An iPhone Burned My Girlfriend... And Now Will Not Charge/Sync

Question

So last week my girlfriend's iPhone 3gs did something new. She had just plugged it into the charger - the one that came with the phone when she purchased it - and plugged the charger into a wall outlet. My iPhone charger occupied the other socket. Within about 60 seconds, she noticed that the phone was getting extremely hot to the touch toward the bottom where the charger is. Then the burning smell started, so she immediately unplugged the phone. The end of the charger cable was actually hot enough to burn her skin and leave a scar where it touched her arm. When we looked at the port on the bottom of the phone, there were scorch marks on the contacts for the cable.
My phone was fine, we unplugged both cables and plugged them back in, then plugged her cable into my phone. It functioned perfectly. We plugged my cable into her phone and it said "this charging device is not supported." We tried some other cables we had from her old iPhone and our iPods, same thing. The issue was definitely related to her phone.
In the morning she called the local Apple store to make an appt. at the "genius bar." The guy on the phone listened to the issue, then said (in the most obnoxiously condescending douche voice possible) "Ma'am this could NOT be a problem with your phone but I guess if you want you can bring it in Friday and 4:30 and I will try to fit you in." Mind you, this was LAST TUESDAY so we know he is probably booked solid til then with people who have problems with their brand-new iPhone 4. Last night, on a whim, I decided to take her through all the troubleshooting steps they will go through and ask her if she did so they can send her away without resolving her problem.
I plugged the phone into my computer. Wasn't recognized by either device. I swapped cables, tried again, no dice. I tried unplugging it and plugging it back in a few times and for a split second it said "sync in progress" so I wiggled the cable and held it in at an odd angle and finally got it to sync up. I backed up all her data first, then I tried to restore it per Apple's troubleshooting docs. It would not maintain connection long enough to restore. I tried to update it to OS4, also no connection. My phone worked fine on the same cable in the same slot. I had a nagging idea in my head Apple would still try to f* her over, so we registered her on their support site. It initially told us her hardware was no longer covered unless it was a "manufacturer's defect." Well, of course this is a defect! So I selected the exception and had a tech support rep call us.
She was polite but seemed like she knew nothing about what she was doing. Her first idea was for us to pay Apple $29.99 to cover the device, so we explained this is a manufacturer's defect and it should be covered for free. She had already heard the story once but we repeated it for emphasis that it was in fact the iPhone itself. She said, "Oh well it COULDN'T be the iPhone!" and suggested we restore it. I had just gotten done telling her that no computer would recognize that specific phone, so I asked her how she recommended we restore it. She read through her list of scripted responses, then told us to take it to an Apple store, but they "probably wouldn't be able to help us since it doesn't sound like the phone was the problem."
Now I KNOW that Apple told its support employees to DENY DENY DENY all responsibility for issues with their hardware, the memo was leaked and published all over the place recently. But this is just ********. It's not even like we have an iPhone 4 and they can't afford to swap it for us... they have TONS of leftover 3gs's that nobody is going to buy. But still, we get screwed by their ****-poor customer service AGAIN.
So, I decided to make everyone aware of this issue in case they were wondering how Apple is treating their customers. I am no overzealous fanboy, I do happen to like my iPhone 3gs when it has service... It has provided the least number of headaches out of all the phones I have owned and tried recently. It's a grudging concession though, as I have had no small number of problems with their products before. But back then, when my 6th iPod died the same way as the other 5 before it, even a year out of the warranty, they would just send me a box to return it and a new iPod no questions asked.
I will update with results of our visit to the Apple store if I get to go with her.
Anyone else had a similar problem or experience that can lend some info on how to deal with the "Genius" at the Apple store, or Apple support in general?

Answer 1

Can I ask you a personal question? Why do a certain "faction" of Apple users and supporters eschew logic and accountability in favor of a fanatical level of worship toward the company and its products?
You say that is how it has "always been," yet I remember an Apple that replaced 6 (SIX!) of my iPods for the same design fault without so much as asking me a single question before sending a box.
You say all manufacturers do this, however Samsung replaced my phone with a revised design of the same model when they realized that the battery cover was defective. Nokia did the same with theirs for various software problems. Twice, as a matter of fact.
I have spoken to other Apple customers (via relating this story to other groups on the internet) who had their iPhones replaced for less than this. I guess it's no surprise that I would get this type of response on a board maintained by Apple; I somehow expected that if the company STILL can't take responsibility for flaws in the basic design of the iPhone 4 - verified by several independent tests that provide irrefutable evidence - I wouldn't be able to receive anything of value from its representatives or various hangers-on that make up what I suspect to be a large percentage of this forum's membership.
I don't want to hear "the company is always right" mantra, I want someone not plugged into the Cupertino Matrix, so to speak, to offer some insight on what I might be able to do to make the "genius" behind the counter forgo the whole "anti-customer service" attitude that Apple instills in its employees through memos and threats of termination these days and DO HIS JOB, which by my definition is ASSISTING THE CUSTOMER WITH A PIECE OF DEFECTIVE HARDWARE. I would be surprised if he were even able to go beyond plugging it into his test rig *one time* before handing it back and suggesting we buy a replacement or upgrade to the new model as he has been programmed to do.
Seriously, what is the password, secret handshake, the wink and nod required to cut through the facade - aside from spending what I originally paid a second time? Or is there nothing substantive behind it for you people anymore?
I LOVE my iPhone, I really do. The only gripe I have EVER had with it is related to AT&T service problems. I upgraded to iOS4 on the launch date, I enjoy the apps, the fast web browsing, the relative ease of use... I will wait for the revised model of the new iPhone to come out (still waiting for Apple to acknowledge THEIR problems first), but Apple WILL get my money. I could be one of you, I just feel like I want to retain my objectivity instead of being lobotomized and becoming a brand-slave.