Apple to give levy back to iPod owners

[cavanagh]

Apple Computer will be beginiing a refund program for people who purchased an iPod product during the year that a levy of $25 per iPod over 10 GB was collected. The levy was in effect from December 2003 until a year later.

Link (http://www.cbc.ca/story/arts/national/2005/08/08/Arts/levy050808.html)

[lindmar]

sweet,

i'll be gettin that for sure

[mikesxf]

Damn, i dont have one

[doubleA]

Apple Computer will be beginiing a refund program for people who purchased an iPod product during the year that a levy of $25 per iPod over 10 GB was collected. The levy was in effect from December 2003 until a year later.

Link (http://www.cbc.ca/story/arts/national/2005/08/08/Arts/levy050808.html)


Is this a Canadian levy, or only applicable to Ipod's purchased in Canada? What if I purchased my IPOD in the states?

[rhainman]

Is this a Canadian levy, or only applicable to Ipod's purchased in Canada? What if I purchased my IPOD in the states?
If you purchased it in the states then you didn't pay the levy and hence wouldn't get a refund.

[red_red]

Apple Computer will be beginiing a refund program for people who purchased an iPod product during the year that a levy of $25 per iPod over 10 GB was collected. The levy was in effect from December 2003 until a year later.

Link (http://www.cbc.ca/story/arts/national/2005/08/08/Arts/levy050808.html)

How about refunds for IPOD minis of 4G / 6G ... are these included ??

[TheRequiem]

I wonder if the Pepsi winners can apply for this.

After all, it will detract from the overall prize value that was advertised....

[Eternity]

I wonder if the Pepsi winners can apply for this.

After all, it will detract from the overall prize value that was advertised....

that'd be sweet...think I still have the letter that said I was the winner of the ipod :cheesygri

[TheRequiem]

that'd be sweet...think I still have the letter that said I was the winner of the ipod :cheesygri
I didnt win one :( I was just wondering ...

[superizzy]

That is awesome news.

Not exactly sure how this is a hot deal though?

[ynot]

How about refunds for IPOD minis of 4G / 6G ... are these included ??
The post said iPods 10GBs or bigger.

[TinyTank]

This is great. Thanks.

[BeaverLiquor]

The tariff was $2 for non-removable memory capacity of up to one gigabyte, $15 for one to 10 GB, and $25 for more than 10 GB.

from article

[Shredder59]

what if you bought an iPod used from a RFD member????

he sells the iPod, then gets a cheque in the mail 6 months later! dang it.

[Jon Lai]

Not fair, why only the big and older iPods? I was hoping I could get a few bucks back or something for the Shuffle I got from TD, lol.

[The Hobo]

(toots own horn)

I got this on Slashdot

http://apple.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/08/09/027253&tid=176&tid=198&tid=17
(/toots own horn)

The Hobo

[canuck_fan]

they should include smaller Ipod's too.

[st7860]

That $25 ipod fee was supposed to be for compensating "those poor underfed underpaid singers and rights owners" right? If so, during the time of that $25 fee, sharing music online should have been made legal.

in western Canada, stores such as London Drugs get away with charging a so called 20 cent per blank CD-R fee for a 'levy'.

but places likes Future shop and Best buy don't charge it. thats why i dont think its a real levy.

[biznatch]

All legit retailers charge it, but London Drugs shows it to you seperately on your bill.

The grey market discs that are imported and sold by the small stores are being sold for less that the actual levy in some places!

[The Hobo]

Like the previous poster said, they do charge it, you just don't see it, it's like embedded tax, you don't see it but it's charged, in Australia what you see is what you pay, but the tax is already included in all the prices, here it's price + tax

[Brandon]

http://www.apple.com/ca/ipodlevies/

[veryhuman]

If you purchased it in the states then you didn't pay the levy and hence wouldn't get a refund.

f*ck

[mahjongmaniac]

I wonder if the Pepsi winners can apply for this.

After all, it will detract from the overall prize value that was advertised....

that'd be sweet! :twisted:

---------------------

That $25 ipod fee was supposed to be for compensating "those poor underfed underpaid singers and rights owners" right? If so, during the time of that $25 fee, sharing music online should have been made legal.

in western Canada, stores such as London Drugs get away with charging a so called 20 cent per blank CD-R fee for a 'levy'.

but places likes Future shop and Best buy don't charge it. thats why i dont think its a real levy.

actually FS/BB *DOES* charge the levy except that the price that they sell for cd-rs/MDs ALREADY includes the levy....

so avg "mo-fo" who buys their blank media at FS/BB/stooples wouldn't even be aware of it....


i believe that LD charges the levy "separately" from the advertised price of blank media is b/c they want to inform their customers of how much levy exactly they're paying for each disc...

btw, don't 4get the 77c/disc levy for the MDs... (so damn $$$)

[Jon Lai]

actually FS/BB *DOES* charge the levy except that the price that they sell for cd-rs/MDs ALREADY includes the levy....

so avg "mo-fo" who buys their blank media at FS/BB/stooples wouldn't even be aware of it....

i believe that LD charges the levy "separately" from the advertised price of blank media is b/c they want to inform their customers of how much levy exactly they're paying for each disc...
FYI, Best Buy has signs everywhere in the computer's section and digital camera/camcorders section that Best Buy is within the group of retailers going against levy charged on media, ie. cd-rs, dvd-rs, etc.


actually FS/BB *DOES* charge the levy except that
btw, don't 4get the 77c/disc levy for the MDs... (so damn $$$)


That's why you get them outside North America, lol. Just been in HK, the MD's there are like $2 each reverted back to Canadian funds, lol.

[dealbob]

http://www.cbc.ca/story/arts/national/2005/08/08/Arts/levy050808.html?ref=rss

"The tariff was $2 for non-removable memory capacity of up to one gigabyte, $15 for one to 10 GB, and $25 for more than 10 GB."

[mahjongmaniac]

FYI, Best Buy has signs everywhere in the computer's section and digital camera/camcorders section that Best Buy is within the group of retailers going against levy charged on media, ie. cd-rs, dvd-rs, etc.

huh... that's strange... everytime i go to FS/BB i didn't see ANY signs mentioning about the levy charge... :mad:

what i do see is "Format war - what's diff. b/w +R and -R?" and what-not....


even if they (FS/BB) did have signs talkin about going against levy charges, what i'm saying they DON'T have is the detailed info about the levy charge like LD does....

LD has a sign about how much each type of blank media is charged per disc and gives a website about where u can find more info.... ;)

That's why you get them outside North America, lol. Just been in HK, the MD's there are like $2 each reverted back to Canadian funds, lol.

$2 ea.?!!?!?!? :eek:

wow... i need to go to HK and get me some... (i'm still using an MD player now)

[GYR8]

The levy is a lot like when you go to fill your gas tank up and you see that pie chart with the breakdown of where your $$$ goes. London Drugs are showing what the cost of the cds would be *IF* there wasn't a levy, perhaps in protest of it. Of course it also allows them to reel you in with the perception of a lower selling price.

If the levy could be waived based on some kind of conditional agreement between the consumer and the retailer, then there would be a reason to show the separate parts of the selling price. But it isn't, so we just have to deal with it.

But this is an unavoidable part of the cost to the dealer, so realistically they should just treat is as such. The arguements about the validity of the levy has been driven into the ground and is now somewhat ironic, given that more the most part, blank DVDs are now cheaper, from a cost/storage capacity standpoint.

GYR8

[Jon Lai]

huh... that's strange... everytime i go to FS/BB i didn't see ANY signs mentioning about the levy charge... :mad:

what i do see is "Format war - what's diff. b/w +R and -R?" and what-not....


even if they (FS/BB) did have signs talkin about going against levy charges, what i'm saying they DON'T have is the detailed info about the levy charge like LD does....

LD has a sign about how much each type of blank media is charged per disc and gives a website about where u can find more info.... ;)


I kno. I'm just saying that they mention it as well. I dunno, the Best Buy at Markville is the one I visit most. I've seen the signs there, and I thought it was impossible that those signs were specific to that store, lol.


$2 ea.?!!?!?!? :eek:

wow... i need to go to HK and get me some... (i'm still using an MD player now)

Even if you go to like Pacific Mall and get Japanese imports of blank MDs, they cost around $3 or less each as well, but in Canada you pay tax, HK you don't :P. They're Sony branded too.

[VaderX]

That $25 ipod fee was supposed to be for compensating "those poor underfed underpaid singers and rights owners" right? If so, during the time of that $25 fee, sharing music online should have been made legal.

in western Canada, stores such as London Drugs get away with charging a so called 20 cent per blank CD-R fee for a 'levy'.

but places likes Future shop and Best buy don't charge it. thats why i dont think its a real levy.


I think they did make it legal to DOWNLOAD music but illegal to UPLOAD it.

[2000fordfocus]

yeah!! $15 buck for my DJ30!!!

[Nhiem]

Not fair, why only the big and older iPods? I was hoping I could get a few bucks back or something for the Shuffle I got from TD, lol.

Lol, cause 20gbs cost a whole lot more than 4gbs.

[Smite]

Ok, I'm not sure why this isn't already clear to all the interested people out there, but I'll break it down as best as I can figure it:

1) A law was passed making it legal to copy music for personal use (note: LEGAL)
2) At that time, a board was set up and given the power to collect a levy on blank media which would go to the artists.
3) AFTER that (probably soon after), the board decided to do so, and set certain levels, differing depending on the type and storage capacity of the media in question
3a) This levy was to be paid by manufacturers and importers ONLY. Obviously, these companies raised prices in order to cover this additional cost.
3b) I'm unsure on the why, but at least the portion of the levies collected were set aside until a court could decide on the legality of the levies.
4) The courts have now decided that (part of?) the levies regarding MP3 players that the board set should not be allowed, and that the manufacturers and importers should get their money back. This includes the levy on these (all?) iPods.


Some things to note:
It is legal to copy music for personal use, even without the levy itself. (Though there are some limitations on qualifying media that I'm unclear on)

It does not make it legal to copy anything ELSE, even for personal use. Just music.

"Personal use" does not cover giving a copy of a CD to a friend.

It does cover giving your friend a blank CD, setting up Nero, sitting your friend down in front of the computer, and having him hit the "copy" button. (Specifically, it covers him hitting copy, the rest doesn't matter.)

It does cover downloading MP3s from the internet to a hard drive, using your method of choice. (As recently decided by the courts.)

It does not cover telling your computer to upload a file to someone else.

It may or may not cover someone else telling your computer to upload a file to them. (There's a case to be had if you are not involved in the process.)

I've heard differing accounts on LDs advertising practices. Here they have a sticker price that includes the levy, and point out what portion of that price is due to the levy.

For any company that advertises a price "without levy", I suggest buying at that price and informing them that as someone who is not importing or manufacturing the discs, you are not required to pay the levy. Additionally, anyone who did need to pay the levy needs to send it to the board set up specifically for collecting the levy, not some store. If they refuse, you have a valid case for false advertising and/or fraud. If that sounds like fun, go for it.

It is quite possible that the repealing of this levy in no way requires people who did not pay the levy (such as us consumers) to get money back from those companies that did, and raised their prices as a result. I beleive they made their sale, and the customer is entitled to nothing, though without reading the actual ruling, I can't say there is not a clause addressing this. My guess is that Apple is just being a smart company, and using this as a cheap PR oportunity.

And finally: This is my interpretation of the current situation after reading the law itself, the judges' accompanying notes on the law regarding what it does and does not cover, as well as articles from reliable legally knowledgeable sources (no, not CNN, etc) relating to all the relevant court cases I have heard of (except, as of yet, this one).

[Danilow Candy]

Apple needs to give back a lot more than $10. They should be criminally charged for ripping people off. Anyone know how much it costs to make an ipod in china? Yup, $32.50 us dollars.

[Brandon]

Apple needs to give back a lot more than $10. They should be criminally charged for ripping people off. Anyone know how much it costs to make an ipod in china? Yup, $32.50 us dollars.

In reality I'm guessing it costs quite a bit more than that.

The point of most businesses is to make money. Most people don't start/run businesses to make $0 profit.

And it's not like they force people to buy them...

[blahzay163]

Apple needs to give back a lot more than $10. They should be criminally charged for ripping people off. Anyone know how much it costs to make an ipod in china? Yup, $32.50 us dollars.

then I guess we should all stop buying tech/clothing items, cause I'm sure they all costs $1.00 to make in China. :)

[cavanagh]

In reality I'm guessing it costs quite a bit more than that.

The point of most businesses is to make money. Most people don't start/run businesses to make $0 profit.

And it's not like they force people to buy them...

Agreed. Plus the money spent on marketing alone must be crazy!

[Addict]

More info..

http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/showthread.php?t=186450

[baileyr]

Apple needs to give back a lot more than $10. They should be criminally charged for ripping people off. Anyone know how much it costs to make an ipod in china? Yup, $32.50 us dollars.

It's called "supply and demand". Works pretty well, IMO.

You could always save your money and go back to listening to your Citizen Auto-Reverse Stereo Cassette player...

(And just for the record - Apple was one of the companies fighting this recording industry imposed tax)

[st7860]

the IPOD is just a fashion tool. there are a lot of other 1GB flash based players for a lot less.

[canuck_fan]

so if you were the winner, do you get the levy?

[rmanke]

That is awesome news.

Not exactly sure how this is a hot deal though?


This is HOT because it is free cash to anyone that bought a portable storage device in the last year! (over 200,000 people in Canada according to my calculations).

How much hotter can you get than free money?

[rmanke]

3a) This levy was to be paid by manufacturers and importers ONLY. Obviously, these companies raised prices in order to cover this additional cost.


Someone should tell Walmart this. I was in the store the other day, and there was a large sign by the cash register that stated that they would be charging a levy fee for portable music players. Unless they consider themselves "importers" which would be a large stretch.

Also, if the government halted these fees in December, why is Walmart still charging customers?

[Laserheart]

Seems Sony has jumped on the bandwagon as well... Keep in mind that unless you apply for your refund, you won't be getting it!

From Digital Home Canada (http://www.digitalhomecanada.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=556&Itemid=51):

"Sony to refund piracy tax on MP3 Players

Wednesday, 10 August 2005

In a written statement issued today Sony announced that it will refund the media levy paid by consumers who purchased selected Walkman digital music players between December 2003 and December 2004. The move follows a Supreme Court of Canada decision to uphold a lower court ruling that rendered the levy invalid.

The tariff was $2 for non-removable memory capacity of up to 1 GB (gigabyte), $15 for 1 to 10 GB and $25 for more than 10 GB. Qualifying Sony Walkman products include both hard disk-based and flash memory-based Network Walkman digital music players.

Beginning August 22nd, affected consumers can visit this link (http://www.sonystyle.ca/walkman_refund), complete the refund form online and submit it, along with proof of purchase. The company says the refund offer will expire at midnight on November 30, 2005 and consumers can expect their refund cheques in about six weeks."

[Smite]

Someone should tell Walmart this. I was in the store the other day, and there was a large sign by the cash register that stated that they would be charging a levy fee for portable music players. Unless they consider themselves "importers" which would be a large stretch.

Also, if the government halted these fees in December, why is Walmart still charging customers?
Very good questions. Even if they were importers, the customers at the till certainly are not.

I guess it's worth repeating:
For any company that advertises a price "without levy", I suggest buying at that price and informing them that as someone who is not importing or manufacturing the discs, you are not required to pay the levy. Additionally, anyone who did need to pay the levy needs to send it to the board set up specifically for collecting the levy, not some store. If they refuse, you have a valid case for false advertising and/or fraud. If that sounds like fun, go for it.

[aznpride]

http://www.apple.com/ca/ipodlevyrefund/

GET YOUR REFUNDS NOW!!!

[kawai]

I bought my mini last year and I don't have the reciept no more :/

[WiZZLa]

http://www.apple.com/ca/ipodlevyrefund/

GET YOURS REFUNDS NOW!!!

That's misleading.
Received claim forms will be checked for validity, and qualifying purchasers should receive their refunds in four to six weeks from the date your claim form is processed.

[lovefreefood]

How many people keep their receipt from 2003? Aigh!

[Illuminatus Proteus]

I wonder if the Pepsi winners can apply for this.

After all, it will detract from the overall prize value that was advertised....

The Rules and Regs of that contest stated that if the price of the product waivered you would not be credited for the amount. The prize package is approximate value.

[Gdog]

How many people keep their receipt from 2003? Aigh!

People like me! :D

[Anessa]

chucked it like a year ago...damn

[north77]

http://www.apple.com/ca/ipodlevyrefund/

GET YOURS REFUNDS NOW!!!

Nice!
Come on folks.. time to dig up your receipt. :cheesygri

NB: To those the threw receipts away, you may be in LUCK! :D
On the claim form fine print it says:
"If you purchased from the online Apple Store or Aple TeleSales you may request a duplicate receipt at www.apple.com/support/store. If you purchased your ipod or ipod mini through a reseller , please contact the reseller directly to obtain a duplicate receipt"

They may be able to look it up on their systems based on ipod serial number?

[Jeff146]

So I guess no money for people that won the Ipod LOL :lol: :lol:

[north77]

So I guess no money for people that won the Ipod LOL :lol: :lol:

Unless you took the pepsi ipod, and traded it in for a bigger/different ipod. :twisted:

[Brandon]

How many people keep their receipt from 2003? Aigh!

I still have mine!

:D

[cmge]

i sold my ipod but i still have the receipt from last year... would i still get the levy back?

[WiZZLa]

i sold my ipod but i still have the receipt from last year... would i still get the levy back?
Based on the requirements, I'd say yes.

[red_red]

Nice!
Come on folks.. time to dig up your receipt. :cheesygri

NB: To those the threw receipts away, you may be in LUCK! :D
On the claim form fine print it says:
"If you purchased from the online Apple Store or Aple TeleSales you may request a duplicate receipt at www.apple.com/support/store. If you purchased your ipod or ipod mini through a reseller , please contact the reseller directly to obtain a duplicate receipt"

They may be able to look it up on their systems based on ipod serial number?

so to clarify .... does ipod minis qualify for this levy or not ???

[warpdrive]

Looked all over the house for my receipt and starting panicking when I remembered I threw out the box (and maybe the receipt). It took me 15 minutes to find it....but it was there. $25 coming to papa!

[rarcher]

Plus any unclaimed levy charges are being donated to the Canadian Red Cross. Great news for all the people who threw out your receipt.

Wonder if those people can at least apply for a tax receipt? :)

[lindmar]

Gotta find my receipts now.

[digdoug]

so to clarify .... does ipod minis qualify for this levy or not ???

the guy you quoted just mentioned 'ipod or ipod mini'. however, an mp3 player up to 10GB was only levied $15, so you'd only get that back.

try reading the claim form,
http://images.apple.com/ca/ipodlevyrefund/pdf/iPodLevyRefund_Form.pdf

someone should petition pepsi to get a rebate from them, hehe. yeah, we wish.

[trader08]

someone should petition pepsi to get a rebate from them, hehe. yeah, we wish.

Well technically speaking, pepsi ipod winners didn't buy the ipod, and it was a prize, if anyone would get the rebate, it would be pepsi...

[Bordak]

Anyone know how much it costs to make an ipod in china? Yup, $32.50 us dollars.

I'd like to see that figure backed up, and I doubt you could.

The new Nano was broken down by some consulting firms, and was found to use a little over $95 USD in parts, for the model they charge 199 USD for, and people were amazed at the markup on that particular model. Your $32.50 figure is unreasonable, for any generation.

[Phoenix]

I'd like to see that figure backed up, and I doubt you could.

The new Nano was broken down by some consulting firms, and was found to use a little over $95 USD in parts, for the model they charge 199 USD for, and people were amazed at the markup on that particular model. Your $32.50 figure is unreasonable, for any generation.

The new (substitute your favorite software/game here) was broken down by some consulting firm and was found to use a little over $5 USD in materials. For the retail price of (substitute whatever the list price is here), and people were amazed at the markup on that particular software.

The same can be said for any hardware or just about anything exept for subsidised money loser like milk.

Come on, in the eyes of the person that wrote that line, no one should make money anymore. Actually maybe everyone should make the same amount of money whether they are brilliant or not. Be fair to Apple that they are brilliant in terms of design and marketing, and that they are successful. If one don't think it worth the price, don't buy it. And if enough people agrees, then Apple will either cut the iPod's price or they won't sell an iPod at all. Oh well I guess that's just how some people are. They think everything else is worthless all the while thinking they are worth a bundle.

[cmge]

Based on the requirements, I'd say yes.
but isnt one of the req the serial number?... would the s/n say it on the receipt??.. arghh... i know i registered it... but i dont remember the number.. :( .. would i be able to get that infor from apple.ca support?

[baileyr]

Unless you took the pepsi ipod, and traded it in for a bigger/different ipod. :twisted:

I upgraded my Pepsi iPod at FS, so I have a valid receipt. Gonna put the form in soon!

[Jucius Maximus]

I wonder if the Pepsi winners can apply for this.

After all, it will detract from the overall prize value that was advertised....
No, the form requires a copy of the receipt.

I bought my iPod from www.apple.ca, so I just contacted them again at the URL on the rebate form and they mailed me an extra copy of the invoice to use with the rebate, which I mailed off yesterday.

[Jucius Maximus]

i sold my ipod but i still have the receipt from last year... would i still get the levy back?
As long as you also know the serial number and model number to put onto the form, then yes.

[angui]

when you buy something of value, here's something to remember, keep your receipt and boxes. never know when you might need them again. resale or otherwise.

[7jai]

damnit, i bought a 2nd gen ipod ONLINE from some other usEr!! no levy refund for me =(

[lilazncanadian]

The post said iPods 10GBs or bigger.


Actually there was a levy charged on the Minis too so if you bought an iPod mini around that time (the 6GB was not out yet but the 4GB First Generation one was) then you can get your money back.

[aznpride]

anyone received their levy refund yet?

[Kinki]

My rebate submission doesn't even show up on they're rebate tracker. Been a month.

[rhainman]

I got my cheque on Thursday. Mailed it out the day the details were announced.

[PMedeiros]

Received my cheque today.

I also sent in my documents the day the Levy Refund Program was announced.

[tweetie]

Got our cheque today too - it came really quickly.. we mailed out the receipt for my mini about 2 weeks ago... super fast turnaround time!

[cjsketchy]

I checked the status of mine through rebatetrak, says it was fulfilled Oct.24 and is in the mail now. It's great that they're sending them out so quickly.

[Kinki]

This is the weirdest rebate tracker I've seen. It makes you input an "estimated submission" date. If I put in the "real" date (4 weeks) it would say "submission not found". But if I put in a date that is after 5 weeks (clearly i didn't send it in that early) it would show the rebate as ready and mailed.

[BestOffer]

HOT DEAL? shouldn't this be move elsewhere?

[Jucius Maximus]

My cheque came today ... all is good. :)

[warpdrive]

got my cheque last week.

[red_red]

On the rebate form..it says if you bought an IPOD from... 2003 to Dec.2004,
you were entitled to this refund.... so how about all the people that bought in 2005 ?? were they not charged this levey tax?? It seems to me that the prices of these IPODS did not change to accomodate levey tax in 2005 ...

[Gdog]

Mailed away my receipt on Nov.4th...got my cheque today. Thanks OP. :)

[silverlimits]

definatley good news