RIM BlackBerry 8100c Cell Phone

I have had AT&T in NYC since 10/07. The service is better than T-Mobile (terrible in NYC) and Sprint and about even with Verizon. The issue is around warrantee service. After six months my Blackberry Pearl would not charge through the USB port. I went to the store for an exchange (1 year warrantee). The only store than handles replacements is in Fort Worth, Texas. Given the commute from NYC they referred me to the 1-800-801-1101 warrantee number. After an hour on the phone they decided that the phone was damaged and not eligible for replacement. How a phone without a scratch is considered damaged by merely inserting and removing the USB connector I cannot image. How they make this determination over the phone is really mind numbing. Please be careful with AT&T I find them unscrupulous at best. Verizon would have replaced the phone in store with a smile.