GoKawiilRita El Khoury / Android Authority
TL;DR A Pixel 7 Pro owner narrated their harrowing experience while trying to get a battery replaced.
After three frustrating trips, the owner was asked to pay $250 for a $68 repair, citing unrelated display issues.
Had the owner chosen to repair it themselves, it would have cost them less than $50.
Even after a decade of selling self-branded Pixel phones — and another several years of co-making Nexus, Google still shies away from taking full responsibility of a hardware company. After-sales support has yet to be one of Google’s strong suits, as my colleague Karandeep Singh recently highlighted in his account of his experience while exchanging an older device. And the same could extend to repairs if you’re planning to get a Pixel repaired, even through official channels.
A Pixel 7 Pro owner recounted a frustrating experience with Google’s repair services that led them to consider unofficial alternatives. Official battery replacement services from Google cost $68, which, at face value, appears more lucrative than third-party repairs that cost nearly three times as much. However, the phone’s owner highlights the hidden cost of Pixel repairs and the high likelihood of being rejected for trivial issues.
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The phone’s owner shared their experience in a Reddit post, revealing they were forced to make three trips to get the battery replaced. On the first visit, they were turned away because the Pixel 7 Pro had a custom ROM installed, which is justifiable. However, their second visit to the service center turned out to be fruitless because the store did not have a battery in stock. What aggravated the user allegedly were vague responses being offered by the staff, who told them the part could arrive “maybe next week, no guarantees.” To make things worse, the store refused to share a contact number, which would have allowed the user to call before visiting again.
The user then contacted Google’s online support, which promised to get in touch with the store in the “next 24 hours,” only to respond later that the said store was “unavailable.” This is despite the fact that Pixel 7 and 7 Pro batteries are prone to swelling.
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