iPod repair

I finally broke down and purchased an iPod 2 gig. I have only had it a month when the docking cable go stuck and when I tried to wiggle it out the cable became frayed and came apart. I requested service from Apple who sent me a nice box within 48 hours of my request. I shipped it back to them and was told they would not fix it because the casing was damaged. They stated, "This type of damage is excluded from coverage under the Apple One (1) Year Limited Warranty or extended service contract, such as the AppleCare Protection Plan. The repair is pending your approval of the following quote for repair costs: 205.95 USD plus tax." Yikes! $209.95? Thats more than I paid for my iPod Nano. I declinded the repair and having them ship it back to me. I found a few places on the web that would sell me the back casing for $20 if I needed it. Apparently its fairly simple to replace. That will volid my warranty with the Nano, but if I need to replace the casing, I am willing to take that chance. The other downside to that is that I will lose my engraving.. C'est La Vie. I will give Apple props for being on the ball and sending me a box to ship it to them and getting to looking at it soo quickly. It is a little disheartening that they will not fix the case because it was damaged before I got it. The upside is that is an easy fix and I can do it myself for 1/10th what Apple wants to fix it for.