Can't get my purchased music.

Question

Ok, so I reinstalled windows a while back and when I synced my ipod to the newly downloaded itunes, I chose to sync to this new library, as I hadn't yet replaced all my new music etc, and let it sync. It didn't give me my purchased game though, just ones in the music library I had from CDs. No big deal I thought, as I had only one game purchased, and It was starting to get old, so I didn't worry about it. Next time I reinstalled though (just recently), the same thing happened but it was with albums and songs I had purchased since last reinstall as well as the game. I only had a few of my purchased songs and games on my ipod then, and that's all it gave me. I went to store -> check for available downloads, and it says I have everything. I went to purchase history and it's there, but with no download link or anything. I submitted a ticket to support using the feature in purchase history:
"All of my purchases from 8/12/08 to 5/19/09 are now unable to be downloaded to my machine after I reinstalled windows. I went to store -> check for available downloads, and it only downloaded purchases from 5/19 on, because they were already on my ipod. They were the only ones on my ipod because I've had this problem before and couldn't get my old songs then either. Please get me my purchases."
Now, the weird part:
At 10:27 pm (hotmail time) I get an email saying:
Your request for a refund for "Collide" was carefully considered; however, according to the iTunes Store Terms of Sale, all purchases made on the iTunes Store are ineligible for refund. This policy matches Apple's refund policies and provides protection for copyrighted materials.
I didn't ask for a refund! I just want my music...
The weird part is that AFTER that, 11:30 PM the same day(hotmail time) I get this:
Thank you for contacting the iTunes Store. This is an automated reply, but an iTunes representative is reviewing your request and will send you a personal response soon (generally within 24 hours). Meanwhile, you may find the following articles helpful. They address several common customer questions.
(then the links)
So they denied my request for a "refund" and THEN say they will get to me in 24 hours.
It's been more than 24 hours and there has been no response.
What should I do to get my music back?

Answer 1

Sorry, but officially Apple does not allow redownloads of purchased items other than iPhone/iPod touch applications (though not all of those). You get only a single download per purchase; the "Check for Available Downloads" only works for tracks that were not successfully downloaded once already. It's your responsibility to make backup copies in case something goes wrong with your system, as unfortunately it apparently did in your case, and you lose all the information on your hard drive. The official statement of their policy can be found here, among other places. If your hard drive was erased and you don't have a backup of your purchased items, and don't have them on an iPod, you're probably out of luck and will need to repurchase your tracks.