I loved my AirPods Pro, but they started breaking while I was on vacation. I don't know how this happened. I take proper and delicate care of it. ...... Even if it has come off my hands and fallen to the floor at least a few times. I'm only human.

But when the $249 AirPods Pro inexplicably started ticking away, my enjoyment began to fade. Especially when I was strolling around the sun-drenched Las Vegas Strip, trying to relax to the breezy tunes of Lorde's new album.

So when I got home, I connected online to Apple customer support and followed the semi-intrusive prompts. The results of that call were not good.

After a series of troubleshooting tests (unpairing, resetting, repairing, etc.) and asking for my serial number, the rep started sending me in for repair. Knowing that my AirPods Pro was likely not covered by Apple's warranty plan, I asked the rep if he could check the warranty status. He confirmed my suspicions and I began to brace myself for a hefty fee.

Here things seemed to have fallen into another reality. The cost of the repair, he said, would be $278.67. And since I knew the price of the AirPods Pro ($249 from Apple, $271.10 after New York taxes, and currently $189 from Amazon), I replied, a bit shocked." For one pair of earbuds," I retorted to the rep." Why not buy a new pair or new buds ($89) at that point?" This rep had given me the wrong estimate.

The rep replied, "I certainly understand (your) concern," and explained why. The cost of the repair involves diagnostic and repair work, and it adds up. So I asked about the price of replacement buds and told the rep I would sleep on it.

Then my friend Chris, whom I often run into on the subway platform near my favorite theater, replied online with what might be the answer to my prayers. It turns out there is an AirPods Pro service program for sound problems.

If you didn't know, Apple has determined that "a small percentage of AirPods Pro may experience sound issues. The affected units were manufactured before October 2020. And mine were definitely before that date. There's no way to verify that date online, but you'll need to give Apple the serial number and have them verify it; if your AirPods are paired, go to Settings > Bluetooth > tap the "i" next to AirPods and look for the serial number. If they cannot be paired, open the AirPods case and open the Magnifier app on your phone. Using the Viewfinder, locate the serial number on the inside of the AirPods case lid.

This program is for "increased crackling or static in loud environments, during exercise, or when talking on the phone," and/or "Active Noise Cancellation not working as expected, such as loss of bass sound or increased background noise such as street or airplane noise." This applies to AirPods Pro.

And my AirPods definitely fall under the first of these two issues. So I called Apple and later decided to bring them into my local Apple Store. At that Apple store, Lauren, who was incredibly helpful, fixed everything and walked me out of the store with a brand new AirPods Pro that I had not paid for.

Lauren diagnosed my AirPods Pro and discovered that both buds were eligible for replacement, not just the right side. She gave me the replacement buds and I was on my way.

Before leaving, I inquired about the price of the repair. Turns out the online agent was wrong. Lauren told me that the repair for the AirPod Pro earbuds was $89 plus tax. In other words, the same price as buying new ones.

If they are under warranty, you can go to Apple and have them repaired. If not, check to see if your AirPods were manufactured before October 2020 and ask Apple about their service program. And if they tell you that repairing one AirPods will cost as much as repairing the whole thing, ask to speak to someone else.

When the same product costs the same to buy and repair, one begins to think about waste. Most people might just buy a new one, replace it, and move on. I wish they would choose another option.

Apple recycles AirPods, but as Will Oremus discovered, there are many questions about how they do it. Apple is looking to improve its recycling capabilities, and explained as much in 2019 with its recycling robot, Daisy.

Most impressive is PodSwap, which will replace dying batteries from regular AirPods for $60 and send them back. However, PodSwap only covers batteries, and only for AirPods, not AirPods Pro.

With such an impossibly small product, it may be impossible to get things right. However, I would ask that you think twice (even a few times) about how to properly dispose of your AirPods if they stop working properly; the AirPods are really neat, but when small things add up, they can quickly become trash.