iPod Replaced with Mystery Meat

HAWAII, Dec. 29, 2005 —

 Rachel Cambra couldn't wait to see the look on her 14-year-old son's face when he opened a very special present on Christmas morning.

 Rachel Cambra couldn't wait to see the look on her 14-year-old son's face when he opened a very special present on Christmas morning.

The Mililani, Hawaii, woman had saved up to surprise her son with what he wanted most for the holiday, a new Apple iPod with video.

Surprised he was, and so was Cambra. When her son opened the box for the high-tech toy, he discovered the iPod that should have been there wasn't. It had apparently been replaced with some kind of mystery meat.

The New Apple iMeat?

"He went from joy, really happy joyful," she said, "then to discover this, just angry and hurt."

Cambra says the box was sealed and that it didn't appear to have been tampered with when she brought it home from the Honolulu Wal-Mart where she works.

She says she had put the iPod on layaway so that she could afford the device's hefty $300 price tag.

"I know what I went through to get this for him," said an incensed Cambra. "To open up and find this? I don't know what to say."

"This" appeared to be some kind of sealed fish or meat product, certainly not a state-of-the-art MP3 player.

Dan Fogleman, a spokesman for Wal-Mart, said it did appear that the package was sealed and has contacted Apple about the matter.

He says Cambra will be given a new iPod for her son from the very next shipment the store receives.

No one from Apple was available for comment.