My ipod's very poorly - what do I do?

[Dottydot]

I've got a mini ipod - nearly 3 years old and it's been working fine but then yesterday afternoon just switched off and I can't get it to work. Doesn't help plugging it into the computer. So is there anywhere I can take it? (don't tell me it's gone forever...)

Do you have a local apple store? they could send it away to be repaired. If not, have a look on the apple website. However, I should warn you that my DS's ipod died recently, past warranty, and they said at least £100 to repair and they couldn't guarantee that the repair would last IYSWIM. You can buy a new one for £150.

There's a theory that apple built in failure after warranty runs out as it's so common... I think you'd have a claim under Sale of Goods Act as you'd expect electronic devices to last more than three years. Tell them you want a full refund or replacement (or repair, if you prefer) and quote the Act at them - goods have to be fit for their purpose.

Unless the item has a documented history of faults, which it doesn't appear to, three years down the line you wouldn't be able to reject the goods as "not of satisfactory quality" which is what you would need to do under the Sale of Goods Act (1976) to get a refund. Consumer law is all about what is reasonable, and what you would expect from goods of that type, costing that much. Three years use from an ipod would probably be seen as being acceptable unfortunately - getting more than your statutory rights is generally a matter of negotiation and good will on the part of the retailer, and apple have a very poor record in dealing with complaints about ipods (I refused to buy one for DS1 this Christmas for that reason). You could try arguing for a repair under the 2000 Consumer Regulations, but the bottom line is always the Small Claims Procedure and personally I wouldn't rate your chances of success high enough to bother. I'm always the first one to argue about warranties not being necessary as you have your statutory rights, but three years for an ipod would probably be pushing it! Hope this helps.