macbook pro unresponsive volume and pause keys

so, i've managed to fix most of the problems with my macbook, no thanks to apple really. but the latest ******** is unresponsive volume and pause keys. sometimes they work impeccably, other times they just decide to quit working for a while. what's really up with this? any help? i own a 2010 macbook pro 15 inch, if that matters.

Most of the problems? Care to share with us?
Watch for which applications are running when your play/pause keys don't get picked up. For example I know that when I have iTunes and VLC running, both applications pick them up, but it might not be the case for all applications.

the other problems i had with my brand new mac(s) were software corruption, dysfunctional airport, beach balls coming out of nowhere, and a slew of other issues. i'm convinced a bad batch went out, and i'm sure apple was aware as they allowed me to return said macbooks no questions asked. i recored all the problems with quicktime. but, back to my new issue, this problem happens even when the only program i have running is itunes.