My iPod is sad and so am I.

I got me a new iPod Nano last Friday and now it won't charge or be recognized in iTunes. Apple wants $30 just to ship it in to them. Anyone know if I can just mail it through the post office?

They don't like you to do that, but it can be done. I fought with them on the phone and eventually had to be transferred to a supervisor, who finally admitted that I could mail the device back in my own packaging, using the shipping service of my choice.

Call them back and get an RMA and the address for the return. Either that, or just take it to an Apple Store (if there is one nearby - at the time I ran into this, there were none within driving distance).

I don't think that Apple likes it when people do that.
I have sent multiple iPods into Apple (back in the day when they payed for shipping)and it never really seemed like a problem.
Another way to look at it is that $30 is quite a bit cheaper than having to pay for a brand new iPod.

Apple makes you pay to ship it to them now? I've always got a box sent to me with shipping paid both ways.

Mjc.americor said:

I don't think that Apple likes it when people do that.
I have sent multiple iPods into Apple (back in the day when they payed for shipping)and it never really seemed like a problem.
Another way to look at it is that $30 is quite a bit cheaper than having to pay for a brand new iPod.

Click to expand...

Well, here's my problem with that - $30 is a lot to charge for shipping of an item that is the size of a deck of cards (or smaller) and weighs just a few ounces. In fact, I would say it's outrageous. The same item can be shipped Priority Mail for less than $5, so charging 6 times that amount is just wrong.

Additionally, we're talking about an in warranty product being serviced for a manufacturer's defect. It's a bit of an imposition to ask me to pay for shipping, but it's a whole 'nother story when they're trying to make a quick buck off of me for what is essentially their responsibility.

So, that's what ticks me off. First they start with "oh, you can have free shipping and service if you just buy Apple Care", then it's "OK, well that will be $30 for shipping". So, basically they're using this as an opportunity for a "hard sell". Not cool, and really bad customer service in my opinion.

I think I'm going to call them and see their opinion on it.
Watch, There going to try and sell Apple Care to me.
Apple Care = Epic failure.

comraderaikov said:

I think I'm going to call them and see their opinion on it.
Watch, There going to try and sell Apple Care to me.
Apple Care = Epic failure.

Click to expand...

I would just call them, refuse the Apple Care and tell them that you'd like to ship it back on your own. Get a mailing address and an RMA. If the rep refuses, just escalate to a supervisor. Once I had the supervisor, it wasn't a problem - although they did warn me that they wouldn't be responsible for a loss in the mail. Just make sure you use Delivery Confirmation of some sort and you'll be fine. It shouldn't cost you any more than $10.

Thanks. I'll give it a try after work.

Nope.
Apple being retarded wants $30 for a box and packaging materials.
The dude told me I won't be able to ship it in because "It will not have the information it needs". Then he told me "The $30 is because we're paying FedEx and it ships overnight". I called FedEx just for fun and the told me for an item of that weight to go overnight to the repair center would be $8. Apple is make quite some money of this.

Did you speak with a supervisor? That's the key. You need to be assertive, but polite and tell them clearly "I want to ship this using my own means - you can not tell me that I must use your shipping service just to get it to the depot, that's unacceptable". As far as not having the information, that is the reason you're asking for an RMA.

The key is not to back down.

I went to the Apple Store Saturday and they said the iPod was too damaged and the warranty was void. Eh. I think I'm going to buy a Zune next time.

Damaged physically or internally? If it's too physically damaged I think you'll be out of luck no matter what company you get an MP3 player from. Warranties don't usually cover neglect if it's obviously been dropped, dunked, kicked, etc...

Only to play devil's advocate, I use FedEx shipping quite a bit for eBay and $30 seems about right if they overnight you packing materials with return overnight service as well. You've got to remember - that's $15 one-way to send a package overnight.

I just checked online with my FedEx account and these were the rates, using Apple's address at 1 Infinite Loop, and estimating total package weight at 2lbs. More than likely, Standard Overnight is the service they quoted (one way, shown below.)

FedEx First Overnight
8:30 AM Tue Feb 24,2009 $45.50

FedEx Priority Overnight
10:30 AM Tue Feb 24,2009 $18.22

FedEx Standard Overnight
3:00 PM Tue Feb 24,2009 $15.86

FedEx 2Day
4:30 PM Wed Feb 25,2009 $9.58