What was the problem when you were told A), you'd get an a new one immediately? If you already thought the next one you woulld get woul be faulty, then why were you in the store? To get your iPad repaired?
I noticed the issue on the 16th when I received it, as suggested in this forum I waited a week and half to see if it would fade with use but it didn't. I went to the store to see if there was a fix and failing that if they could replace it.
The first assistant acknowledged the problem straight away after showing it to them and replaced it there and then, so good so far. As I'd come a long way to get to the store I thought it prudent to check the new one before I left which I did and it had the same issue (ran identical tests).
By this time the original assistant had disappeared, so I had to find another one (originally they said I'd need a new appointment and the next availability was in three days) but eventually got one. This assistant said it was just the way the screen was meant to be and told me to go an look at the iPads on the shop floor, which I did and I found of the 2 iPads I checked one exhibited the same issue and the other was fine.
Returning to the bar, the second assistant had disappeared, eventually found a third assistant who claimed it was down to the component manufacturer (claimed Apple had used several different screen providers), we checked out the 2 remaining stock replacements but they all displayed the same issue. So he said the only alternative was to send it back for a refund. This is what I decided to do but as I had gone in hoping to get a fix or replacement I didn't have the charger/packaging with me, so he gave me his business card and told me to bring it back with the packaging tomorrow and he would sort out the refund.
Up to this point, whilst it was frustrating starting a fresh with each assistant, I at least had a course of action.
What was the problem with D)? You thought you could just bring in the naked iPad for an exchange/refund?
No I brought only the iPad in the hope of a fix or a replacement (see above), and even when we agreed on the refund I was happy to come back the next day with all the packaging, etc.
What does E) have to do with anything? You can have an exchange you iPad for a new iPad or a refund, and in fact you chose the latter. Care to clarify? Were you led to believe you coudn't return your iPad for a refund?
So I arrived back the next day with all the necessary items including receipts, etc. I gave the staff the business card I had recieved (on the back of which the previous assistant had written instructions for the iPad to be refunded). They kept me waiting for almost an hour before they came back to me and said that if I wanted a refund, I would have to courier from home to their depot. This clearly was at odds with what the previous assistant had told me, who said I needed to bring it back to the store. When I pointed this out, they went away for another 15 mins and brought back another assistant who repeated the same statement, and asked for the previous day's assitants business card which I handed over, they then disappeared for another 10 minutes before coming back and telling me that the assistant on the business card didn't speak to me the day before as he hadn't been working at the store.They said this in such way as to a make it clear that they thought I was lying.
At this point I'd had enough and rather do something I'd regret leter, I put the iPad down with the original receipt and said it was up to them to sort it out or not as they saw fit and walked out.
I realise that I may never see the iPad or the refund again, but that was a small loss in comparison to having to deal with people like this again.
I have an orignal iPad, 3x iPhones, Macbook Pro, Macbook Air, iMac 27", Time Capsule, etc. over that last few years (not to mention numerous Macs going right back to the original 256k Mac). But this is the first time I've had reason to get support from them (other than over some delivery issues) and it will be the last. As will be this post.