New device unavailable AppleCare

I excitedly purchased on 8-Oct the 18ProMax ( iOS 27.2 ) while I was visiting in Brisbane.

Now 3 weeks later, having returned home to Singapore, it struck me that I haven’t been offered AppleCare.

I made an appointment at the AppleStore in Jewel and was informed that the Store handled only hardware issues. For software matters, I am to contact Apple support.

After over 4 calls and 120 minutes, the matter remains unresolved - AppleCare is unavailable for my device.

I am nearing the 30-day window and will be travelling again in the next few days.

I wonder if anyone has had similar issues?