Multiple iPod Touch issues

Question

I received my iPod Touch last Thursday and then spent most of Friday just trying to get the blasted thing to accept my wireless password. Note: I have multiple wireless devices, (one router) all of which use the same password with no problems. Finally, it accepted the password, allowed me to set up my ID and account, only to almost immedialy lose the wireless connection. Over the weekend, the iPod couldn't even find the wireless network. Finally, this morning I lugged myself to the Apple store (40 minute drive), waited for 45 minutes and finally got someone who knew what he was doing. Surprise - the iPod couldn't find the store's wireless network! After messing around a bit the "genius" (not a slam, this is what they call the techs) accepted that the problem was with in the iPod, not the user. He then replaced the iPod. Flash forward a few hours: I'm at a Panara Bread and decide to see if the iPod will work - nope, nada, nothing. It could not find the network! Came home and tried again - nope, nada, nothing! I keep getting the same error message: cannot connect/wrong password. I use the same password for multiple devices, none of which have this problem. My wireless router (Linksys) has only this one password programmed. My laptop (Windows), printer, phone all recognize and accept this password. The iPod will not. What do I do? I'm getting ready to scream because this is taking way, way, way too much time. I've never had this much trouble with a device before and really have no clue as to how to resolve this issue once and for all. Any help, any one can offer will be extremely appreciated. Thank-you.

Answer 1

I am so incredibly disappointed in Apple!! I have owned my Touch for less than a week and have already been given two replacement units - neither of which have worked. I have visited three Apple stores, worked with 4 different techs and had two long telephone contacts with tech support. Yet, I still am unable to get a Touch that actually works!
I did manage to get the third iPod to recognize the network, but the way I did it makes no sense to me - perhaps it will to someone with more knowledge. This is what I did after the store appointments and after the long phone tech support incident: Using the USB cord, I connected the iPod to my PC, accessed the Apple site, registered with my user name/password, went to the i-Tunes store, attempted to set up an account (more on this in a moment) and when the store recognized the iPod and accepted the registration, I unplugged the iPod from the PC and suddenly it found the network. Incidentally, I did this myself, with no input from the experts, it was simply an idea and it seems to have worked, at least somewhat. Now, as to why I say "somewhat": while the iPod can find my home wireless network, it cannot find any other network, including the Apple store network. No matter where else I take the iPod, it reads "network not found" or "no network access". On the iTunes setup: I managed to get all the way through the account setup before the iPod lost the wireless network, but at the last screen, the system kicked me out saying I was using an invalid password. BTW: this is the exact same password the same system had accepted less than five minutes before this error message appeared.
The final blow to all this incredible hassle happened just a bit ago: I tried accessing tech support, using the same serial # I've been using (the latest serial # from the latest iPod they have given me) and received a message saying that I must now pay for support!! Okay - so let me get this straight: I buy an iPod. It doesn't work. I take the iPod to the Apple store, where they confirm that it won't work. I am given a second iPod - which fails within hours. I return to the Apple store, am given a 3rd iPod - that also fails within a few hours. Now, I've used up my free support?!! Interesting.