They're one of those companies whose job it is to ask you at the end of your call with customer service how things went, and their survey results show that when asked how satisfied they were with their agent, 60% answered "very satisfied." Dell customers? Only 44%. Gateway followed with 37%. Not enough info is yet available on Toshiba and HP to be statistically significant.

So if you want to pay more for a nicely designed computer with the best customer service, looks like Mac is it. If you want to play computer games, you will have to accept worse customer service, and not get a Mac. Unless you use BootCamp and run Windows on a Mac. Oops. Full data below.

So when you take your Mac to get repaired and they have to send it to their repair center, politely request that a service technician with the ID 31514 at the “CTS, Apple Authorized Repair Center” in Houston, Texas does not fix your Mac.

Unless you want to type in German.

"Apple Repair Remains Dismal" [Paul Stamatiou]

Be sure to read our Ultimate Consumerist Guide to Fighting Back, a go-to handbook for the dissatisfied consumer. Once you've decided to go the executive customer service right, be sure you read this first so you know what to say when you call the corporate avatar of your choice.

The Consumerist Executive Customer Service Index

ACS
Adelphia
Air Tran
Alamo
Alaska Airlines
Allegiant
Aloha
Amazon
America West
American Airlines
American Express
Amtrak
Apple
ATA
AT&T
AT&T Wireless
Bank of America
Barnes and Noble
Bell Canada
Best Buy
Blizzard
Blockbuster
Blogger
Bloomingdales
Blue Cross/Blue Shield
British Airways
Borders
Busey Bank
Buy.com
Cablevision
Charter Communications
Chase
Circuit City
Citibank
Comcast
Continental
cox
Delta
Direc-TV
Discover Card
Dish
Disney
Ebay
Enterprise
Equifax
Experian
Fedex
Frontier Airlines
Fry's
Gamefly
Geek Squad
Georgia Power
Helio
Home Depot
Humana
HSBC
IKEA
ING Direct
Insight
Keybank
Lenovo
Loew's
Macy's
Microsoft (and Xbox)
Midwest Airlines
Motorola
National City
Nicors
Northwest Airlines
Norton
Office Depot
Office Max
Orbitz
Paypal
Pitney Bowes
Qwest
RCN
Regions Bank
Register.com
Ryan Air
Samsung
Seagate
Sears
Sirius
Skybus
Sony Ericcson
Spirit Airlines
Sprint
Sports Authority
Staples
Symantec
T-mobile
Target
Time Warner Cable
TransUnion
Uhaul
United Airlines
United Health Care
UNUM Life Insurance
UPS
US Airways
US Cellular
Verizon landline/DSL/Fios
Verizon Wireless
Vonage
Wachovia
Walmart
Washington Mutual
Wells Fargo

In the event you can't find the info you are looking for here, you can scan our backlog of contact info, or use Google to uncover the addresses yourself. In the event you find something we don't have, feel free to share at tips@consumerist.com.

Researched by Alex Jarvis
Last updated: 11/07/2008

PREVIOUSLY: Woot Customer Demands Non-Existent Black iPod Headphones
(Photo: bbatsell)

Millard does not care that Apple only makes white ones (unless you're getting special U2 iPods, which this wasn't). Now he wants Woot to pay for the black headphones he was "forced" to buy so they would match. It was very important to both him and his daughter, for whom the iPod was a birthday gift, that the headphones and iPod matched.

Woot.com was actually the ones who forwarded over the email exchange to us. They're hoping that Consumerist readers can offer advice on how they should react to the situation. At the bottom of the exchange posted below is a poll where you can write your tips and vote on other others'. Woot has promised to take them under advisement.

"From: MillardR
To: Service; Woot Member Services
Subject: Error in color ....
Hello,

I received the item I ordered, but the ear piece was shipped to me in "white" rather than in "black" to match my black iPod.

Can you help?

Millard R

—
Woot Member Services wrote:

Millard,

Apparently the people at Apple are not fashion-sensitive because those ear pieces only come in white. We apologize for this but unfortunately there isn't much we can do for you in this case.

-Rutherford

—
From: MillardR
To: Service; Woot Member Services
Subject: Re: Error in color ....

Hello Rutherford,

I never knew that this piece was going to come this way, and if you ask me (your customer) I fell that Woot should inform their customers of this type of detail issue. Well ... it now cost me an additional $29.00 to purchase a black set of ear plugs (that are for sale) to match the IPOD that I purchased from Woot in Black. How is this fair
to me .... the customer that feels he was mislead?

I hope you can do something to off-set my additional expense.

Best regards,

Millard R

—
Woot Member Services wrote:

I'm not sure how you felt mislead. The picture shows white earbuds. As a matter of fact, I looked back at other iPods that we sold and ALL the earbuds were white.

Rutherford

—
From: Millard R
To: Woot : Service

Hello Rutherford,

I'm really surprised to see that you're (WOOT) is taking this stance against one if its customers. The reason I felt mislead is because I was asked to select between "White" or "Black", and I was under the assumption that, again "White" meant totally "White" and that "Black meant totally Black". It never mentioned that only to IPOD itself
would be affected by the color, and that the other accessories would be shipped in a standard White color.

That's like purchasing a new car in the color of your choice (Blue) and when you finally take it home and you open the hood or truck ... its pink in color. Well when you call your sales person and report your finding, the customer support person states that it only comes in that color. Well if you were never told this information, would you feel mislead just because you never opened these areas to check for your self. Well ... I feel mislead, and so did my little daughter that received it item from us for her birthday!!!

Please review your customer satisfaction policy to see if there is any language within that takes care of your customer ... under this type of circumstance.

Please advise,

Millard R."

(Photo: bbatsell)

RELATED: The Worst Tip We Have Ever Received

Here's his story:

I have been an AT&T/Cingular customer for some time (5+ years). I own small business and have 7 phones with them on a small business plan, my normal monthly bill is well over $300. Shortly after Mother's day this year I started getting $2000+ bills for roaming in Nicaragua and Mexico. Neither I nor my phone have ever been to Nicaragua. I called AT&T and they actually fixed the problem in a few days and gave me a credit. So far so good.

However, the next month's bill came and the calls are still there, and the next month and the next month. Finally I had them shut the phone off completely, because they couldn't stop the billing. So the phone is now off, and I am still paying monthly service on it. However, they managed to rack up over $6,000 in charges for roaming in Mexico and Nicaragua before I forced them to shut it off.

Here's the kicker, AT&T says the phone is in both places at the same time. Their own bill shows a call being made from Nicaragua at the exact same minute it is incurring a data roaming charge in Mexico. When I point out that this is physically impossible they just respond with "pay the bill," I imagine it to be similar to what dealing with the Mob must feel like.

I won't get into the byzantine mess that is AT&T's dispute issues process (to be fair, in the 5 years before this incident, I always thought they were pleasant and helpful when I called for anything); suffice to say after over 12 hours on the phone with AT&T (who have a wonderful system that won't allow you to call anyone back), they finally shut my phones off today. This is despite swearing just last night that my service wouldn't be interrupted.

For the record, despite all these issues I was a "good" customer and continued to pay the portion of my bill that was legit.

Please help, or at least if you can't help publish this so other people can stay away.

Serves me right for buying an iPhone.

Thanks,
Chris

Hey, we didn't say it, he did.

Chris, have you tried these numbers?

Nate Dawson (who handles the email when you email sjobs@apple.com)
ndoss@apple.com
916-399-7032

Mark Benford(?)
408-974-5158

(Photo: blue_j)

Apple originally agreed to settle the suit early this year, but recently expanded the number of eligible models. Class members are eligible for the following payback:

For adapters purchased before October 14, 2008, fill out and submit your claim form by February 11, 2009. For replacement adapters purchased after October 14, 2008, submit your claims within 120 days of the purchase, or by May 31, 2009; whichever is earlier.

More details are available on the class action's website.

Gordon v. Apple Computer, Inc.
Apple settles class-action suit over faulty notebook adapters [AppleInsider]
(Photo: Educational Technology Blog)

Jonathan says:

I think if I had this much to deposit, I could just buy my own Touch. Possible signs of trouble ahead?

Oh maybe. Nothing a few iPods can't fix, apparently.

TD Ameritrade Website Crash, Servers Down [Stocks to Go]
Money fund cut may cost TD Ameritrade clients $100 million [MarketWatch]

"We have received reports of detached blades involving a very small percentage of the adapters sold, but no injuries have been reported," Apple said in a statement.

Spokeswoman Natalie Kerris could not say exactly how many adapters have broken in this way.

The recall affects ultra-compact USB power adapters sold in the United States, Argentina, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Japan, Mexico, Panama and Peru.

Adapters with a green dot on the bottom are safe and do not need to be replaced, Apple said.

Just because the adapters are hazardous doesn't mean Apple has replacements ready. No, you'll have to wait until October 10 for those. Until then, charge your iPhone 3G with either the standard USB adapter with the fold-up prongs, or your computer's USB port.

Apple recalls tiny iPhone 3G adapters [AP]

Get this emailed to your inbox weekly by signing up here.

One new Microsoft commercial even begins with a company engineer who resembles John Hodgman, the comedian portraying the loser PC character in the Apple campaign. “Hello, I’m a PC,” the engineer says, echoing Mr. Hodgman’s recurring line, “and I’ve been made into a stereotype.”

The commercials are the work of Crispin Porter & Bogusky, the ad agency behind such familiar oddities as the creepy Burger "King." The spots will feature celebrities, too: "actress Eva Longoria, the author Deepak Chopra and the singer Pharrell Williams," are expected to appear.

How exciting. It's just like the "Cola Wars"... only nerdier.

Echoing the Campaign of a Rival, Microsoft Aims to Redefine ‘I’m a PC’ [NYT]

Mark writes:

Hello Consumerist,

Recently I went into an Apple Store with a broken hard drive on a black Macbook. This was my third hard drive crash on the machine in 18 months. Previously I had another apple notebook which had no problems in the four years I used it.

After the second hard drive crash I took the machine to the Genius bar for service and it was sent away to Apple in California. After getting it back about ten days later I was informed that they had replaced the DVD drive (?) in addition to the hard drive and was told if I had any trouble with this hard drive they would replace the machine.

This time when my hard drive crashed I took it into to be replaced again. After a few days I called Applecare and asked them whether I could request a replacement machine. They informed me I should contact my local Apple store that was doing the repair and speak to them about a replacement and if that didn't work I should speak to Customer Relations.

When I called the Apple store I was put on the phone with an Apple Genius again who told me that he wouldn't replace the machine. I asked him if it was unusual to go through four hard drives in a year and a half and he asked me what I used my machine for.

I told him I was a musician and I recorded using Garageband in addition to surfing the internet, etc. He told me that Macbooks are consumer level machines and that often they can't handle writing big files like the kind Garageband uses. He said I should use an external hard drive for recording with Garageband.

He refused to replace the machine and when I asked for the number for customer relations, he game me a number which was actually the Apple Care hotline.

After I navigated the Apple Care menu, I spoke to a tech support person who connected me to someone at customer relations. He agreed to replace the machine and was much more polite than the Genius I spoke to on the phone.

He put me on hold and called the store to cancel the repair. After that had been arranged he warned me that since they were replacing the machine if I continued to experience the same behavior with my next machine it would be my fault.

He also told me that Macbooks were consumer level machines and they weren't made to handle certain programs. I asked him if that included Garageband, which comes in the iLife suite (http://www.apple.com/ilife/) and is obviously targeted at average consumers as it comes with the operating system. He didn't address that directly, but seemed to agree with me.

I was pleased with the service I got from customer relations and also pleased with Apple agreeing to send me a replacement computer. I can't say I'm pleased with the Genius bar guy I talked to , though my previous experiences haven't been so bad and the guy I actually met at the store was nice).

I have to say I'm completely perplexed with why a black (supposedly high-end) Macbook can't run Garageband without crashing the hard drive. In all their Macbook ads online they show Garageband in the dock of the Macbooks and they include it with all their new computers. Surely it's meant to be used. Maybe just occasionally?

There's a world of difference between "can't handle" and "runs better." We expect better performance from better hardware, but Apple claims clunky old G4s can handle iLife, so it's not unreasonable to assume that it will smoothly on Apple's top-of-the-line consumer notebook. Right? Tell us in the comments if we're missing something.

Here's their email:

We fixed the error on iPod pricing on our website this morning. And anyone who bought at the wrong price is going to be refunded without asking, no matter how long ago they purchased. Plus we are sending them a $10 gift card so they can add some tunes to their new iPod.

Thanks to your reader for pointing out the mistake. Apple changed prices and discontinued some models with their latest upgrades, and our system—for a reason we have fixed—didn't reflect that.

Inflated prices are not in our repertoire. Actually, getting gear in musicians' hands at the lowest possible price is what we are all about. We appreciate the fair shake we got from The Consumerist. Keep up the good work. No problem will ever appear on your site that we do anything other than solve

This customer wanted to remove his active mobileme address and turn one of his existing email only addresses into his main account. Here's how the chat went:

Brian: Hi Sheena!

Sheila H: Hello, Brian.

Sheila H: I understand you want to switch your main account and email only account, correct?

Brian: I have a little problem. I need to switch the main mobileme account to an email only account and switch one of my email only accounts to the main account. Is that possible?

Sheila H: Unfortunately, email only accounts are no longer available, so if you cancel your existing email only account, you will not be able to reactivate it.

Brian: I’m talking about current email only accounts. And I’ve been able to reactivate email only accounts since the Mac Plus was around.

Brian: Such as switching making yyyyy@me.com into the main account instead of xxxxxxxxxxx@me.com

Sheila H: I understand. However you wish to cancel one account and make it an email only account, that is not possible.

Brian: It’s the main account I wish to cancel. I want to keep the email only accounts.

Brian: Frankly, I’m being harassed and stalked and I just found out I the brain tumor I thought went away didn’t. So my day isn’t really peachy.

Sheila H: Not my problem. Okay. So let me clarify, you wish to cancel your main account (which will cancel your email only accounts), and reactivate your email only account as an Individual account, correct?

Brian: Yeah, um, thanks for the compassion, I just want to get rid of the email address on the main account. If I could convert one of my other email only accounts to a full account, that’d be great. Would that be free under the circumstances or would I just have to buy a whole new subscription to get it done and get started on my email to the Consumerist?

Sheila H: You will need to purchase a new membership because it’s a new account. However, you will receive a prorated refund for your current membership which will be applied to the card it was activated with.

Brian: That would be over six months at this point.

Sheila H: You will be credited for any unused portion of your prepaid membership. Would you like me to cancel?

Brian: Not right now, thanks. I’ll just visit an Apple Store fifty miles away. But thanks for the information and compassion. I hope Steve Jobs reads this.

You stay classy, Sheila!

(Photo: Getty)

If you're one of those people, at least you have an out if you bought it in the last 30 days. Right on the page where you can add the iPod to your cart, they say that "with our 30/30 Guarantee on most products, you can be assured of complete satisfaction and the lowest available price, or your money back!" We confirmed with a very nice CSR on the phone that the guarantee applies to iPods, so good luck with that. Maybe you can spend that recaptured $100 on some Monster Cables.

(Thanks to Scott!)

• Apple: Refurbished iPod touches on sale, 8GB for $180, 16GB for $240, 32GB for $320
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You are chatting with {Name Withheld to Protect... Something}, an Apple Expert:

Hi, my name is {Name Withheld to Protect... Something}. Welcome to Apple!

{Me}: I need a new doohickey; TSA lost my old one.
{Me}: I need the thingy that you use to connect a mac laptop to a pc projctor/monitor
{Me}: obviously i dont know what it's called
{Me}: thus I can't find it.
{Me}: and then once I know what it is, I need to know if the apple store by the mall by my house has it

*** 60 second pause ***

{Name Withheld to Protect... Something}: Good afternoon.
{Name Withheld to Protect... Something}: I'm happy to assist with that.
{Name Withheld to Protect... Something}: Would you like a link to the local Apple STore.

{Me}: I need to know what the thing is called firsty

{Name Withheld to Protect... Something}: One moment while I research that for you.
{Name Withheld to Protect... Something}: Are you trying to hook your Mac to a projector? Explain to me exactly what you are doing.

{Me}: yes
{Me}: i have a mac laptop and we have projectors for pc
{Me}: the connector for the projector is the same as if I was hooking the mac laptop up to a pc monitor

{Name Withheld to Protect... Something}: Did you have a plug that you previously attached?
{Name Withheld to Protect... Something}: What type of prong was on the projector for input or output?

{Me}: i don't know what you mean by plug. I had a small white cable, one end hooked up to my laptop on the mac side and one end hooked up to the monitor/projector
{Me}: the pc end looked like pc monitor connectors have always looked. the mac side has a bunch of square looking slots at one end
{Me}: that cable fell out of my bag at airport security
{Me}: or my dog ate it. anyway, it's gone and now I can't hook up to anything.

{Name Withheld to Protect... Something}: One moment while I research that for you.

*** several minutes go by***

{Name Withheld to Protect... Something}: Thank you for your patience.

****several more minutes go by, I stop sending emails and try some more searches***

{Me}: i think i found it.
{Me}: On my own.
{Me}: http://store.apple.com/us/product/M8754G/A?mco=MTIxODk3Mw

***60 second pause***

{Name Withheld to Protect... Something}: Perfect.
{Name Withheld to Protect... Something}: Would you like me to place it in a cart for you?

(this is one of the stupider offers of help ever, I just found something faster than you did, I think I can click the "add to cart button".)

{Me}: No, I need the phone number for the Mac store in South Pointe mall in Durham, NC.
{Me}: I don't want to pay shipping.

{Name Withheld to Protect... Something}: I will gladly send you a link so that you may contact them directly, one moment
{Name Withheld to Protect... Something}: Click Here

(Thanks for nothing. A link to the site I'm ALREADY ON. Way to go.)

You will note I never got what I wanted — them to check the inventory without me calling the store and find out if they had it in stock.

I think I'm going to order the $1.94 knock-off on Amazon, instead. It's got $2.95 shipping, but that's a net of $15.00 less than Apple...

(Photo: Getty)

Elizabeth's story is just one of the many examples showing that piss-poor customer service can directly lead to lost business.

It has been over 3 weeks since I ordered a set of windows XP replacement cds, and still no sign of them. I ordered the disks using the form on dell.com and received an email saying that the disks would be sent to me in 3-5 business days. When I had not received the disks after over a week of waiting, I checked my account information on dell.com, hoping to find some answers. It was clear that the customer service rep never read the original form that I submitted and sent the disks to the "original shipping address" instead of the "current shipping address".

I replied to the original confirmation email (as the email told me to do if I had a problem) and explained the situation. I received what was obviously a form letter in reply saying that the situation would be corrected and that they would send out a new set of disks the following day. After waiting a few days for the "order info" to appear in my account information on dell.com, I was shocked to see that the disks had AGAIN been sent to the wrong address.

This time I tried calling customer service directly. After being on the phone for nearly an hour being transferred to a series of people whose English was barely intelligible , I was finally connected to a rep who said that because the package had not yet been picked up by DHL that he would personally contact DHL and change the shipping address on the package. He also stated that I would receive a confirmation email that same afternoon with the case number of my problem and all of the relevant shipping information.

By the next day I still had not received any confirmation email. My dell.com information still had the incorrect shipping address. Likewise using the DHL tracking number provided on the dell.com order info page, I saw that DHL still had the incorrect shipping address listed.

I called customer service again and was told that I had to be transferred to the technical support department to solve the problem. While I was on hold, the voice recording over the hold music told me to "have my credit card ready" so that technical support would be able to charge me for talking to them. I immediately hung up when I heard this. There was no way that I was now going to pay to talk to technical support about a shipping issue for a supposedly free set of disks.

I called customer service back immediately and was connected to a different representative who said that he would indeed be able to help me. He pulled up my file and said that he saw I had called the previous day and that the agent I had spoken to had contacted DHL and had changed the shipping address. The representative was quite rude and treated me like I was crazy for calling to confirm what I had been told the previous day. When I asked why I had not received a confirmation email about this (as the rep the previous day had promised), I was told that between Friday afternoon and Saturday afternoon Dell had changed their policy and that they were not allowed to email me a copy of my case number and complaint information nor could they even tell me the case number over the phone. I was however promised by this rep that the disks would arrive on Tuesday.

Tuesday came and no disks. I received an email stating that my order had been "resolved and closed" because the package had been delivered. Magically, they now included the case number in the email, the case number that on Saturday I was told in no uncertain terms that I was not allowed to know due to their "policy". The Dell representatives had blatantly lied to me.

I checked the DHL.com tracking information. The disks had been delivered alright...AGAIN at the incorrect address. I called DHL directly and asked them if they had ever received any request from Dell to change my shipping information. Of course, they had not. The Dell representatives had blatantly lied to me about this as well.

I called customer service for a third time and explained the entire situation again. I told the rep that I had just gotten off the phone with DHL and that even though her computer said that Dell had contacted them about the shipping change, DHL had no knowledge of this. All she could tell me was that because the order had technically been delivered, the only way to receive the disks was to start the request process from scratch. I did so. So here I am Friday, sitting here still waiting for the disks to arrive knowing that some poor soul at my old college dorm has now received two sets of windows XP disks and is probably wondering what the heck is going on.

There is currently no information regarding this third order on my dell.com account info page. At this point, I just want to see if Dell will EVER be able to send the disks to me. Thank goodness all I had ordered were a set of free disks, imagine if this had been done with a full computer system.

This was not my first horror story with Dell customer service, but it will certainly be my last. I am currently typing this on my shiny MacBook. The final selling point for me was that there is a physical Apple store nearby that's open 24/7 - 365 days a year with customer service reps that I can look in the eye. Then if they lie to me, at least they have to do it to my face. ;)

Welcome, Elizabeth, to a new, better world.

(Photo: Getty)

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Anthony writes:

My name is Anthony [redacted], and I was just robbed at knifepoint in Queens, NY, for my iPhone. I was walking home fairly late at night and a man walked up to me wielding a 10-inch or so blade and demanded my money and my iPhone.

I am writing you because after reporting the robbery to the police, I called AT&T – my service provider for 3 years – and asked if they could possibly work with the NYPD to track down my phone via the iPhone 3G's GPS. They said it was not possible to track any closer than the closest cell tower if the iPhone's functions were used, which kind of defeats the purpose of GPS in many ways. Given the Patriot Act and everything, I figured they can track down where we're taking a piss at this point.

But the big problem came when we started talking about replacing my iPhone 3G. Now I was an early adopter of the original 8GB iPhone and I just purchased the iPhone 3G in July. So when I asked if there would be a free replacement or a discount of sorts, the woman at customer service responded that since I just purchased the iPhone 3G that I would have not qualify for the discounted $199 iPhone 3G and I would have to purchase the phone at the higher price point of $399.

So after being such a long time AT&T customer and supporter of Apple's marquee product of the moment, I have been told that despite the fact that I was robbed by someone brandishing what was essentially a mini-machete I am now being robbed by AT&T.

I feel insulted as a customer, and appalled by the customer service at AT&T. This is beyond poor customer service; this is a lack of basic human compassion.

It's a shame that you're stuck in a 2-year contract because of a phone that you now no longer have. Ugh! AT&T is probably a dead end, but if you bought the phone with a credit card, you might want to call your credit card company. Many credit cards have 90-day "purchase assurance" or "purchase protection" programs that protect your recent purchases from loss, damage or theft.

Most people don't think to call their credit card company when something like this happens, which is a shame because they can be very helpful, and certainly more pleasant to deal with than your cellphone company. Don't delay, however, once the 90-days is over, so is the coverage.

(Photo: jetsetpress )

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I wanted to tell you guys about my positively sexy Washington Mutual experience. On 6/01/08, someone hacked into my iTunes account, and using my debit card information, purchased two $200 gift cards, something I noticed when checking my online statement. I call WaMu immediately, tell them about the fraud, and they say they will issue me provisional credits, which they do. I then ask the fateful questions that started this mess:

"Is there anything I need to do or give you? Should I call iTunes? Do I need to investigate?"

The answer was a swift, resounding, no. You don't need to do anything. We will contact Apple and we will investigate.

I've had good luck with WaMu, so I honestly had no reason to think that this was not even close to the correct answer. I've never been defrauded before, so I assumed that I had done my part, and that if something came up, they have my phone number and the WaMu message center, so they could let me know immediately. This was incredibly stupid.

Fast forward two months and change, I'm taking a trip from LA to Chicago for my very first production of a play I'd written. I check my balance before I leave. I take the red eye, I buy food, gum, etc. I land in Chicago at about 6 AM, and crash. The next day I try to use my card. It's declined. I have a dress rehearsal in three hours.

I check my balance and the two credits are gone, the withdrawal dated for sometime between when my connecting flight left Las Vegas and when I woke up. I am now severely overdrawn. What's worse, the four things I purchased while in LA and in transit conveniently all clear in the day after the provisional credits are revoked, each invoking their own overdraft. No warning. No notice. No calls.

I go the bank, the teller tells me that the bank has deduced that I lied about the fraud, and there's nothing I can do. I throw a fit, he gives me a number to call. I call the number. The CSR tells me that what happened was that affidavits were sent to my graduate housing address on, literally, the day I moved out after getting my master's and because they were sent back returned, there's nothing he can do.

This is the first I'm hearing about affidavits, period. This is the first I'm hearing about affidavits being sent to an address I wasn't at, and the first I'm hearing about them being sent back. I pitch a fit. He tells me that I could try sending proof of my residency claim and info to a fax number, and address it to an Alex Wilson.

I fax my proof of residency, and call CS back to follow up, asking if I could get Alex Wilson's extension. I am told that Alex Wilson is not a real person. He is just a name for people to fax things to.

What?

Also, there is no way for me to follow up with him, or the office where the documents were sent. I have to be patient and wait for a letter in the mail. I honestly have no idea if any of this is true.

I should mention at this point that due to be being stranded and broke, I have missed the final rehearsal, and half of the shows. I call CS back again. I explain the situation, I ask if there is anything she can do. She notes that the investigation is opened back up, but that now I need to contact iTunes and fax WaMu proof that what I say happened, did.

What about the affidavits? What about the part where I didn't need to contact anyone? The CSR reinforced that she didn't know what I was told in the past, but this was what I needed to do now. And I can't have my provisional credit back, or the four overdrafts.

At this point, I have missed my show entirely. I call Executive Customer Service the day my flight is leaving, and leave a message. No response. I beg for a ride to the airport, and on my layover, write an e-mail to ECSR, explaining what happened. I get an e-mail the next day that is kind and apologetic, and says that this should be resolved in 24-48 hours. I celebrate pre-maturely.

I check in with her at 24 hours, she is still working on it. I check in at 48, no response. And then, at about 76 hours, I get an e-mail that diplomatically informs me that I am lying about how I was informed and guided after the fraud, and that it was my fault for moving (and I guess, by proxy, getting my masters) at the wrong time, and my fault for not having a future address at that time, despite my not having any idea what that address would be used for beyond account identity verification. It was phrased: "According to our policies, what you have suggested could never f*cking happen and you are full of sh*t."

And that, despite the fact that I faxed the required info when I returned to LA, that I have repeatedly referred to this as fraud, and not a dispute, that I have a f*cking phone and access to a message center that they use to inform me of other important things, I got the dreaded "we have insufficient information to dispute the charge with the merchant."

Not having the presence of mind to disbelieve what the debit fraud CSR says costs about 536 dollars, priceless memories, and a week and a half. Took a screenshot of my message center inbox, just in case. What other evidence do I need to start assembling so that I can nail these bastards?

-Kristin

The Electronic Funds Transfer Act, which governs debit card transactions, is pretty clear on this issue. If you report the theft of your card or your code within two business days, your liability is limited to $50. We're pretty sure that someone stealing your debit card information from your iTunes account and ordering gift cards with it counts as fraud and not an "error." Here's some more information about the law from the Federal Reserve.

With this in mind, why not file an official complaint with their regulator? It'll be valuable later on if you have to keep fighting with them. Here's how you do that:

1. Contact WaMu with a formal complaint. You can do this in writing, or by email. Keep a copy of this complaint for your records.
2. Figure out which agency regulates your bank by calling or using FDIC's Bank Find. We happen to know that Washington Mutual's primary regulator is the Office of Thrift Supervision.
3. Write a formal complaint letter to the bank's regulatory agency. Follow the FTC's instructions for writing a complaint.

   This document also has the correct contact information for the various regulatory agencies. Keep a copy of this complaint for your records.
   

   By filing a complaint, the regulating agency will investigate whether WaMu actually violated any banking regulations.

For more information about launching an EECB, click here.

(Photo: Stirwise )

UPDATE: 9/02/08: In response to our email inquiry, WaMu has said they're interested in checking out this story.

Apple said the flaw affected first-generation Nanos, sold between September 2005 and December 2006, in very rare instances. The company's statement added that "There have been no reports of serious injuries or property damage, and no reports of incidents for any other iPod Nano model."

According to the ministry, Apple Computer has been notified of a total of 14 similar cases in Japan. Out of those, two users suffered minor burning.

The ministry said the incidents were caused by four models — MA004J/A, MA005J/A, MA099J/A and MA107J/A — of which 1.81 million units were sold between September 2005 and September 2006 in Japan.

Domo arigato, Apple, for seeing the wisdom of our suggested policy: "Return Exploded iPod, Get 1 Free!"

Apple says battery problem caused iPod overheating [AP]
Japan warns of iPod nano fire risk [AFP]
PREVIOUSLY: iPod Nano Explodes While Charging
(Photo: Getty) (Thanks to Simon!)

Dale sent us his lengthy missive to Steve Jobs:

I am writing this in regards to an issue I have had with an iPod nano, first generation. I have included the relevant pictures of my iPod after this incident and links to related issues.

I had plugged the iPod in to charge on Saturday August 16, 2008. I was using the USB cable that came with the iPod and charging via the USB port on my PC. After being plugged in for somewhere between 5-10 minutes I heard a sizzling sound. I looked down on the iPod just in time to see it explode open and start shooting sparks and spewing smoke. I managed to unhook the iPod from my computer's USB port immediately. I had noticed that a small fire had started on the table I had the laptop and the iPod sitting on, and I managed to extinguish those flames quickly before any apparent damage could be done to my laptop. Unlike in other cases, I've read about, my iPod continued to spew smoke and spit sparks while throwing out some kind of sooty substance from the inside of the iPod for several minutes after removing the cable from the computer. I moved the still spitting iPod from the table and placed it on a book case across the room. I noticed that while doing this, the iPod was still extraordinarily hot to the touch.

I immediately called up the apple tech support line while I opened a window to clear the smoke out of my apartment. After weeding through their electronic menu, I was put on hold for around 15 minutes. This gave me some time to calm down, and after telling the representative that my iPod nano exploded, I was transferred directly to the customer support supervisor at the time. His extension is X86702. He walked me through a 20 minute survey regarding the issue before putting me on hold again to contact the "engineers". After this, he informed me that he did not get through, but would hear back from them that evening for certain. I was also informed that Apple would replace my iPod regardless at this point even though it's older. I have to take a few moments to commend him as he seemed to genuinely want to help me. I had asked what I could do to get a replacement iPod ASAP. I was told to go to the nearest apple store and they should be able to replace it. I also asked if it was ok to make an appointment for that evening, and I was told it would be fine as we should have heard back from the "engineers" by then.

After waiting several hours and not hearing back from the supervisor, I attempted to contact him at the extension and number I was given. This was transferred directly to his voicemail and I did not hear back from him that night. I had then traveled to the local apple store in Pittsburgh, PA to see what could be done about the iPod. Here I was told that "it's been submitted as a request to the 'engineers' and can't be handled". The support tech at the Genius Bar seemed genuinely concerned and opened a separate case file to see if he could do anything to help me out. He found out that all he could do was submit it to the engineers who would NOT be in until monday. At this point, I became overly frustrated that the original tech had led me to believe this issue could have been sorted out that day. Also I do not think I'm being unreasonable by asking a company to replace the iPod with a different iPod product, as I could easily have been hurt or injured by the one that had malfunctioned!

I had asked the tech if there's any way he can replace it as the guy on the phone had told me that the local store could swap it out. He then went into the office to confer with the manager and the GM via phone. He returned to tell me that they can NOT exchange the iPod, and can only escalate the claim to the "engineers". At which point, I became upset that, once again, the original tech was wrong that this could be handled on-site at the local apple store. I once again asked if they could do anything as I'm overly frustrated with the service I'm receiving; I was told that the iPod would be replaced regardless. At this point, the tech went back to the office to confer once again with the manager.

The manager comes out with the tech shortly after and explains to me that no one at apple has EVER heard of this happening (although, I have found articles that counter this), and that she did not believe there was anything that she could do. She asked me to "do her a favor" and wait until monday night (EST) to handle this matter. I informed her that I understand that she's stuck in a hard situation, but I was promised by someone in the support that this could be handled at a local store, and that the iPod would be replaced. She walks back into the back room, and shortly returns with a phone number. She calls up the GM and puts him on the phone with me. At this point, I want to commend the in-store staff as they seemed concerned about this issue and really wanted to make it right. I really do not wish to paint the store employees in a bad way as they had really tried to help me. The GM is, of course, another issue.

The GM gets on the phone and tells me who he is and he's sorry to hear this. He goes on to inform me that they CAN NOT and WILL NOT give me another iPod. He mentions that this has to go to the engineers first before he will even CONSIDER dealing with the issue. I mention that I have read the reports of this happening before, and that there are numerous instances. He scoffs at this and implies that this is a completely unusual occurrence and no one he knows of has heard of it.

I mention to him that the guy at tech support had told me this can be replaced at the local store. Once again, he says that NOTHING will be done until the engineers look at the iPod, and until he talks with them on monday. I ask why that is, and he says "to make sure there are no safety issues or concerns." I asked what were the issues regarding the safety, to which he replied "there are numerous things that could probably cause this". I asked him to name a few, and was met with "the list is too long to mention." I found this odd, as he had told me before he had never heard of this issue, yet could think of a long list of things that could cause an iPod to explode and catch fire.

I continued to ask what the safety issue would be if he just replaced the iPod. To which he said "it could be the cables". I told him that the tech support on the phone informed me that i should not use those cables, and that they would be replaced when the iPod is. The GM informs me that they DO NOT replace cables. I continued to say, but, if he was to replace the iPod and the cables, that it would eliminate any safety risk. He assured me that was not the case. I then informed him that it sounds like he was accusing me of intentionally doing this to my iPod. He claimed he wasn't, but I pointed out that if you replace any and all apple hardware involved, there's no safety issue, UNLESS the issue is with my existing hardware that's not apple. he informed me that that was not the case. I informed him that if this was due to a defective iPod, replacing the iPod eliminates the safety issue. He told me that it might not be that case. To which I asked, what exactly safety issue there was if the fault was NOT with apple software. He repeated that they need to look over the iPod to determine any safety issues before even considering replacing the iPod. I became very frustrated at this point that he was trying to use double speak in order to make excuses and push the blame onto me.

At this point I offered to leave the faulty iPod with the apple store to send off to the engineers as needed, but that I wanted my iPod replaced as I was promised by the tech on the phone. The GM informs me that the tech was in no way, shape, or form allowed to make that guarantee to me. At this point, and I am ashamed to say, I lost my temper with the GM. I told him that I was not pleased at all with this service since I was promised that the iPod would be replaced, and yet it was not going to be. The GM informed me that he wasn't even sure if it NEEDED to be replaced let alone if apple WOULD replace it. After this turn, my language became peppered with profanity. The GM continued on to tell me that he's not going to do anything about the issue, and that I could sit there all night and tell him how he should handle it, but it is NOT now he will handle it.

In other words, the GM wanted to take up more of my time in order to try and push the blame on me for the iPod breaking, completely negate anything I was told originally by tech support, and try to get me out of their store as quickly as he could without doing anything to resolve the issue.

After reading another issue or two, it appears as though apple is now saying that even if it is a faulty piece of equipment and does damage to other objects or people, that it is NOT their responsibility to replace it unless you have a current warranty. I had not picked up the extended warranty due to the fact that, at the time, I had not received word of any issues. Now, I am fully regretting that decision as I'm sure that they would not allow me to take out a warranty now to cover the issue. This upsets me as they have made a precedent to replace products, even out of warranty, if the issue is due to a severe product malfunction such as this.

After this, I can fully say that I am not pleased at all with how this issue has been handled by apple. I have been informed of an email address within the Apple company, and I plan on sending a copy of this email, along with the pictures to that address also. From the various stories I have read, of which I have included links, it has been made clear that this is NOT an isolated incident as Apple would have me believe. I do not feel that Apple has been doing a sufficient job of resolving this matter in any way, shape, or form. Based on the other reports, I do not have much hope that this matter will be resolved in any timely fashion, that my iPod will be replaced, that I will be compensated for anything, that I will get an apology for their tech support making claims that they were not permitted to, or for the store obviously not being on the same page as tech support. Frankly, in my search for information regarding the iPod, I've found other reports that claim this type of fault for other issues. This ranges from problems with computers, to mp3 players, and even to censoring comments and forum posts regarding bugs with their products. By bringing this up, I hope to make it known that these type of issues appear to be common with apple. Like other manufacturers, they sometimes produce faulty products, however, they seem to want to protect their corporate image and pockets more than make up for their faulty product. In this case, it was a known issue with this model of iPod and the company did not seem to make any motions to address the issue. I hope that by making this public, people may be able to avoid this issue happening with their own electronics, and that they may be prepared for what they would have to deal with in the process of attempting to resolve the issue. While Apple may produce numerous ad campaigns that make them seem almost invincible, their products are like any others: buyer beware.

The fiery Nano:

Dale's burnt desk:

The pictures look awfully similar to other iPods that have spontaneously combusted.

This iPod exploded yesterday and we don't see the harm in giving Apple a day to sort out what went wrong. Still, we're not sure how the engineers can do much without the physical unit, and it would seem wise for the Apple store to have an unspoken policy of 'Return Exploded iPod, Get 1 Free!'

Update: Apple agreed to replace the iPod.