Google can keep your phone if you send it in for repair with non-OEM parts

I'll take 'Violations of the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act'.

In 2020 (?) joined that Google One program where the promise was you pay a monthly fee and every two years, you get a new Pixel phone "for free". Not the latest, but last gens model. It looked really good on paper.

I'm cheap. I did the math and it cost less to do this than buy used from Swappa. And knowing Google's awful track record for customer service and killing products, I joined fully aware to keep my expectations low.

After 2 years, I was eligible for an upgrade. And the program changed. It was no longer a monthly fee, but pay $500 for a new phone. And worse, that Google phone died two months after the warranty ended. Google wanted to charge me $300 to repair the phone.

If you buy anything Google, keep your expectations down. Like really down.

Unpopular opinion: instead (or aside) from being upset at Google, you should be upset at the legislative framework that makes companies think they can get away with this