My MacBook Air was purchased July 2012 and it's also out of commission due to the SSD.
About 2 weeks ago, I got the blinking folder with the question mark, so I made a Genius Bar appointment where it was confirmed that I needed a new SSD.
I paid $249 extra for AppleCare when I bought the laptop, so the $500 repair & part will be covered, but I'm disappointed that it's going on 2 weeks with no part in sight.
To give Apple some credit, about a week ago, I received a call from Apple Hardware in Austin stating the part was on backorder and it's expected to arrive this Monday (9/30). However, I was told Monday is not a certainty.
Personally, 2 weeks is too long to be waiting around for a part. Especially when I've purchased their AppleCare warrantly in good faith so I can get repairs & replacement parts with a reasonable turnaround.
The other minor complaint I have is the level of customer service I received when trying to inquire about the part on order...
If I call an Apple store, I don't appreciate being told, "I just answer the phones, so I don't know." The correct thing to do is find someone who does and place them on the line. How hard is that? I asked to speak to someone in store who would know, but was placed on hold for upwards of 10 minutes, so I hung up.
I simply wanted to know the ETA for my part (which, apparently, is something they can track at the store level). The other question I had was whether the part could be installed within a day. I didn't think I was asking for much.
And I get it, a major software update was rolled out along with new phones, but experience should have told them to plan accordingly so that customer service doesn't suffer.
All in all, I feel Apple should know better.