Apple wont change my iPad with a bad screen :( Anything I can do?

Question

Today I received an email from apple that says my iPad "meets apple specifications for performance, usability, and functionality" even though it has a giant piece of dust under the screen (not the wallpaper, it's there when the screen is off). I am really upset about this especially considering all I've gone through to get a good one: I first got my iPad from the apple online store at the end of may, and noticed it had dust under the screen which made it look like a dead pixel. I'm in San Angelo and the closest store is in San Antonio, 194 miles away. I'm also on training status on the Air Force (Goodfellow AFB) and getting out of the base is extremely hard. I finally got permission and found somebody to lend me their car last week, and so I headed on the ridiciously long trip. After arriving to the La Cantera Parkway store I went in and they exchanged it for a refurbished one. When I go back to the base I see that it has a giant piece of dust under the screen on the lower right and is scratched on the upper left and on the dock connector. So i just wasted more than $100 on a trip for nothing. I call apple customer service and they say they will send me a box to ship it to them. I receive it and then I get my roommate to do it, because it's basically impossible for me because I can't bring mail to the facility where I am trained, and I can't just go where I want on the weekdays, and the only time I can actually walk around the base, on after duty hours, the post office is closed. Today I received two emails: one that says they received the iPad and another a few minutes ago saying it meets their performance so they wont change it. I can't even talk to customer service because they are closed and I cant in the morning because I have to wake up at 3:50am and cant have my cellphone till 5:00pm, by that time they'll have shipped it. This is really frustating, is there anything I can do? I'm thinking to sell it at a loss since exchanging it is just a giant hassle.

Answer 1

Really sorry to hear about your story .
Have you tried to call them again sometime? Try to express your anger about the issue and force them to find you a solution. I think Apple is nice and they do listen to their customers. You can always request to talk to their supervisor/manager. I am sure they will listen and find you a solution.
I was once succesful at nagging them to exchange my Macbook Pro faulty logic board (which costs about $2000AU) even my waranty is expried (2 years after I bought my MBP). And yes, they did it for me, really nicely.
Good luck and keep us updated,