Stolen iPod Turns Up at Genius Bar

Talk about having a bad day! An iPod nano owner had it stolen at a major east coast airport while he was traveling. He immediately registered the iPod with Apple and…bing! About a month later he received a confirmation email saying his iPod was ready for pick-up after a repair (apparently an automated notice). The owner called the Apple store to attempt the retrieval of his iPod, but it was t00 late–the thief had received an immediate replacement shortly after the theft. The Apple store manager told the owner that someone came in, complained the iPod was operating too hot, gave a fake phone number (Apple doesn’t check IDs) and had the device replaced. So the thief has a brand-new iPod, and there’s no way to trace him unless he brings the iPod back to a store. On the other hand, shouldn’t the victim be entitled to his original iPod now being held by Apple?