Help Cracked screen! Suggestions?

[Broadway Bill]

Hello folks!

First post here. Here's a quick rundown of my situation:

I upgraded (through tmobile) from a G1 (which I had since launch date, and loved until it just became too slow and all support ended) three weeks ago. I went to the tmobile store, and checked out the options. I LOVED the Vibrant, but I had some concerns over it's apparent "flimsieness"... the sales rep assured me that it only felt breakable, and that the Gorilla Glass screen and other features of the construction made it just as durable as all other phones. So, I got it.

I love it, still.

Thing is, last night, I picked it up off my desk, and it would not unlock. When I looked closer, I could see a small crack running under the screen. The phone has never been dropped, never been hit with any impact... nothing. It has never been out of my possession, never been water damaged... nothing. But, now, it has this cracked screen and won't unlock, won't do anything. Plus, now this morning it is showing a completely pink screen.

Of course, I know these (and all tiny little smartphones) are fragile. I have insurance for that very reason. If I break my phone, I am more than willing to pay the $130 through insurance to replace it. But, I do not feel like I (or anyone else, for that matter) broke this thing. The most impact it has had on the screen is button use on the touchscreen. If this thing is going to do this as a result of normal (actually, probably lighter-than-normal) use, I feel like it is insane for tmobile to expect me to pay for the claim. I do not think it is reasonable to ask a customer to pay $130 for a new phone 3 weeks into owning it, when it has not been damaged due to any human error or damage.

I had a Ghost Armor protector on it, and it was in a plastic protective shell, and it shows NO signs of damage beyond the messed up screen. I feel like that, coupled with the GPS thing (the awesome GPS was the second main selling point the sales rep spouted, after the Gorilla Glass screen!) and the fact that tmobile inexplicably removed my unlimited text option ("accidentally" according to them), should mean something to someone.

So, any ideas for options here? Is there ANY chance that I can tmobile's warranty people to regard this as a warranty issue and not an insurance issue? I do not want to be $400 into a new phone after just 3 weeks, especially with no solid GPS, no Froyo, and the other issues. I have been with tmobile for 5 years, and always justified it by their good customer service; so how can i get that customer care to work for ME now?

Should I just file insurance and eat the $130? Should I look into replacement screen options? HELP!

Thanks folks!

PS I love the forums here; been reading them since I found em some time ago!

So, what options do I have

 

[HadouGhost]

welcome to the forums!!!

I would call customer service and explain the whole situation. t mobile has awsome customer service and i bet they'll help you out one way or the other. besides 3 weeks in, youre still technically under the buyers remourse.

 

[w_bovine]

I agree with 'Ghost'; you should contact T-Mobile and give them the rundown on the situation. And if they give you grief, be assertive yet polite in stating your case. Ask for a supervisor if necessary and get the names of the people you talk to. If what you say is true, and I have no reason to doubt you, you should not have to shell out for an insurance claim.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

 

[djquick]

Agreed, contact customer service and use the buyers remorse.

 

[Broadway Bill]

Well, if nothing else it's good to hear that people other than me recognize that something is not right about having to file an insurance claim in this situation!

One thing: I thought the "buyers remorse" bit only extended to 14 days from purchase? Maybe I was misinformed (again) by the sales rep.

I went to the tmobile store today, and the woman there was of no help. She basically said that filing insurance was my best option, and that if I attempt a warranty replacement, they are likely to ultimately bill me full price for a new phone. I sort of assume that, in the long run, the over the phone tmobile customer service will be able to do better than that. Is that assumption correct?

Also, I thought about going back to the store where I bought the phone and speaking to the rep who sold it to me, but I think that, ultimately, that might only result in me getting flustered with her and blowing my chances for a good resolution on the matter. I think I might have a hard time keeping my cool if I am dealing directly with the person who I feel like sort of misled me. Thoughts?

I DID call customer support last night, when I noticed the problem, but I did not push the issue AT ALL and they pretty much just sent me to the asurion insurance line. Besides, I was mostly calling because I noticed that I had nearly $90 in overage charges as a result of the removal of my unlimited plan (they acknowledged the mistake, and removed the overages and restored my text plan, which was great, but I still feel like the experience of finding the charges/being shocked at the charges/having to call and spend 30 minutes with customer service is reflective of their error burdening me, and should be taken into account when considering my overall experience with the upgrade).

My fear is that they are going to say "something MUST have happened to the screen to break it. They can not and will not crack without a significant impact. Too bad." Which is, in my case at least, clearly not what happened. I think that the fact that the screen protector shows zero sign of impact (no dings or nicks in the protector at the "point of impact" or anything) and the fact that the phone is so new, and has clearly never been used roughly or dropped indicates either that the screen is just too fragile to be used in a mobile device as a touchscreen, or that there is a specific design defect which can cause the screen to crack with nothing more than normal, gentle use.

Besides, I spent $30 at the time of purchase on a case specifically to protect it, and another $25 (albeit not through tmobile) on the Ghost Armor protector (which is awesome, BTW, even though it did not prevent this problem). All told, I spent a lot on this phone, and the thought of spending more at this point is bothersome. I feel like if this brief experience is indicative of the fragility of this device, than it is not something I particularly want to drop another $130 on. After 5 years, if tmobile can't make this right, I might need to look into moving on (though I do really like tmobile, minus this issue!).

Is fragility an issue with Vibrant screens for other users? I see a couple of threads about cracked screens and other problems, but I am wondering if it is possible that there is an inherent weakness in the screens? I would thinkm ore people would experience issues if that was the case, but maybe I am wrong. Is it possible that there was a manufacturers defect in my particular unit that caused this?

I will let y'all know what happens when I call tonight! Wish me luck!

 

[Big Dog KMc]

One thing: I thought the "buyers remorse" bit only extended to 14 days from purchase? Maybe I was misinformed (again) by the sales rep.

I

California has 30 days

 

[Kubernetes]

No offense to you, but I'm rather dubious of online claims that their screen spontaneously cracked or scratched without being touched. Gorilla Glass may not be impervious, but it's also not made of Jello. Something happened to your phone, and I don't think it's the screen-breaking fairy. I don't think the screen is under a lot of torsional stress, so your screen cracked from an external influence.

 

[w_bovine]

No offense to you, but I'm rather dubious of online claims that their screen spontaneously cracked or scratched without being touched. Gorilla Glass may not be impervious, but it's also not made of Jello. Something happened to your phone, and I don't think it's the screen-breaking fairy. I don't think the screen is under a lot of torsional stress, so your screen cracked from an external influence.

So you're saying the manufacturing and assembly process is perfect and this could not have happened otherwise?

 

[Broadway Bill]

No offense to you, but I'm rather dubious of online claims that their screen spontaneously cracked or scratched without being touched. Gorilla Glass may not be impervious, but it's also not made of Jello. Something happened to your phone, and I don't think it's the screen-breaking fairy. I don't think the screen is under a lot of torsional stress, so your screen cracked from an external influence.

I can certainly understand that, and to some extent I tend to agree.

However, being that it is my personal situation, I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that nothing close to outside the bounds of normal gentle use occurred. Obviously, something, somewhere, caused the screen to crack. The issue is that nothing that falls outside of the bounds of normal use happened. I assume that, barring a manufacturer's defect, the crack occurred when I either took the phone out of my pocket (front pocket of suit jacket, no less... I don't sit on my phone!), set the phone on my desk, or tapped the screen to unlock it. In my opinion, none of those things should cause any issue with the phone.

My main issue is that if the screen can crack without any noticeable hint of abuse or roughness, than paying twice for this device is not reasonable.

And, of course, I know the Gorilla Glass screen is not under serious torsional stress, and is, all things considered, a great screen. I love the device. Like I said, had there been any user issue that I saw that could have reasonably contributed to the cracked screen, I would happily use my insurance and file a claim... that is why I pay for the insurance. But, all things considered, I feel like my overall experience here warrants some restitution from Tmobile.

Hell, I would not even be upset if the final outcome was paying half of my deductible... $65 is a figure I can add to the total cost of this and not be salty over. $130? Not so much (especially considering the other issues; text plan error, GPS issues, etc.).

 

[bootsie]

Paranormal Activity has invaded our cellular devices! OH SNAP

 

[tylerdurdin]

I can certainly understand that, and to some extent I tend to agree.

However, being that it is my personal situation, I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that nothing close to outside the bounds of normal gentle use occurred. Obviously, something, somewhere, caused the screen to crack. The issue is that nothing that falls outside of the bounds of normal use happened. I assume that, barring a manufacturer's defect, the crack occurred when I either took the phone out of my pocket (front pocket of suit jacket, no less... I don't sit on my phone!), set the phone on my desk, or tapped the screen to unlock it. In my opinion, none of those things should cause any issue with the phone.

My main issue is that if the screen can crack without any noticeable hint of abuse or roughness, than paying twice for this device is not reasonable.

And, of course, I know the Gorilla Glass screen is not under serious torsional stress, and is, all things considered, a great screen. I love the device. Like I said, had there been any user issue that I saw that could have reasonably contributed to the cracked screen, I would happily use my insurance and file a claim... that is why I pay for the insurance. But, all things considered, I feel like my overall experience here warrants some restitution from Tmobile.

Hell, I would not even be upset if the final outcome was paying half of my deductible... $65 is a figure I can add to the total cost of this and not be salty over. $130? Not so much (especially considering the other issues; text plan error, GPS issues, etc.).

If you believe this is a factory problem than call samsung and process a claim, they send you a new one and you send yours back in the pre-paid shipping box. the phone has a factory 1 year warranty and if you registered it on the galaxy online site than you get an additional three months.

 

[VegasTouch]

Hello folks!

First post here. Here's a quick rundown of my situation:

I upgraded (through tmobile) from a G1 (which I had since launch date, and loved until it just became too slow and all support ended) three weeks ago. I went to the tmobile store, and checked out the options. I LOVED the Vibrant, but I had some concerns over it's apparent "flimsieness"... the sales rep assured me that it only felt breakable, and that the Gorilla Glass screen and other features of the construction made it just as durable as all other phones. So, I got it.

I love it, still.

Thing is, last night, I picked it up off my desk, and it would not unlock. When I looked closer, I could see a small crack running under the screen. The phone has never been dropped, never been hit with any impact... nothing. It has never been out of my possession, never been water damaged... nothing. But, now, it has this cracked screen and won't unlock, won't do anything. Plus, now this morning it is showing a completely pink screen.

Of course, I know these (and all tiny little smartphones) are fragile. I have insurance for that very reason. If I break my phone, I am more than willing to pay the $130 through insurance to replace it. But, I do not feel like I (or anyone else, for that matter) broke this thing. The most impact it has had on the screen is button use on the touchscreen. If this thing is going to do this as a result of normal (actually, probably lighter-than-normal) use, I feel like it is insane for tmobile to expect me to pay for the claim. I do not think it is reasonable to ask a customer to pay $130 for a new phone 3 weeks into owning it, when it has not been damaged due to any human error or damage.

I had a Ghost Armor protector on it, and it was in a plastic protective shell, and it shows NO signs of damage beyond the messed up screen. I feel like that, coupled with the GPS thing (the awesome GPS was the second main selling point the sales rep spouted, after the Gorilla Glass screen!) and the fact that tmobile inexplicably removed my unlimited text option ("accidentally" according to them), should mean something to someone.

So, any ideas for options here? Is there ANY chance that I can tmobile's warranty people to regard this as a warranty issue and not an insurance issue? I do not want to be $400 into a new phone after just 3 weeks, especially with no solid GPS, no Froyo, and the other issues. I have been with tmobile for 5 years, and always justified it by their good customer service; so how can i get that customer care to work for ME now?

Should I just file insurance and eat the $130? Should I look into replacement screen options? HELP!

Thanks folks!

PS I love the forums here; been reading them since I found em some time ago!

So, what options do I have

NO.. You are under warrantee from the manufacturer for a year. T-Mobile will replace it. As i have read, they will do a replace twice a year. Shouldnt cost you anything but if you get a jerk he may try to make you pay since you have insurance.

 

[Broadway Bill]

NO.. You are under warrantee from the manufacturer for a year. T-Mobile will replace it. As i have read, they will do a replace twice a year. Shouldnt cost you anything but if you get a jerk he may try to make you pay since you have insurance.

That's good to know! Still, though, is there not a question as to whether or not Samsung will consider this "user-caused damage" and not a manufacturer defect?

Either way, I'm about to call Tmobile right now... fingers crossed!

 

[Broadway Bill]

Well, I just talked to the customer service folks. No help yet. The woman I spoke with said, basically, that if I file it as a warranty claim, the only thing the warranty techs will do is look at the phone, see a crack, and bill me for a new one. Not totally sure how that adds up to a warranty, but whatever.

I asked for a supervisor, and none were available. They are going to call me back "within an hour." Unfortunate, because now the next hour spent waiting for a call is something I am going to be adding to my mental list of grievances relating to this whole situation.

Is there not some sort of impact sensor in these phones? Something similar to the water damage sensor? I honestly feel like if there is one, and it is reliable, a check would show no abnormal or damaging impact to my phone.

EDIT:

Is there a Samsung warranty line I can call, or anyone in that field I can contact? Thanks!

 

[w_bovine]

Well, I just talked to the customer service folks. No help yet. The woman I spoke with said, basically, that if I file it as a warranty claim, the only thing the warranty techs will do is look at the phone, see a crack, and bill me for a new one. Not totally sure how that adds up to a warranty, but whatever.

I asked for a supervisor, and none were available. They are going to call me back "within an hour." Unfortunate, because now the next hour spent waiting for a call is something I am going to be adding to my mental list of grievances relating to this whole situation.

Is there not some sort of impact sensor in these phones? Something similar to the water damage sensor? I honestly feel like if there is one, and it is reliable, a check would show no abnormal or damaging impact to my phone.

EDIT:

Is there a Samsung warranty line I can call, or anyone in that field I can contact? Thanks!

I've never heard of an impact sensor in a phone.

I'd be arguing my case vigorously; you shouldn't have to pay a dime on this. I think it's a crock that they told you no supervisor was available.

Dunno if this will work, but this is a link to a live chat. Might be another route to try.

https://sales.liveperson.net/hc/49151746/?cmd=file&file=visitorWantsToChat&site=49151746&SESSIONVAR!skill=SamsungTechSupport&waitTime=0&referrer=http%3A//www.samsung.com/us/support/contact/

 

[Broadway Bill]

Thanks, Bovine, for the livechat link. I might give that a go, depending on what happens.

I'm pretty mad right now. It's now been 75 minutes and no call back. Although, I do feel like the longer I wait, the stronger my case becomes (if they don't call me back today, I think I will have real reason to be upset with them). I'm a law student, and could really be using this time to study, not wait for a call and worry about my phone/money situation.

I was unsure of an impact sensor, myself, but I thought I had read something about warranty people testing for impact. Guess not!

I think that, in the end, I am most upset with the fact that up to now, all of the tmobile people I have talked to have treated me as someone who is attempting to lie or defraud them. If there was any damage to the device or screen protector, I would understand, but I have told them repeatedly that there is no damage, and there was no "event," and that I will happily send the phone in for them to inspect for other damages. Sadly, my word (and offers) are not good enough for them. Oddly enough, I trusted them and was totally accepting of things when they screwed up my account...

Urrrgh. I just want my awesome phone to still be awesome and not cost me an arm and a leg! I'm not made of money here (quite the opposite, in fact)!

 

[Broadway Bill]

Thanks for moving this to the troubleshooting section. I did not see it was an option!

Well, the phantom manager never called me back... it is now about 5 hours after I called. I should have known better than to expect a call.

I guess I will try my luck tomorrow. Too bad, because now whoever I talk to has to deal with me being upset about being blown off and not called back! I am really not looking forward to the endless amount of "I'm sorry that happened. I do apologize. Now, if you could just file an insurance claim..." that I will likely hear in the morning.

 

[Broadway Bill]

UPDATE:

So, of course, tmobile never called me back last night. I called them again this morning, and got the same spiel I was expecting ("I do apologize that they never called you back... oh, cracked screen? Let me transfer you to insurance claims..."). I went through one CSR and 2 managers. The initial CSR was polite, friendly and understanding, but maintained that there was nothing she could do. The next person I spoke with, a manager, was relatively polite and friendly, but still unresponsive to my request for some level of recompense. The third manager was unbelievably rude. He interrupted me, dodged all of my questions and points, and told me it was my fault for "taking a sales rep at their word when they claimed a phone was 'bulletproof.'" That last part really got to me, because never once did I say they told me that. As I said, the sales rep simply talked up the Gorilla Glass, told me it was "unscratchable, and pretty much unbreakable."

The call ended with the manager offering a $20 credit to my bill. I made it clear that with tmobile granting me a $65 credit, thereby halving the cost of an insurance claim, I would remain a satisfied and relatively happy customer. I requested that he make note of the $20 offer in my account file, and have me connected with his supervisor. His supervisor, apparently, is off work from Wednesday to Monday, but he assured me that he will contact me on Monday (I will believe that when the phone rings on Monday).

The most shocking thing here is that after years with tmobile, this is what I get. I remember calling customer service a few years back when I dropped a sidekick (I dropped the hell out of that thing, and it broke, and I called and said I dropped it and I was sad about it, and they sent me new one and apologized) and I got amazing service. That experience alone was what made me resign with them twice, and now that standard of service is totally gone. Throughout my conversation with them today, they consistenetly tried to steer the issue back to Samsung, and in doing that they completely ignored the other issues I had (dishonest rep, GPS failure, text message plan problems, waiting 2 hours for a promised call back, etc.). I made it totally clear that I understood they were not liable for manufacturer error, but I also tried to show them how, as a customer, I felt I had been wronged and it was ultimately up to them to fix it.

I guess I am just going to order a OEM replacement screen and do it myself, because after looking at my checking account, I can not afford any other options. Hopefully, they call me back on Monday and I can at least get something credited to my account.

I'm not holding my breath, though, and I imagine that I will be a Verizon customer pretty shortly.

 

[Broadway Bill]

So, the company I had found online that sold replacement screens (I found them through the xda forums) only sells in qty. of 2. That rules out the replace it myself option.

Now it is back to waiting for Tmobile to call me on Monday and hopefully do something about things. Barring something there, I will just have to live with the fact that I paid $200 for a phone that has been rendered useless. Looks like it's back to the G1 for the foreseeable future. Sigh.

I am really curious as to how tmobile has such a huge level of variance in handling customer service issues. For example, in this http://androidforums.com/vibrant-support-troubleshooting/173650-dropped-vibrant.html thread the user dropped the phone, called tmobile and said "hey I dropped it and it broke and I don't have insurance" and they sent a free replacement. Is my experience perhaps a result of my having not dropped it?

Weird. Either way, I'm done worrying about this. As of now, I'm going to consider it a $200 loss that taught me a valuable lesson about tmobile.

 

[Jason Pedersen]

My experience with TMobile customer service has always been good, even when I alerted them to an issue that seems prevalent with the accelerometer and gyroscope readings. It seems like a minor issue, but they replaced the phone once, and offered to do it a second time.

I can see where they are coming from though. The vids I've seen about this screen blow me away, and I would be skeptical of a broken screen too. The only thing I can think of that would cause a break like that (especially one so fine) is a pressure break, possibly from an extreme temperature change. Also, you said you usually leave it in a front pocket, could you have leaned against a counter or railing? I know I've caught myself doing that.

I hope this gets resolved. I would recommend calling Samsung about it too though. I've called them on the gyro and gps issues (seems the GPS fix is rolling out now), and after getting sent to someone who speaks English as a first language, they were very helpful. Here's the number: 1-800-726-7864

Good luck.