[Visions_of_them]

I brought a 15 gig ipod and after 2 weeks it died on me took it to the store and they said yep it's dead, so they sent it too apple and a new one was supplied then after 3 days it started behaving baddly freezing and refusing to start.
while I was at the store shannon one of the owners, was telling me if your ipod dies apple will just replace it witha recondioned ipod not a new one so even though mine was only 2 weeks old when it died, I was given a reconditioned one, so there's no guarantee that will not die too, which is why they think this one has been playing up.

[Nobody]

It's in the warranty papers you got when you bought the thing. Read up.
As a matter of fact, most companies have similar policies. It's all in black and white. Usually, it goes like this:
The company has the OPTION to repair or replace the item in question at their discression. If they replace the item, it is ALSO their option to replace with a new item OR a reconditioned item which is the same or greater in value.
The company MIGHT just think it's easier to give you a new one and be done with it. However, if they have reconditioned items on hand that are just as good as the original, there's no reason why they shouldn't be able to give you one of those?
Chances are, if you didn't know it, you would probably never be able to tell whether it's reconditioned or new. Usually, the ony difference between brand new and "recon" merchandise is that there is a sticker on the box that says, "Reconditioned".
You're not getting ripped of, per se. This is a standard practice the world over.

[Visions_of_them]

Thanks for that Randy, the one thing that made me wonder is with 15 gig ipods being fairly new, where did they get reconditioned ones? unless they were faulty when they came out the factory

[Nobody]

I imagine it goes like this:
The first few units they have problems with, be they returned or simply didn't pass final inspection, get repaired so that they are like new. (Or almost new.)
After that, when they take in another unit they just give out one of the "recons" and put the one was turned in through the reconditioning process. Once it's passed inspection it goes into their stock of reconditioned units.
For the most part... it's not always true... but it's a good assumption to start with, a reconditioned unit is at least as good as a factory new unit. One good point is that it's already been "torture tested". It's like buying a used car. If there was something major that was going to go wrong, it would have happend when the original owner had it. By the time you get it, all the bugs (should) have been worked out of it.
I don't know about Australia but, in the USA, there are factory outlet stores where you can buy "factory defect" and reconditioned merchandise at substantially cheaper prices. "Factory Defect" usually means there is a cosmetic blemish... a slight scratch or bubble in the paint/finish that makes it unacceptable for sale at regular retail prices. I have bought merchandise from these stores on several occasions and have never been disappointed. The last time I bought something from an outlet store it was a Sony cordless telephone. The only reason I could figure it was a factory defect was because there was a label on the bottom of the phone that wasn't on quite straight. Other than that, it was like anything you would buy at a regular store.

[sebimeyer]

People return opened items all the time. In the US you can return pretty much any Apple product at their store for a number of days and get a 90% refund. The refurbished items are therefore most likely not "fixed" items, but rather open-box stock that has never been used really, but cannot be sold as it had been opened.
But I am told they lick every 1 out of 10 iPods they supply that way. So you better wipe it off thoroughly before using it. (and yes, that's a joke)

[BigFatDuck]

the 15gigs aren't all that new. they had them a while back as a mid level ipod, then they went away, now they're back as the low end. so maybe they had some leftover refurbished 15's from back when it was a mid level ipod, and yes they were exactly the same as they are now.

[Cordless_Drill]

To blow this discussion up...
I had an open box 10GB die a couple weeks ago after 5 months of servce. Best Buy replaced it with a quickness.
I now have a brand new 15.
It works both ways.

[BigFatDuck]

yup, the warranties best buy, circuit city, etc. sell are awesome for things like ipods. anything happens to the ipod (so long as you still have it to return) they replace it. sweet deal.