have two years worth of coverage if someone else buys it for the same price later gets longer? There's definately no logic in that.

Now, if the receipt states the serial number of the iPod, and then states that the warranty is good until 2007, that's different... you might have a case. But I doubt it, as the plans are sold independently and it's the responsibility of the user to register it.

You weren't "suckered" into the protection plan... in fact, you said for youself that you thought about it for a while. And had you had issues within that time frame, they would have taken care of it. As for not being told about the protection plan starting from the original purchase date, that's how they pretty much all are (at least manufacturer extended warranties). And there's a little bit of responsibility on your part to be an intelligent consumer and read the cards on the inside. In addition, had you registered the purchase like you were supposed to, you would have received a mailed statement about your ipod coverage, and you could have called about any discrepencies then.

Sounds like you're only mad because you can't be treated as an exception on the standards that are in place. But you paid for a product (service) that you weren't coerced into, and you received what you paid for: extra coverage for a year on top of your original warranty (it's even got a diagram on the back of the box). It just so happens you didn't need it because the replacement worked out fine. You just don't want to be treated like everyone else.


And to eleazar... come on... you're just messing it up for the rest of us. What makes you so much more special that you feel like you should get special treatment for everything? You even have it down to an artform? The rest of us share in the cost down the line because Apple's costs go up.

[analogika]

Originally Posted by chipchen

The receipt is merely indicating the two years if purchased on the same day as the iPod. That's just how it is, two years from the original purchase date of the iPod.

DINGDINGDING!

That is clearly stated in the AppleCare Protection Plan terms.

It's good from the date of purchase OF THE PRODUCT.

They're just lenient in that they give you up to a year (until the warranty runs out) to decide whether or not to opt for the extension.

Yours ran out in April of this year.

[ghporter]

That receipt is quite confusing for the customer-and there's something else to consider: AppleCare for a computer adds TWO years to the warranty. So buying AppleCare for a computer gives you a total of three years coverage. On the other hand, AppleCare for iPods adds only one year of coverage for a total of two years. It's possible that the receipt software is too stupid to notice that the product sold was iPod AppleCare...

Either way, Apple (or at least that Apple Store) should do something for you because they gave you two different stories. What that something might be, I couldn't say.