Hi all I'm new here :)

Here is a synopsis of my iPod trouble:
I have a 5GB that was given to me as a gift in Dec. 2001. By Dec. 2002 the firewire port was damaged- the metal ring was loose and therefore I couldn't charge it properly. Luckily I was within days of the warranty expiring, so they replaced it. Well, the problem has occurred again with the new one (started in June). I think the problem is due to the amount of effort you have to put in in disconnecting the firewire cable. Because it's in there so tightly you have no choice to use force in getting the cable out.

So I called up customer relations and asked if there was some kind of discounted upgrade I could get (as Apple had done that once before for me a few years ago with a monitor I had to return to them 3 times in a year). They said no. The only thing I could do was send it in for repair at $250 which I won't do because I am positive the problem will happen again since I think it's simply a flaw in design. Notice the new iPods are much easier to disconnect? I think Apple is aware of the problem and that's why they re-designed it. Customer Relations just said "the firewire port is different because the iPod is thinner now". Well, duh.

Any advice? Should I suck it up and buy a new iPod at full price? Or is there more I can do to harass the powers that be?