Samsung Galaxy S3 screen cracked - no drop - AT&T replaced!

[emmykay]

So last night, I was texting on my samsung galaxy S3 and everything was fine. I put it in my sweatshirt pocket and stepped outside. Took it out of my pocket about 5 mins later and my screen was shattered. I was so upset ( i only had my phone for 2 months!) I was extremely careful with my phone and never dropped it. How could this happen? It was fine 5 minutes previous! I went to an ATT store by me and they said there was nothing that could be done. It was physical damage. My theory is that i was inside using my phone and when i went outside in below freezing weather, it cracked. My phone also had a tendancy to get extremely hot, which i thought was strange but didnt think to bring it up to AT&T since it hadn't caused any issues. The guy at AT&T said that was impossible because it was a special glass that wouldnt be affected by heat or cold temps. I did get insurace for my phone when i bought it, but why should I pay 200 more dollars for a phone that might crack out of nowhere? If i had caused the damage, I would have had no issue using my insurace and paying $200 for a new phone, but this wasn't the case. My phone was defective. I decided to go to where I purchased my phone, an authorized dealer here in Boise called Connect. The guys were shocked by what they saw. They told me it was obvious I didn't drop it since there were no points of impact and it was shattering from the edges out all the way around the phone. They were so helpful... they said that there was nothing they could do there, but that I should definitly contact AT&Ts warranty dept and gave me the number. They also noted on my account that I had come in with a cracked phone and layed out what had happened. They mentioned that they had looked at it and could tell that it was not dropped and that they believed the phone was defective. I called AT&T and talked to someone that pretty much told me the same thing the first AT&T store had told me and passed me off to insurance claimes. This upset me a lot. I told the insurace person that i did not want to talk to them because I did not want to place an insurance claim. I wanted my phone replaced! She transferred me back to customer service and I started talking to someone else. I was so frustrated I was in tears and this person was great. She was really trying to help me out. She first offered to have me just pay the $200 but not have to file an insurance claim. I AGAIN explained why I wasn't ok with this. She put me on hold for a few mins then came back and said that they were going to replace my phone for free. I was actually shocked. I don't know what I was expecting really, but I didn't expect them to just say ok. I just really wanted to stand up for what was right. I've done a lot of research on other people having the same issue and having no luck at all, especially with Verizon. Maybe it did help that I did have insurance and I know the guys from the Connect store had a lot to do with it. I'm just really impressed with AT&T for doing the right thing. I have been with them for 10 years and they have been awesome. This reminded me why I am a loyal AT&T customer and always will be. Every person I talked to was very professional and I know each one of them could sense my frustration and wanted to help. I just wanted to post this so maybe it could help someone that has the same issue and that if you have legitimate problem like a phone screen that cracks on its own, not give up and hold your ground. Definitly have someone that works for your carrier company look at it first and make sure you have a valid claim and have them note it on your account before you call. Hope this helps!

 

[damewolf13]

Welcome to Android Forums EmmyKay!
I am so glad that this worked out well for you.
It's nice to hear that some of these customer reps really get it, and that sometimes these big companies honor their customer!
Thanks for sharing this with us.

 

[kh6565]

We have an exact problem with HTC ONE S. The screen just crack by itself while on a table. It was completely fine minutes earlier. Does anyone know or experience this problem with HTC phone ?

 

[Digital Controller]

We have an exact problem with HTC ONE S. The screen just crack by itself while on a table. It was completely fine minutes earlier. Does anyone know or experience this problem with HTC phone ?

I haven't heard of this happening with the One S, but i have heard plenty of cases like the OP described.

Your best bet is to just go through the process that the OP just went through. Hopefully you can get a new phone.

 

[simplykristin]

To be honest, its sounds like if the phone has a tendency to get really hot and you move into freezing cold temps it was bound to happen. If you ever wash your car in the summer when it's extremely hot out; the cold water from the faucet and the extreme heat will cause your windshield to crack all the way across without having a point of impact from a certain object. All it takes is a little common sense however, I am glad everything worked out in the end for you!

 

[beedo34]

check out this youtube video i did on my glass replacement

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIljeb9ZY0A

 

[leecool]

Hi all, well here's my dilema. I purchased my Galaxy S3 from Tesco here in the UK, I only had it just 2 months. Plugged it in one night to charge & the screen went green, then pink then black. My phone is in a case & it has a screen protector on it, it is also absolutely immaculate. My phone has never been dropped nor mishandled in any way. I returned to the store from whenst the phone came, they said to me that because I didn't take out their insurance, I was f****d basically. They sent my phone off & came back to me saying that I had caused physical damage to the phone & it will cost me

 

[ocnbrze]

welcome to the forums!!!!

this is the way i see things:

if you do not get insurance and only relying on the manufacturer's warranty then you are asking for trouble. i always get insurance for exactly times like this. without one then you are relying on what the manufacturer will say. keep in mind that this type of warranty is only for manufacturer's defect meaning it was something that was done will making the phone. it does not cover anything outside of that later on down the line. people think that getting a one year manufacturer warranty is great, but it is not. if the manufacturer thinks that this was not caused by manufacturing your phone incorrectly, then it is your fault or at least it was caused by wear and tear, thus voiding the warranty.

so to put it simply manufacturer's warranty only covers when things go wrong right out of the box and not something that happens 2 months from now.

i understand the frustration though.....i hope things will resolve itself for you.

 

[Gmash]

I have seen this complaint about the S3 several times. Some people have went to bed and woken up to a cracked screen. You shouldn't have to pay $200 for a replacement (likely a refurb) for something that's not your fault.

 

[mikedt]

Hi all, well here's my dilema. I purchased my Galaxy S3 from Tesco here in the UK, I only had it just 2 months. Plugged it in one night to charge & the screen went green, then pink then black. My phone is in a case & it has a screen protector on it, it is also absolutely immaculate. My phone has never been dropped nor mishandled in any way. I returned to the store from whenst the phone came, they said to me that because I didn't take out their insurance, I was f****d basically. They sent my phone off & came back to me saying that I had caused physical damage to the phone & it will cost me

 

[desrivergirl]

I have had my galaxy S3 for about 6 months. I was watching tv and had my phone on the table next to me. I received a text and when i picked up my phone the screen cracked. I called Samsung & AT&T and they said this is first they heard of this and I have to pay the $199 to replace it even with Insurance. This is crazy.

Has anyone else had luck besides emmykay? I am so mad that both say they have never heard this issue prior to my call.

 

[BMAN2387]

I have had my galaxy S3 for about 6 months. I was watching tv and had my phone on the table next to me. I received a text and when i picked up my phone the screen cracked. I called Samsung & AT&T and they said this is first they heard of this and I have to pay the $199 to replace it even with Insurance. This is crazy.

Has anyone else had luck besides emmykay? I am so mad that both say they have never heard this issue prior to my call.

They're probably trying to stiff you, if you pay for insurance you should only have to pay for a restocking fee which is about eighty dollars. Unfortunately, no matter what you tell them you will probably have to still pay the restocking fee. I think EmmKay just got lucky with her specific branch. However, you need to call them back and tell them that the 199.99 charge for a new phone with insurance, if you pay for it, is crazy and not policy.

 

[dashour]

So the same thing happened to me with my S3. BUT TWICE....... The first time my phone randomly turned off and when i powered it back on it had a black and purple screen. ATT Would not replace it for me because it was "physically damaged" Samsung also did not replace it, and i had to pay a repair fee of 178.00 dollars to samsung. It took 3 weeks to get back. i got it back one week ago, and the same exact thing happened. Thankfully i talked to a manager at ATT, and they are going to send me a replacement phone with no charge, and i will send the damaged phone back to them. This is why i am a loyal ATT customer. I am very appreciative and happy that they actually took responsibility for this damaged phone. Overall, i had a iPhone and blackberry and dropped them so many times and had them for 3 or four years time, and never had any problems. If you are going to get this phone you need to be very careful and gentle with the phone. Buy a good case, and make sure you always have a screen protecter. Good luck to anyone who comes across this problem!!!!!