I was up at gahwdaful early this morning, and called Apple. I spoke with Linette, and very carefully explained what I’d been told, what happened, and what consequences this had for me. She listened and was just as carefully repeated back what I’d told her, and asked what I would like done to resolve the problem.

I told her I needed the money put back into the account before any overdrafts hit. She cancelled the repair order, called my bank, and released the hold. Money was released immediately. She said that when I was ready to continue with the repair, I could call her and they would re-open the case ID. I asked if I could have a discount on the repair cost, and she said she would have to check into that. We have exchanged phone numbers and email addresses. She will be calling me tomorrow morning, at gahwdaful o’clock.

So now the situation stands thus: I have my money back, no overdraft fees, and a spider-webbed iPad.

Stay tuned for further developments.

BTW, I did not mention this blog: I don’t want to be a stupid blogtard, threatening bad PR. That’s rude. If they make this right, it should be only because they are honorable. If I can’t rely on my own negotiating abilities by lining up the valid reasons I should get a discount on repairs, or perhaps an upgrade to either a 32gb wifi or 16gb 3g model, then I don’t deserve it.

Stay tuned for the next installment!

Edited to add: I’ve received several requests and suggestions regarding this situation. I’d like to thank Jim Goldstein for his suggestion to send it to his friend Shakeel to repair it, but at this time I’d like to keep the work in house, so to speak. I’ve held off jailbreaking it so that I would not void the warranty, and if I get a refurbished unit I will want it to still be under the initial warranty. Rest assured that should I opt for a bigger-capacity or 3g model, I will carefully consider my options for who gets my old one. I have three folks in mind–my best friend Christine who’s had a hell of a bad year, my friend Dawn who is developing software for the iPad and doesn’t have one to test her apps on, and Jim because he’s got a baby on the way and money is going to be tight. That’s in no particular order, mind. Also, I’d like to thank the folks who’ve donated money and placed orders. Your kindness is deeply appreciated!