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"iPod's Dirty Secret"
akpoff writes "Have you ever made a promise while in tech-support hell to let everyone know how bad the product is? The Neistat brothers followed through after the batteries in an iPod died and Apple told them it would cost US$250 to replace them. The tech rep told the guys they might as well buy a new iPod. The brothers thought differently and made a movie showing how they got the word out in a large metro area. Of course it was made on a Mac with iMovie." Their statement is a bit misleading: many people have iPods that have lasted a lot longer than 18 months (the iPod was released over two years ago). But the batteries don't last forever. What is their life expectancy? Does Apple notify consumers of a life expectancy?
Please. apple zealot alarm going off in full force.
the apple rep said on the frigging phone he would be better off buying a new one than trying to get a replacement battery. you didnt see the video, nor do you have any concept what customer service should be . you own a mac.
thats a joke.
here is a place where you can get them:
http://www.ipodbattery.com/
but of course, this will void your "warranty"
I've upgraded a G3 for a friend to Mac OS X )(and a G4 CPU and 1GB of memory a while back), and had a problem with OS being misconfigured. I called software tech support and he asked for my system serial number. I said I have a problem with the software, not the machine. He said that if the machine is too old, even the free support that comes with OS X cannot be rendered. I told him the serial, he told me to frigg off.
Thats A-1 #1 customer support isnt it?
A reinstall of OS X later and he is doing fine.
I'm just glad i didnt install panther and have it ruin the hard drive like it did to so many people and call support and have them say, FO&D because i dont have new hardware.
AAPL = job piggy bank. keep putting the pennies in and his foul, unethical Xerox IP-stealing ass getss richer and richer.
laptop batteries don't i don't see why ipods would be any different
-A shipping and handling fee of $29.95 USD will be charged for all iPod repairs performed after the first six months of the warranty.
Nice. STAB the consumer in the back for S&H. Nice.
Out-Of-Warranty Pricing
Price includes:
- Repair: $249.00 USD Replacement: labor, parts, and a 90-day guarantee on materials and workmanship, plus $6.95 USD shipping. $255.95 USD total.
Funny. 250 bucks regardless of model. Sounds like a gouge to me.
Steve Jobs in Interview:
Q: Still, $300 to $500 is an obstacle to a lot of people.
JOBS: No, of course I don?t think it?s too costly. Fifty million homes have DVD players that cost that kind of money. For music lovers, I don?t think it?s a hurdle at all. There are sneakers that cost more than an iPod.
Yes, $500 isnt a lot for a person worth more thatn 250 million dollars with a 100 million dollar jet.
Battery Service: $99.00 USD: labor, parts, and a 90-day guarantee on materials and workmanship, plus $6.95 shipping. $105.95 USD total.
$99 bucks for a battery that is worth $30. Nice. Where are the consumer protection laws when you need them.
how fucking stupid are you man. You don't have to mail your Ipod anywhere. You buy the battery on ipodbattery.com and replace it. Or you send your unit into be repaired. You could replace your car battery or you could go to a mechanic and have him do it. This is EXACTLY the fucking same. Stop complaining.
If they had used any other rechargeable (or throw away) batteries, it would not have costed $99 over 18 months to replace them. Instead, like all other Apple technology, they chose something so proprietary that you can't buy one anywhere else if you don't like the price.
On the bright side, I saw an MP3 CD player at WalMart for only $29.99. It doesn't hold tens of thousands of songs like an iPod, but getting 200 or more songs per CD really isn't bad at all.
MS releases product with known life of 18 months and doesn't tell anyone = teh flames.
Apples does it = teh apologists.
This is a fatal design flaw. The battery should be as easy to replace as any walkman. Press and slide -> remove old battery -> insert new battery -> replace cover. Anything else is Apple farking the consumer.
But hey, you guys bought the hype. Apple wins. One more reason why I don't buy products from a company that hire Jeff Goldblum as a spokesman. That guy just stinks of poser intellectual.