AAAAAAARGH!!!! (Apple/iTunes)

[Spurminator]

My communication in bold, Apple in "stupid".


o.

I received a 25 song credit from GiftCertificates.com for iTunes songs two days ago,
and no longer have the songs credited in my account. Also, I can no longer enter the code ((edit: removed)

Please credit the 25 songs back into my account or let me know how I can be reimbursed, as those credits were not redeemed.


From: iTunes Music Store <[email protected]>
To: (edit: removed)
Subject: Re: SongCode; Follow-up: (edit: removed)
Date: Sat, 14 Jan 2006 14:08:15 -0800 (PST)

Dear Justin,

Thank you for contacting the iTunes Music Store.

We apologize for the frustration that this issue has caused you. Our
records show that your song code was successfully redeemed. Song codes
can
not be used to buy albums, audio books, or videos. Your account
(edit: removed) currently has $3.47 of store credit.

You may be interested in purchasing a pre-paid music card. A pre-paid
music card will give you store credit. You can use store credit to
purchase any content available on the iTunes music store.

If you have any questions about the gift certificate you purchased please
contact Nation Gift Card.

Store credit for the iTunes Music Store can only be used to purchase
music
from the iTunes Music Store. You will not be able to use credit from an
iTunes Music Store Gift Certificate, Prepaid Card, or Allowance at the
Apple Store online or at Apple retail locations.

For more information on the iTunes Music Store Terms of Sale, please
visit
<http://www.apple.com/support/itunes/legal/policies.html>.

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this issue may have caused.

Sincerely,

iTunes Music Store Support

Need a quick answer?

iTunes Music Store Customer Service:
<http://www.apple.com/support/musicstore/ww>

iTunes technical assistance:
<http://www.apple.com/support/itunes/ww>


That is wrong. I entered my song code but never redeemed it. It was
activated on January 7 - but on January 11 I no longer had
25 songs credited to my account.

Do you even have a record of the songs that were downloaded with that code?


From: iTunes Music Store <[email protected]>
To: (edit: removed)
Subject: Re: SongCode; Follow-up: (edit: removed)
Date: Mon, 16 Jan 2006 21:06:55 -0800 (PST)

Dear Justin,

Thank you for contacting the iTunes Music Store.

Giftcertificates.com is a third party retailer of iTunes Prepaid Cards. We
found the following information when we visited the website.

$15 gift certificate is good for 15 song downloads; $25 cert is good for 25
song downloads; gift cert has no cash value and can ONLY be used for songs.

Gift certificates cannot be used for album downloads.

Gift certificates cannot be used for audiobook downloads.

Your request for a refund was carefully considered. The iTunes Music Store
regrets to inform you that your request has been denied.

According to our terms of sale, all music purchased from the iTunes Music
Store is ineligible for refund. This policy matches our refund policies on
open or downloaded software and provides protection for copyrighted
materials.

For more information, please review all the Terms of Sale for the iTunes
Music Store at
http://www.apple.com/support/itunes/legal/policies.html.

Sincerely,

iTunes Music Store Support

iTunes Music Store Customer Service
http://www.apple.com/support/musicstore/ww

iTunes Technical Support
http://www.apple.com/support/itunes/ww



I don't think you understand what I was saying in my previous email.

MY SONG CREDITS HAVE BEEN REMOVED FROM MY ACCOUNT.

I have not redeemed those credits. I am NOT asking for a refund. I am
asking for the 25 SONG CREDITS WHICH I HAVE NOT REDEEMED. They were removed
from my account in the past week and I cannot re-enter my code.

Please give me a phone number for someone I can speak to because this email
thing obviously is not working out for you all.

Again I ask you to tell me what songs were downloaded with those credits.
Surely a company which is technologically advanced enough to password
protect all songs and limit them to 5 computers on which they can be played
would also have record of exactly which songs I downloaded when redeeming my
credits.

Again, I do not expect a refund. What I DO expect is for the 25 songs I
paid for to be Credited to my account as they were never redeemed.


From: iTunes Music Store <[email protected]>
To: (edit: removed)
Subject: Re: SongCode; Follow-up: (edit: removed)
Date: Wed, 18 Jan 2006 18:03:12 -0800 (PST)

Dear Justin,

Thank you for contacting the iTunes Music Store. We apologize for the delay and miscommunication. Unfortunately, we are only a customer service group via email. We currently have no telephone support and we are able to answer and assist with most issues via email.

After researching your account, we show your $25.00 credit(web order (edit: removed) was redeemed on Monday, Dec 26, 18:43:16 PST 2005. The number was (edit: removed)

We show on December 26th that you purchased(web order (edit: removed)) "Stop Making Sense (Special Edition)" and "Today! / Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!)"

We are unable to issue any credits to your account.

Sincerely,

The iTunes Music Store team
http://www.apple.com/support/itunes/ww/



That was a different order altogether. That was a $25 iTunes Music Gift Card which I received for Christmas and purchased those albums.

I received my 25 song credit from GiftCertificates.com on January 7, 2006 (edit: removed) and would be happy to forward the confirmation email. That is when this entire chain of events began.

Please tell me which songs were downloaded with the 25 song credit, code (edit: removed).

I think its absolutely ridiculous that you do not have a phone support center as this issue probably could have been cleared up in 15 minutes as opposed to the WEEK we have been going back and forth with no resolution and apparently STILL no understanding of the situation on your end.

[Kori Ellis]

Dealing with customer service people is so frustrating sometimes.

Back in the day, when I lived in L.A., I got my phone bill and I noticed it had a $554 credit on it. I had paid the previous bill ($54). So I called and explained that they had accidentally credited me an extra $500. They told me that was impossible, gave me my check number, etc.

So I called my bank to make sure the check hadn't somehow cleared for $554. Of course, it hadn't -- it was only $54.

When I called them back, I talked to multiple supervisors, managers, etc. and they all kept insisting I was wrong. Finally I just dropped it.

My bills in subsequent months would come and I would still have a credit balance. They never figured out or admitted that they gave me an extra $500.

[Stephen A Smith]

Quite frankly. your name is Justin, which is so BrokeBack. Get a real name, like Stephen or Kori...

[CubanMustGo]

You're probably dealing with people in India who have a canned script in front of them and follow it like sheep. Or lemmings off a cliff.

You can try escalating to a supervisor, but good luck with that. With the money Apple is making hand over fist off of iTunes they should provide much better support.

[Guru of Nothing]

I never realized how entertaining a career in internets customer service could be. It almost seems worth the low pay.

[ShoogarBear]

This sounds a lot like one of those old artificial intelligence bots.

[Guru of Nothing]

This sounds a lot like one of those old artificial intelligence bots.

Maybe he should work in any of the following terms (in random fashion) to get a real response: attorney, lawsuit, homeland security, Sarbanes-Oxley, yo mamma.

[2Blonde]

Thank you for the laugh. It takes a special breed to be really good at customer service.

[Spurminator]

Apple has the absolute worst Customer Service of any company I have dealt with in my life.

I know their brand image is meant to make their users feel intellectually and morally superior to Microsoft Sheep, so snob appeal punctuated by figure-it-out-yo-damn-self customer service is a key part of this image but I'm ing fed up with it. They don't accommodate people without an Internet connection, they don't accommodate people without a DVD drive, and now they don't accommodate people who want a simple ing phone number.

My next purchase will be a PC. I've had a Mac for 5 years and it's brought me nothing but frustration. I know this isn't a Mac-specific issue but it's the last straw in my personal struggle with Apple Computers.

All hail Microsoft!!

[ShoogarBear]

They don't accomodate poeple without song credits, either.

[leemajors]

have you tried taking this up with the company you actually bought the gift certificate from? i would tell you to call tech support but they won't be able to help you... i work at apple austin and i can give you the number for sales support, but they would most likely direct you to the place you actually purchased the certificate from. apple can't control what a third party sells.

[MannyIsGod]

have you tried taking this up with the company you actually bought the gift certificate from? i would tell you to call tech support but they won't be able to help you... i work at apple austin and i can give you the number for sales support, but they would most likely direct you to the place you actually purchased the certificate from. apple can't control what a third party sells.

This is an apple issue from the sound of it. He used the item to get his song credits on iTunes, then had them taken away by iTunes.

I ing hate CS reps. Search for my old Sprint CS thread.

[Spurminator]

It's definitely an Apple issue.

I already complained to GiftCertificates.com for selling a 25 song credit as a "$25 Gift Certificate". It's not the same because you can't buy albums with song credits. But really that was my bad for not reading the fine print.

The song credit disappearance is completely on iTunes.

[Spurminator]

Whadya know? Suddenly I have 25 songs credited to me in my iTunes account...

Haven't gotten an email from them yet. (I know you're all on the edges of your seats)

[Vashner]

Look how dumb they are with there new "setting the intel CPU free" when everyone knows people been building PC clones since the late 80's and Apple had NO clones (proprietary)..

[2Blonde]

Whadya know? Suddenly I have 25 songs credited to me in my iTunes account...

Haven't gotten an email from them yet. (I know you're all on the edges of your seats)

You might want to download those songs ASAP before they change their mind. If they figure out they hired someone with some common sense they might fire that person and take away your credits.

[Spurminator]

Already on it.