Losing iPod/iTunes ratings

I use my iPod to listen to unrated songs in the car, I rate them with the wheel, and synch to iTunes every few days. I have not established a pattern but I am SURE I am losing some of my iPod ratings. The same songs keep coming up as unrated after a synch which I know I have rated before.
Seems like some sort of glitch in the iTunes synch algorithm. Maybe it is deleting songs from the iPod when it refreshes the smart playlists BEFORE it updates ratings from iPod to iTunes?
Anyone else notice this problem ?

Yes! I often rate songs to kill time on airplanes, and I know that often my ratings don't transfer to iTunes once I get back and sync my iPod(s) to the library. The problem seems to be particularly pronounced when dealing with ratings on my Nano(s), rather than the iPod video. I have noticed that if I plug my Windows iPod(s) into my Mac Powerbook to charge the iPod, sometimes new ratings will be wiped out, even though I am not syncing the iPod to the notebook iTunes. It is really, really irritating to spend hours rating songs, only to lose the ratings days later. iTunes needs to be more robust in protecting the users' information, and a little less robust in protecting the music companies.

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    Regards

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