Good Evening All,
So approximately 8 days ago my Google Pixel 9 Pro XL started randomly triggering the Gemini assistant and restarting. As the day progressed it got worse and worse and by that evening it entered a constant rebooting loop. That evening I tried jiggling the power button as it was clearly related to the issue as it kept triggering Gemini assistant and rebooting. After a few attempts, it stopped the boot process, but now the power button was completely unresponsive. I reached out to Google support and they told me I could get it fixed by ubreakifix, so I went ahead with that. They ordered a new button assembly and a few days later had me come in for install.
After attempting to repair my phone they called me in and said the new assembly and button did nothing and it was clearly a motherboard issue which they would not repair. They handed me my device and said try reaching out to Google directly. I knew my phone was in good shape and there was no other damage, but I wanted to have that in writing. Ubreakifix was nice enough to put that all in writing in an email:
"
Hello Aratelli,
This is Jennifer from the resolutions team at the home office of uBreakiFix by Asurion. I am the resolution case manager assigned to your case.
I have had the opportunity to review your case with the North Hills store.
To start please not the check in report that reads "Good. Minor amounts of physical damage visible (cracked glass for instance). Regular use cosmetic wear (minor scratches, scuffs, dents in more than 5 areas)" is a generic scripting that can not be changed but is not indicative or factual that there is a cracked glass.
When your device was checked it, it is clearly noted "no other physical damage to note, no liquid damage " those are notes that are manually put in by our techs when they are reviewing the conditions of the phone.
After speaking to North Hills they have advised there was not other physical damage to the device, no cracked screen, back, cameras etc. No liquid damages found.
Please note that I did further inquire about why your device was not able to be repaired and was advised that the store did attempt to swap the power button and there was no response to the power button. The store does believe it is possible there may be an underlying issue with the motherboard itself and that upon inspection there appeared to be no damages seen to the motherboard.
It was also noted that while the check in notes state "flathead to pry out power button", the power button was in fact intact on drop off and was not pryed out of the device or removed.
If you have any further questions or concerns please feel free to let me know.
All the best
Jennifer M.
Case Manager | uBreakiFix by Asurion
"
So then I began my saga with Google support. Basically the first agent said tough luck, phone is out of warranty, pay out of pocket. Upon escalating to a supervisor, the supervisor hung up on me. After another attempt a team member said they would escalate me to a "specialist team for a high-level review of the motherboard diagnosis". They sent me an email asking for proof of purchase and diagnosis information which I provided. Then they proceeded ghost me for a few days. Finally on Monday evening they said the team will review and provide me a definitive decision in 24 to 48 hours.
"
Hi Ara,
Thanks for contacting Google support. I hope this email finds you well.
Please accept my sincerest apologies for the delay in getting back to you. I appreciate your patience while I worked to get the most accurate information regarding your device.
I have officially forwarded your details to our specialist team for a high-level review of the motherboard diagnosis. I am personally monitoring the progress of this escalation to ensure we find the best possible path forward for you.
Please expect a follow-up email from me within the next 24 to 48 hours with a definitive update.
Thank you again for your continued patience.
"
After 48 hours, nobody had reached out to me so I called support again. Same thing, tough luck warranty expired. So I asked to speak to a supervisor. The supervisor told me I can send my device in for free so the engineers can investigate and provide me options. I'm not happy about it, but I didn't know what else to do. Then I get the RMA request and it says I agree to $500 in charges to replace the motherboard which was not what the supervisor said.
So now I sit here after spending hours going to ubreakifix and dealing with Google support with no idea what to do. Just hurts that a phone less than 2 years old that was cared for well breaks and the company that produced it won't stand by it.
Does anyone have any advice? Or ideas?