It surprised the hell out of me. The tech said they could replace it for $399.
The problem had something to do with the connection to the battery. The battery couldn’t be charged either via charging cord or wirelessly.
Do I believe the phone could be fixed? Yes. Maybe the tech meant they couldn’t fix it at the Apple Store. At that point, it really didn’t matter to me. I need a phone that works and I’m no longer interested in having an iPhone.
Sorry you had such a lousy experience. Every company makes an individual lemon now and then. In my experience, Apple products have been the most reliable of any company’s products I’ve purchased. The stuff just works and the ability to run the latest OS on years-old products is amazing.