i really think it all comes down to who you talk to at the apple store, and how you talk to them.
i had a major issue with my 5 a few months back, i wasn't receiving text msg and phone calls, and then all of a sudden i would be bombarded with them.... ten i had issues sending pictures to anyone through texting, but imsg worked fine. it got to the point where i would hold my 5 next to my moms 4, call both phones with the house line, and only the 4 would ring.
brought it to the apple store, guy was mad chill, told him pretty much word for what had happened, hooked it up to his iPad and 30 seconds later told me he was going to take it back and give me a refurb....
2 weeks later my friend was having the same issue, went to a dif apple store, explained what was going on, and we were told to do a clean reinstall of the software and the problem would go away..... nope. went back to same store 2 days later, and phone was replaced, the only difference this time, was i did all the talking. (i feel my friend can be a bit... well she can be a bitch, and i think this heavily weighed in on the eagerness to receive help from the genius the first time around for her....)