Yeah, just as @JustEnoughDucks@feddit.nl mentioned, the cables seemed good origianally because they were such a tight fit, but over time they just wore away the connector.
But, it could have been a "certified" cable and I might have dropped the phone straight on the connector - the point is really, that I can just replace a small component not an entire phone, which is what we (consumers) really need / want. ๐