Sunday September 24, 2006
Sunday September 24, 2006 Apple, I Really Expected You To Do Better Than This
Apple recently launched a promotion where were giving away a number of TV show downloads in iTunes for free. Even though I'm not a fan of any of those shows, I have made purchases through the iTMS in the past, and I thought this would be a good opportunity to see what the video quality is like. Then the problems started.
Customer First Name : Richard
Customer Last Name : Harms
email : (removed)
Web Order # : (removed)
Support Subject : Video
Sub Issue : Can't play
Comments : iTunes Account Name: (removed)
Platform : Mac OS X 10.4
Video Name : Desperate Housewives: Time to Come Clean,
Deterioration of the Flight or Flight Response
Comments:
Two videos sitting in my store download list keep receiving "err =
8003" when iTunes attempts to download them. I've been able to
download other videos and audio files since then without any
problem. These two just appear to be stuck for some reason. iTunes
continues to attempt to download them automatically, I've also
deleted them off the list and told iTunes to check for purchased
music. Upon reappearing, they continue to fail with the 8003 error.
Please help.
TrackID: (removed)
Their reponse:
Dear Richard,
The error you describe may be caused by the presence of web
acceleration or firewall software. While the iTunes Store is unable
to provide technical support, I can recommend that you either test
your connection to the iTunes Store without the presence of this
software or configure your system to allow access to the iTunes
Store's address.
For assistance in configuring your firewall or accelerator
software, you may need to contact its manufacturer or your Internet
Service Provider. When contacting support representatives, it may
be useful to have the following information:
"Well Known" TCP and UDP Ports Used By Apple Software Products
iTunes for Windows: Music Store - Using With Internet Filters or
Accelerators
You may also find a resolution in one of the following articles:
iTunes for Mac: Possible iTunes Store errors
iTunes for Windows: Possible iTunes Store errors
Apple Discussions are a great source of information where everyone
from new users to experienced pros can interact and share
information about Apple products and their usage. You can find the
iTunes discussions group at
Sincerely,
Robert
iTunes Store Customer Support
http://www.apple.com/support/itunes/ww
Gee, thanks Robert. How about just giving me any explanation at all as to what error 8003 is? Even a technical explanation would be better than sending me to a knowledge base article that doesn't include that error code.
Neither types of software are installed on the machine.
Sending me links to suggestions for iTunes on Windows isn't really
helpful, my original message included the fact that I am using OS X
10.4.
The "Possible iTunes Store errors" article does not include error 8003.
There are other notes posted in the discussion forums about people
encountering this error, with no solution known.
-rh
And this time, the response is even more helpful:
Dear Richard,
If you continue to experience difficulties accessing this feature on the iTunes Store, please reply to this email with the following information:
1. Your IP address
2. The time at which you received the error message
3. The song you were attempting to download
4. The operating system you are using (Mac or Windows)
5. The version of the operating system
6. The version of iTunes you are using
7. The kind of network connection you are using (for example "dial-up modem" or "cable modem")
8. Your network connection speed (if you know it)
9. Your Internet Service Provider
10. The text of any error messages you have received
11. Your billing address, for security purposes, and permission to reset your password.
As soon as we receive this information we can investigate the issue you are experiencing. You should receive a response from us within 72 business hours.
Sincerely,
Hojo
iTunes Store Customer Support
http://www.apple.com/support/itunes/ww
Let see, item 3, 4, 5, 6, 10 and 11 were all available in my original message to them. AGAIN, how about just giving me an explanation of what error 8003 is? By this time, there's plenty of guesses by people in the discussion forums on how to deal with this error, but no one that seems to actually know what it means.
Rather then encouraging me to make additional purchases through the iTMS, Apple has just guaranteed that I will never make a purchase through that store again. If a customer is unable to receive their downloaded purchases, even if free, and "iTunes Store is unable to provide technical support," I really don't feel like risking any further money on it.
Posted by rich ( Sep 24 2006, 11:07:14 AM CDT ) Permalink Comments [1]