Randomly missing albums/songs

I purchase using the iPhone from the iTunes store. About a week ago I purchased 2 albums and a couple singles. Within the week I connected the iPhone to my HP laptop. The iPhone began to sync. The sync ended a bit too early. I looked at the contents of my iPhone and a number of apps that I'd just purchased (and some I'd had for a long time) were missing and many of the newest albums and songs were missing. Most of the older music I'd purchased was still there.

So, within a week of purchase, at my first attempt to back up the music by syncing it, iTunes wiped these out.

I looked at the support policies and Apple basically says I loose. I would like to get this music back without cost. I'm considering cessation of all purchases, including the iPhone service, from Apple due to this policy.

Can anyone give me an idea how to get this music back at no cost? I feel like Apple just stole from me--I purchase, I sync, it's wiped out, I must buy again. That's not a good image nor policy.

Any help would be appreciated.