I'm disturbed by the way you said you were treated and that is the reason why I escalated your thread. I cannot and won't say anything about the possible replacement procedure since it is a contract you have with Sony.

I can just give you my own advise:

• replace a tv instead of repairing a panel or change it is quite normal (is less expansive)
• replace a tv with a refurbished one is a widely used practice and I think written also in the contract
• you'll never get an A1 as a replacement since they are long out of the market, so probably you will end up with an AG9 losing the design (that I love) but getting an overall superior TV
• a refurbished one normally was never used by a customer or for a very short time. I do not know the actual procedure but a used product (with dirty, possible scratch, etc) is quite difficult to be sent to a customer that already has a problem
• The expected lifetime of the tv is in any case much longer than 36 months! My own A1 is almost 36 months and it is like when I bought it . May I sell mine to you in exchange for the refurbished AG9?

In conclusion, if they offer an exchange I would accept it. You may want to check how many hours the panel has in any case