ZR will not update - Phone is a brick

Question

My 2 month old Xperia ZR (purchased unlocked from Amazon at $549 US) is now a brick.  I bought this phone for its ability to survive underwater, dust resistance and drop test.  It seems just the rugged phone that I needed for 24x7x365 support duty.
Well, I should have asked if the phone would survive an upgrade.  Apparently, it does not.
Performing the 10.3.1.A.2.67 system upgrade failed  as I used PC Companion on Win7.  I was warned it would take 30 minutes for the upgrade by PC Companion.  At 26 minutes, I received an error message.  The retry also failed.  Then, the driver would not load and Win7 kept telling me the ZR was an unknown USB dev ice.
BUT, by this time, my phone was a brick.  It would turn on, show the SONY logo and, then, turn off.
So, I call Sony Mobile Tech Support (1-866-766-9374 or 1-877-7XPERIA).  Mayelin sent my a procedure to try in recovering my phone.  No go.  So, I call back and talk to Jamie.  She doesn't even want to read my case notes (1-840176438).  She goes to read the notes and transfers me to Mr. Dialtone.  I call back and take to Natasha and ask for a Supervisor.  Apparently, Sony does not staff their Call Centers with Supervisors.  So, she asks for my number in order to have someone in Escalations call me back.  No, she did not know when the callback would take place nor any timeframe like that there.
After 25 years of technical support experience in data networks, I know bull**bleep** when I hear it.  There really ought to be a law that mandates Supervisors be present and available at all times a support call center is operating.  The support bull**bleep** performed by companies such as Sony, and/or its outsource support vendors, is just criminal considering how much their products cost.  Very unprofessional and user hostile.
I have included the procedure sent to me by Mayelin.  It may be of help to some other poor and unfortunate person who might have also bought this Hercules of a phone.
I will wait until Monday when I might be able to get a Supervisor.  I will then discuss how useless it is for me to undergo their 7-10 business days "evaluation" return-to-factory service when their system upgrade killed my phone.  I would expect and advance replacement on the next business day at the very least.  BUT, apparently, $549 does not get you this when you buy one of these indestructible phones.
How sad.  Has Sony quality really come to this?  I own a lot of Sony A/V and some professional products.  I just bought one of their new VAIO laptops at top dollar from a Sony Store (Stanford Shopping Center).
If this experience has taught me anything is that I should probably stick to Sony Ericsson or not buy Sony Mobile products at all.  My old Sony-Ericsson T515 never gave me any hiccups as big as this Xperia ZR is giving me.
ZRSUCKS
Dear ZRSUCKS,
Thank you for contacting Sony Xperia™ Online Support.
We have an extended guide that should help you fix the issue on your phone, please follow the instructions carefully:
Visit this link:
http://www.sonymobile.com/us/tools/pc-companion/
Click on Download PC Companion
Run the software and install it
Turn the phone off and disconnect it from the computer
1. No matter what the program says do not connect the phone until you complete step 9
2. In the welcome screen you will see the different modules available for you including the "Support Zone" option. Click on "Start" below it.
3. On the next page Click on "Start" under "Phone Software Update"
At this point if you get an error stating that "Unable to install update components" or "Server is busy" , then please proceed to step 12
4. The program will say that there is no phone connected. Click on the option below that reads: "Repair my phone" the program will issue you a warning about the content that you will lose during the update
5. Choose the option to continue.
6. The program will issue a final message warning you of possible data lost during the update. Click on the checkmark and then on "Next".
7. After that, the program will download the necessary information (5 to 6 minutes) and it will present you with a list of phones.
8. Choose your phones model from the list then click on "Next" then you will see a new section telling you how to connect the phone. (don't connect it yet)
At this point the phone must be off and disconnected from the PC.
9. Connect the cable to the PC not to the phone, then while pressing and holding the indicated button (in the steps on screen an specific button will be shown for you to press on the phone) connect the cable to the phone and keep holding the indicated button until the program says "the update of your phone has started..." (in some cases a message of  "Installing drivers" will appear before the message of "the update of your phone has started..."  is shown.)
10. If you failed to follow the steps correctly the phone will turn on and it will request that you "Proceed with the following steps, slide down the notification bar", If this happens disconnect the phone from the cable, turn it off and repeat from step 9).
11. If the phone is connected properly, PC Companion will proceed with the update ( It will tell you to let go of the back key) then wait for the update to finish and follow instructions on screen to disconnect the unit.
Dear Customer,
12. If "Unable to install update components"
1. Close PC Companion
2. Install Java from: http://www.java.com
3. Start PC Companion again and try to do the software unlock process once more.
Note: If you wish only to update the unit wait for the program to open and then select the quick link on the upper left corner that says "Update Phone/Tablet" and follow the instructions to perform the update. (the PC may request for the phone to be placed in Mass Storage mode. Do this by going into Settings>Xperia>Connectivity>USB connection mode)
As part of Sony Mobile's commitment to excellent customer service, we offer a wide variety of mobile products to suit your lifestyle. If you require more information, or have any other questions, please visit www.sonymobile.com or call us at  1-866-766-9374 .
Kind Regards,
Mayelin
Sony Xperia US Customer Services

Answer 1

Use SUS instead
Update Service (SUS)
http://www.sonymobile.com/gb/tools/update-service/
http://www-support-downloads.sonymobile.com/Software%20Downloads/Update_Service_Setup-2.11.12.5.exe
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