TL/DR: Exchange of my Bambu Lab A1 Combo for a X1C Combo at Microcenter went flawlessly. The Microcenter associates knew exactly what was going on with the recall, and issued my refund and $80 credit on Microcenter gift cards. They checked me out on my X1C purchase right after processing my return. The X1C combo includes a lot of spare parts, to my pleasant surprise.

Today my wife and I were discussing what to do with my A1. There were no P1S combos in stock at my local Microcenter (Brentwood-St Louis location), so my choices if I wanted an immediate replacement were a P1S without AMS or an X1 Carbon combo. Somehow, my wife agreed to an X1 Carbon combo, so naturally I rushed over to Microcenter to make the purchase before any minds were changed.

My experience was amazing. Now, I'll state up front that I mentioned to the Microcenter associate that I was going to be purchasing an X1C combo, so I don't know if that changed how the transaction was handled. Maybe or maybe not, but I want to mention that upfront.

In sum, the associates were educated on the recall, knew exactly what was going on, and even had a print-out at the return counter that spelled out how to handle the transaction in the system. The associate who helped me had not done a return on the A1 by herself before, but two associates were nearby to help her out if needed (no help was needed). I didn't have to ask about the $80 credit, the associate mentioned it before I asked.

My refund on the A1 and the $80 credit were both issued to me as Microcenter gift cards. While they were working through the transaction, they told me that I could retrieve my X1C, and they checked me out as soon as the return was completed. I kept my old receipts and were given new ones for my X1C purchase. Basically, I was only charged for the difference of my refund the $80 (which was just over $900 in taxes).

I tried to talk them into letting me keep the A1's diamond build plate, but no go. They weren't rude about it, but they also weren't buying my argument that it was a consumable. <Shrug> Couldn't hurt to try.

As you might expect, the setup of the X1C combo was even easier than the A1 combo. I completed it in the length of an album (specifically, Willie Nelson's "Teatro," and yes, on vinyl). I am updating the firmware now. While the X1C does not come with the diamond build plate, I am pleasantly surprised what it does come with. It is a lot of money, I understand, but I was pleasantly surprised all the same. There are three 250g spools of Bambu Lab filament: one each of basic PLA, PLA-Carbon fiber, and PLA Support. The build plate is the cool covering on one side, and the flexible covering on the other. There are numerous spare parts, to include a spare 0.4mm hot end, two spare sheets for the the build plate.

Now it's time to test out the new printer. So far, I'm pretty happy. The A1 was a great way to test my interest in 3d printers, and I believe I would have migrated to something like the X1C someday anyway. The recall has worked out well!

Let me know if you have any questions.