This Pixel 7 Pro’s $68 battery replacement turned into a $250 nightmare

Even after selling self-branded Pixel phones for a decade and building the Nexus for several years, Google still shies away from taking full responsibility of a hardware company. After-sales support is still one of Google’s strong suits, as my colleague Karandeep Singh recently recounted about his experience while exchanging an old device. And this can be extended to repairs if you are planning to get the Pixel repaired through official channels as well.

A Pixel 7 Pro owner recounted a frustrating experience with Google’s repair services that led him to consider unofficial options. Google’s official battery replacement services cost $68, which, at face value, seems more attractive than third-party repairs, which cost almost three times as much. However, the phone owner highlights the hidden cost of pixel repairs and the high probability of rejection due to minor issues.

The owner of the phone shared his experience reddit postRevealing that he was forced to make three trips to get the battery replaced. On the first meeting, he was refused because the Pixel 7 Pro had a custom ROM installed, which is fair. However, his second visit to the service center remained in vain as the store did not have the battery in stock. What reportedly troubled the user were the vague responses given by employees, who told him the part “may be coming next week, no guarantee.” To make matters worse, the store refused to share a contact number that would have allowed the user to call before coming back again.

The user then contacted Google’s online support, which promised to contact the store in the “next 24 hours”, but later responded that the said store was “unavailable”. This is despite the fact that the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro batteries are prone to swelling.

On his third and final visit, the user was finally able to submit his phone for battery replacement. But about 20 minutes after the service center took it, they informed the customer that the screen showed signs of burning and the display was deemed “faulty”. The store then informed us that the battery would need to be replaced as well as the screen, bringing the total to $250. Another such incident came to light recently. In which Google refused to repair a user under warranty citing no damage to performance. Instead of a free repair to fix the eSIM issue, the user was asked to pay $300.

The user further argues in his post that Google rejects repairs for minor wear and tear in order to avoid the responsibility of maintaining the display intact when the back is opened to replace the battery. This perception may be partially true, as the Pixel 7 Pro doesn’t get high scores for repairability. At the time of its launch in 2022, YouTuber PBKreviews highlighted the difficulty of opening the back cover or removing the battery due to the strong adhesive used in manufacturing.

Users also claim that this is planned obsolescence, or that Google is pushing consumers to buy new devices instead of fixing existing ones in order to make a profit. Many commentators on the post seem to agree.

Obviously, not every user will be confident (and capable) to handle this repair themselves. So, still, Google is ruling out the possibility of repairing an otherwise functional three-year-old device, which can be infuriating.

Users also claim that this is planned obsolescence, or that Google is pushing consumers to buy new devices instead of fixing existing ones in order to make a profit. Many commentators on the post seem to agree.

Obviously, not every user will be confident (and capable) to handle this repair themselves. So, Google dismissing the possibility of repairing an otherwise functional three-year-old device may be infuriating, still, and we hope Google can fix these issues.