iPhone 14 pro max black paint flaking

I’ve read numerous posts regarding body frame paint flaking and scratching and it not being covered as it’s cosmetic however in Australia we have these two clauses under the Apple care terms

This Warranty does not apply: (a) to consumable parts, such as batteries or protective coatings that are designed to diminish over time, unless failure has occurred due to a defect in materials or workmanship; (b) to cosmetic damage, including but not limited to scratches, dents and broken plastic on ports unless failure has occurred due to a defect in materials or workmanship;

now my issue is I’ve had my phone less than a year and it has always been inside of an Apple leather case and was removed recently to clean when I noticed that most of the edges have paint removed. The phone has never been dropped and it’s always been in this one case. Why is it that Apple can refuse to repair or replace even though I have Apple care ? The purposely design a product to degrade charge you for protection plans but not fix them. It’s probably the cheapest part of the phone.

has anyone been able to get theirs repaired or express replaced ?