I understand your pain, but your promo code complicates the matter
which is unfortunate
A full retail price customer would of have a far easier time. 3 to 5 day mail order turn around seems reasonable to me and you may get a new unit regardless and I hope you do
I doubt Google or Apple mail order can spin it around any faster and we often hear exchanged units are not factory fresh
The extra convenience some get by having a local Apple store is not free. Every customer pays for this and many subsidise others even though they do not share the same experience across the globe. US customer experience etc. is not unilateral.
My sons Dell after 3 and 15 months had issues, both times they have collected it and given a full refund plus another discount voucher of nearly $400 that's something Apple do not match on service
I hope you get to enjoy your S9+ soon
Yeah, with the price you pay, Apple's customer service is expected. At the same time, the US doesn't have the most ideal situations. Europe is more consumer friendly and offers 2 year warranties and will protect people more than the States. However, the prices of phones can be a lot more, especially with the currency difference. There are a lot of market factors that contribute to this as well.
Google would just do an authorized charge of the value for the phone, ship it within 2 business days, send you a mailer, and you return a defective device. It's one of the premiums of the Xbox One X extended warranty I added for $40 towards the end of last year. Had to use that feature twice (I reckon it's $15 for the fee each go around, so I almost paid off my extended warranty with manufacturer defects).
Dell gave me a horrendous experience with my first ever laptop. Imagine not really knowing much about laptops and getting your first device as a high school graduation present years ago? I had to get my motherboard replaced twice in the first 6 months. The LCD panel was replaced once or twice as well. I had some other parts replaced under warranty too. I called my Laptop a Frankenstein Monster because of all the part swaps. I asked Dell to replace the entire unit and they said no. That was the end of that. I should've written the BBB all those years ago.
I guess it depends on the type of product you buy and your account with a company. Business grade laptops have better parts and customer service. I learnt my lesson my 2nd go around for my grad school laptop. I snagged the best MBP I could get for about $1200 or less. I paid the price for it because I want premium hardware, newer software experiences, etc. Happy with the performance, but it has its fair share of issues like the LCD panel had to be replaced along with a few I/O ports. Thank goodness for Apple Care+. Gotta get the charger replaced soon too. Battery might need a good replacement in about 3-6 months too.
As for the S9+, I hope so as well. Goal is for the exchange to occur before this Friday. I'll send my S9+ back and take a new one. I'll use my iPhone 8+ for a bit before it goes away permanently. I also have an older Android phone lying around to use, but it will be a lag fest.
If they do not go ahead and exchange it, I may try a repair and hope for the best because I want to keep this phone long-term and forget about phone tech for a few years.
If it results in a refund, I may have to use iOS again until May or June to see what Motorola, LG, HTC, Sony, OnePlus, and Google do. Google cannot go ahead and risk having their phones with premium price tags without at least a few sales here and there to deter people from going Galaxy or other products.
What I want to see is WWDC, the HTC U12+, Pixel 3 leaks, OnePlus 6 pricing, HTC U12+ specs and pricing. I think the OnePlus 6 might be my next phone.
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I’ve never heard of it until I read your post. Goodness, does not sound good if this is a widespread thing. Do you have any links to other discussions about this issue?
I’m using this S9+ as a secondary device, so I can afford the inconvenience of repairs under warranty. So, what I would do for myself is different than what I would advise someone who needs a particular phone as a daily driver.
If it were my only phone and daily driver, honestly, between the concerns
@nviz22 has brought up and the possibility we may be hearing more about your problem, I’d send it back. Bide your time with something else until more information comes to light.
One thing I do advocate for people to do is to set aside money for an inexpensive phone bought used or on a deal, like an iPhone SE or other older model or any one of the many well reviewed low to mid-range budget Android models, so that you always have a working phone if you’re confronted with a sudden crisis with your dream phone and find it needs to go through a lengthy repair or exchange process. So you don’t feel pressured into any decision or option that makes you uncomfortable over the long term. These flagship models are just so danged expensive.
Even get a phone with a small cost prepaid sim or something, anything, to keep a person connected to their contacts. All phones from all manufacturers have the potential to reveal or develop trouble so it’s best to go into these purchases hoping for the best but definitely prepared for the worst.
The S9/S9+ is a fabulous phone...when it’s working right. Unfortunately, there may be some consistent issues that are starting to reveal themselves as they get into more hands. I’m sorry I don’t know more or haven’t heard more to help you better.
They may have to get a repair since it's closer to the return period ending. I guess each phone has its fair share of issues at launch. At least the Pixel 2XL screens worked better with recognizing taps despite some nasty blue light issues. I have a cheap android lying around, so that could be Plan C if I need to use another device. Plan B is my 8+. I like the S9+ software features and hardware wise. If the exchange occurs with a clean swap, I would gladly stick with the S9+ for years to come.
