Other Kalamazoo iPod repair shop says "It wasn't us!"

Jake Widman
Wednesday, 01 April 2009 00:04

Your IT - Mobility

The well-publicized arrest of a Kalamazoo, Michigan, man for running an iPod repair scam has caused headaches for the operator of a rival, reputable business in the same city.

On March 20, the original story hit the wires: Nicholas Woodhams, proprietor of the iPod Mechanic mail-order repair business, had been charged with multiple federal counts of fraud and money-laundering. Prosecutors alleged that Woodhams had duped Apple into replacing nonexistent iPod shuffles, which he then sold to unsuspecting customers.

Since then, Aaron Vronko has been deluged by calls from customers and other people "calling to ask, 'Is this you?'" Vronko is the CEO of Rapid Repair, another iPod repair service located in Kalamazoo, and one that has been doing a reputable business for the past 5 years.

"We spent a lot of time building up our good name as an iPod repair shop," says Vronko. "But then people read stories about 'iPod repair company in Kalamazoo busted,' and they wonder if it's about us."

According to Vronko, iPod Mechanic had already developed a bad online reputation for scamming its customers, a charge borne out by a quick look at customer complaint sites . Once the company's activities started harming Apple directly, though, the authorities stepped in to investigate.

In an attempt to reinforce their customers' trust and show appreciation for their loyalty, Vronko is offering a 10 percent discount on all services during the month of April. Customers can enter the code april10 to obtain the discount.

"We just want people to know it wasn't us," says Vronko.