Maybe I'll Sing a New Tune...

(Telephone Rings)

"Hello"

"Hi, May I speak to Mike, please?"

"This is Mike"

"This is Julie from Apple. I was wondering if I could ask you a couple of quick questions"

(blinking light inside my head "Scam, Scam"--somehow, they are going to try to weasel more money out of me...)

(other blinking light going out "Whew, I guess I don't owe anyone $$")

"Hi Julie"

"I am following up on your recent Ipod purchase. How are you liking it?"

"I love it!"

"How often would you say you use it?"

"Every day"

"For how long each day?"

"I guess at least an hour..." (How did these people get my phone #?)

"That's great. Did you get the extended warranty for it?"

"No."

"What?!" (sounding genuinely shocked as though I just stabbed her mother) "How's your battery life holding up? Is it still holding a 12-hour charge?"

"I'm really not sure, I haven't timed it this week" (sarcasm) (I'm not sure it ever held a 12 hour charge, anyway...)

"...because if the charge decreases by one-half then you will need to send it in, and that can cost as much as...(a new Ipod). If you purchase our extended warranty, we will do it for free."

"How much is the extended warranty?" (Thinking to myself "Why did I just ask that question? I'm not going to buy it unless it's, like $20").

"$75"

"Are you kidding me? I should give you $75 up front just in case something happens? That's like half the cost of a new one. And it costs $200 to fix the battery?"

"Well, that includes shipping and handling costs as well as the repair. So, would you like to purchase the extended warranty and save on that cost in the future?"

"Wow, Julie, I'm starting to wonder if I should have ever bought it in the first place...it's starting to sound very fragile and unreliable--are you guys having a lot of problems with your products?" (I'm being mean here--trying to put her on the defensive. But to Julie's credit, she's pretty unshakeable...)

"No, it's not, this is just new technology that is constantly developing and we're offering a way to protect yourself. By planning for the future, you can save yourself over $100 in repairs"

"Well, I bought the Ipod instead of another MP3 player because I thought it was the top of the line. And it's not going to cost me $100 for repair, because I wouldn't pay that ridiculous amount to repair 'old technology' when the time comes. I'd probably buy something different..."

"Okay, Thanks." (Julie, you da man--the Wisconsin-sounding ice queen. Apple should be proud.)

I hate extended warranties. I used to buy them, but I got older and wiser. Obviously, they aren't losing money on them. I also didn't appreciate the scare tactics and overinflating the repair cost.

But I do love my Ipod, so I forgive them...