iPhone Glass Cracked After Drop: Will it Cost Me?

I got my iphone for my birthday in September and I recently accidently dropped my phone and the screen is cracked in about three different places. The cracks look like three spider webs! I cannot use the phone because it says the sim card is not being read. I can touch the screen though and do all the things except anything that has to do with the sim card. AT & T said they cannot replace the phone that I only had for under six months, there is no warranty for that particular phone and if I want it repaired it will cost me $250 to do so. That is rediculous! It is bullshit and I think that apple or cingular should have atleast insurance for such an expensive phone. If anyone has any luck with getting an iphone repaired please send me an email…mstoi76@aol

I feel your pain, Latoia. I just paid $250 to have mine repaired. I agree with you that they need to offer insurance to cover physical damage.

[...] iPhone Review has this rather scary narrative about an iPhone drop that led to a cracked screen – [...]

I’m sure it doesn’t surprise many iPhone customers when I report that my once beautiful iPhone now has a colossal crack right down the middle. Keep in mind, my iPhone had a “protective” cover on it at the time of impact. The inability of my phone to withstand a 20-25cm drop is a good indicator that there is a structural problem with the tempering of the glass. That is a pretty big deal considering iPhones are uninsurable through AT&T.

I have spend the past few hours on the phone with Apple and I have talked to two different Apple representatives only to come to one conclusion: I’m SOL. Both apple representatives informed me that my $70 AppleCare Plan did not cover this type of accidental damage and that there is a $250 charge for an LCD screen replacement(which, for the record, is one-half of the price of the iPhone and the same price as most other at&t phones). Come on! The face of the iPhone is 95% (seemingly breakable) glass. There is no way this was this was an unanticipated problem by our “pals” at apple. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been a happy Apple customer for years, and I think the iPhone is an innovative piece of technology. I don’t, however, think its a bad suggestion to wait until there is an efficient insurance policy before investing in the iPhone.

I was in class at college today when I saw it. Right along the side, about a 1 in inch crack that still felt smooth. I was shocked, hurt, and felt betrayed:( The sad part is, I think I accidentally lay on it, with a temperpedic mattress pad so it’s not like there was direct force or sharp pressure. After reading around the internet, looks like I’m screwed, because I certainly don’t have $250. To make all things worse, my 1 month after purchase full coverage fee from ATT just ended 3 days ago.

Same exact experience here. I read all the reports and watched video on how the iPhone’s glass was unbreakable. I dropped mine and when it hit the coffee table on the edge where the chrome meets the glass, a spider flare of a break happened across my phone. fortunately, it still works perfectly so I have yet to get it replaced for $250. Although, i don’t show it off anymore because of the nasty crack, I just can’t make myself give Apple another $250 for this phone when they KNOW it’s going to happen and it’s the only phone that AT&T will not insure.

I still love my iPhone, but I’m really not happy with Apple and not wanting to buy anything more until I get over this. I don’t even go to iTunes anymore. I refuse to give them money for movie rentals and I am avoiding buying anything Apple right now.

I agree, complete bull. My phone was in my coat pocket and when I pulled it out after driving to work my crack(s) appeared. Something put enough pressure on the glass to cause it to spider, covering the top 1/3 of the face. The center of the crack was right where the earpiece is. Glass pieces have fallen out, but yet my phone is still completely functional, if you can believe that. Went to the Apple store and had no luck. There was no abuse, drop etc. I have no idea how it happened. Anyway, I’m extremely disappointed with Apple and the fact they are charging $250 to basically replace the glass. I won’t be giving them another dime. The iphone is a wonderful gadget, but not worthy of the price when it has such a defective piece of glass.

ok guys heres the deal.

(how to fix your iphone for free)

call 1800 my apple..

go through all the options till you get to the iphone department.

tell them the speaker on your iphone makes a crackling noise and you cant hear anythign out of it and need a replacement since its a manufacture defect and mention nothing about a cracked screen!!!.(alot of people dont know this but there was a recall on the first generation speakers for lack of quality) so they will be anxtious to replace it for you no questions or tests asked.

operator will ttry to convince you to take it to an apple store. Avoid this option at all costs!! request for a mail in exchange. apple hates this option because it is costly but be assertive and request hat everythign be done by mail. operator will set up an exchange system where they send out a loner phone for you by mail next day. service is exxcelent and you will recieve a box with a loaner phone in it and a spot to put your shattered phone inside to send back.

apple has a policy within its iphone department that is basically this.. it cost more money to fix a particular phone within labor and parts and time that it is more effective to send out a new one then it is to repair it.This means they dont even examine the phone that u sent in. they scan the series of barcodes out side on the box and thats it. you get a new phone in te mail as soon as they recieve the old one no questions asked. and heres soem good news for all of you 4gb iphone users. Apple stopped making the 4 gig version so if you ask for an exchange because of your faulty speaker they will have no choice but to send you an 8 gig!

Note: when you call they will send you a lonaer phone that will cost 29 bucks a day… if you really are a penny pincher request to talk to a supervisor to waive the fee since its a manufacturer defect and u shudnt pay for a loaner. the rep cant waive it but the supervisor can.

furthermore, make sure u send the loaner phone back.. they will ask for a credit card to which they charge a dollar on to make sure it works. if the loaner is not recieved they charge 300 bucks plus a 50 dollar restockign fee.

so the loaner will cost u 350….

finally this willl only work if your an At&t customer…… dont even try this if your nto an at&t customer.apple doesnt care much for non at&t customers and will shaft you.

Hey I was jsut reading your blog. It is not as expensive and painful to get a screen replaced as some people may think. Take a look at our LCD Replacement Service.

http://www.irepair.us/iPhone-L.....2-357.html

Thanks, Kyle, but $180 is still on the high side, and repairing your screen with a third-party vendor like yours will void the iPhone warranty.

ramy please email me at xof32 [at] aol [dot] com so I can ask u about my iPhone replacement! Thanks

Ramy,
Did you try this? Did it really work?

Ramy,

Did this work? It sounds right but what if Apple does open the box to the old shattered glass…can you claim that it must have broke during shipment? Or will you have to go to jail for stealing?

hey guys,

First off this works. I had a shattered screen. I did exactly as I described above since I did not have anything to loose. They replaced my 4 gig with an 8 gig which I thought was great. They also gave me a free loaner phone to use in between. Whole process took 4 days.

On my second iPhone speaker was not so loud. Got a replacement once more for free for a new phone in the box. I have pics of the whole process if your curious and want to see what to expect. Further more headphones are covered under warranty. Apples ear phones are great but break or get ruined easily. They replace them via dhl next day. Just send the old ones back with the prepaid label.

Apple is a fantastic company and wants to keep its customers happy. They also understand that phones cracking sometime is part of daily use and does not mean the phone was subjected to abuse. Just follow the steps I gave above.

Hope this helped.

Ramy

i wish i read your message ramy before i called apple. now i dont no what to do because i dont have $249 either

Hi Guys,
Here’s an update on my experience with the broken scene issue. I followed Ramy’s advice about saying there was an issue with the speakers and did a mail in repair to Apple… but they opened the box and saw the damage and determined it obviously wasn’t covered under warrantee. I don’t doubt that this didn’t work with Ramy, but maybe because mine was an 8GB and not a 4GB (which they no longer make), it was screened by their repair team.

Anyway, I resigned myself to bite the bullet and pay the $250, and take it down to my local Apple store. I made an appointment with the genius bar, and I was completely honest about what happened. THEN, my genius told me that normally it would cost $250 to repair, but he said since I had bought it in July, and “paid the whole $600″ he would just give me a new one, no questions asked. I was ecstatic! And I walked out of their with a new IPhone, no charge.

I think bottom line, what we’ve learned here is that it’s almost a complete luck of the draw who’s going to pay and who’s not. It’s definitely worth it to exhaust every option, but there’s no guarantees. I only got one because I was lucky enough to talk to a really nice guy, who was high enough to have the authority to do stuff like that. Good luck to you all. I hope for the best. Apple is a really awesome company, so I bet more often than not, they’ll be accommodating to you.

Thanks for the tips, nerdgrrl!

Hi Ramy,

Was the first 8GB they sent you a new or refurbished phone?

do they check the phone when it gets shipped back to them and does your warranty get voided?

It may have worked for Ramy, but it certainly did not for me. I followed his advice by calling Apple, complaining about the sound, etc…and they happily Saturday overnighted a loaner phone to me. I received an email today from the Apple technician telling me that they opened the box and determined that it was damaged and that they are sending me my broken phone back to me.

When I get my broken phone back, I am taking it to an Apple store and begging for a new one. We’ll see how that goes…Wish me luck!

UPDATE from my previous comment:

Wow! Talk about great customer service! I brought my broken phone into the Apple store and first spoke with a very friendly Genius. I showed him my phone and he tried to speak to a manager, but with no luck. I asked him how often they get customers bringing in shattered phones and he said “I see it ALL the time.” And then I asked how often the customer just shells out the $250 to replace it, and he said “ALL the time.” Wow! Sorry, but I just can’t get myself to hand over $250 after I’ve already paid $400 for it not even a year ago! I would have just lived with my ghetto, shattered phone because it’s still fully functional! So I asked to speak to a Manager since my Genius had no authority to do anything else other than hand me a new phone if I first handed him $250. Keep in mind all I did was ask the Manager “What options do I have to fix my phone without having to pay the replacement fee?” and I NEVER once asked if they could replace it for free. But, lo and behold, that’s exactly what he did. I don’t know if it was the sad, puppy dog eyes I kept giving them or I was just in the right place at the right time. Whatever it was, I was grateful for it!

The lesson I have learned in life is: IT NEVER HURTS TO ASK. Don’t make a fool of yourself and don’t overstep your boundaries, but if you ask in a polite and friendly manner, you’d be surprised what you can get away with! Good luck to you all!

That’s great news, Ashereee. You’re right, it never hurts to ask.

I also spoke to a manager. However, I wasn’t so lucky.

I couldn’t agree more. That’s why I’ll continue to buy Apple. Your buisness it actually important to them.

Hey, Does apple provide warranty if its Unlocked and not activated with AT&T? I got multiple cracks on the screen though it works smoothly. Paying 250$ for 16gig is too much. I can get a new 3G with that.
Please guide.

Ronny, unfortunately if the phone is unlocked the warranty is void. It can’t hurt to ask, but you’re probably out of luck.

A couple of days ago I dropped my phone outside and now it has a crack on the first layer of glass. My phone still works great, thank goodness, but that crack is very ugly. Anyone know how or where to get it fixed, without of course having to shell out $250 that I absolutly do not have? Any assitance would be greatly appreciated.

To Crystal:

Please visit this website: http://www.hitchsource.com/blo.....my-iphone/ and read my full instructions on how to repair the broken glass yourself for under $100 (near the bottom). Or, you can go to http://www.pdasmart.com and spend $190 to have it repaired for you.

This will take you directly to my post: http://www.hitchsource.com/blo.....omment-126

Dropped my phone this weekend while pulling it out of my pocket. The screen is cracked near the top but doesn’t effect function in any way. I’m thinking about driving to a genius bar but the closest is in Cincinnati OH which is about 45 min drive for me. Has anyone had any luck here? I don’t want to drive all the way there to get rejected : (

My mother’s iPhone screen cracked not too long ago as well. We documented our experience with Apple’s service department.

In brief, Apple refuses to do repairs on broken iPhone screens because they fall under the category of “accidental damage” and therefore are not covered under warranty. Instead, the only option they give customers is to buy a replacement for $199, the same price as the new iPhone 3G coming out on July 11th. Apple takes your old iPhone and ships it back to California, and you get a refurbished model in return.

Is it right that Apple charges as much for a used phone as a new one? And if Apple isn’t repairing broken iPhone screens for customers, what are they doing with those phones getting sent back to California?

I bought my iPhone outside of the country and I cracked the screen. I NEED to get the screen fixed as i want to sell he phone. I wans’t that impressed with it and I wish I wouldn’t have spent so much money on it.
Are there any 3rd party companies that will fix it for cheaper than apple as they want 250 for a replacement.
Thanks so much

a great place that will repair water damaged or any other type of damage to the iPhone
they work with AT&T and Apple with non warranty repairs
you can mail it in or if you are in the San Francisco Bay area they are up 101 north of the Golden Gate

http://www.northbayelectronics.com is the website i was in the bay area and just called and they fixed my phone the same day

If you paid with your AMEX card, they have a 90 day period you can get your money back if your phone is lost or damaged. Thank GOD!

Hello everyone, I came across this site and just wanted to let everyone know that we repair iPhones and even the new iPhone 3G Screens. Check out our website if you need a repair done. I know it sucks, because I broke my screen too! And I love this phone!

By the way its http://www.drcellphone.com

well i feel sorry for all you guys the iphone glass just cost $29.99 us dollars and come with the tools and manual how install

Henry: Yes, you can get iPhone glass for cheap, but guess what? If you have a 1st gen iPhone, the glass is affixed to the LCD screen and digitizer unit, making it nearly impossible to repair without ruining the lcd screen because you have to take apart the iPhone so that you can remove the metal bezel around the phone and then, if you are super lucky, you can get the glass off with a razor blade, but then you are compromising the lcd screen.

And good luck even getting the case open without damaging it. Those plastic tools that come with the repair kits sold online get shredded to pieces…the case is entirely glued shut.

If you want to save your first gen iPhone, I recommend sending it to an experienced repair center such as pdaparts.com They will repair your phone for under $200.

The iPhone 3G is much easier to repair yourself, so the good news is, that all of you iPhone 3G owners may have better luck with a repair if you drop your phone and the glass breaks.

Good luck.

It’s amazing that a company like Apple neglect the customer care part in their business. I’m sorry, but it just take more than a neat looking gizmo to get my love. In sweden Apple does not repair phones. You have to pay almost as much as you initially payed to get a replacement phone. Did you guys forget that phones do break? As feelings grow tense I know I should not write this but: Why not try to design your phones to be used outside your fanzy lab? Did you guys ever try it for real?

this message is to ask how did amex replace ur phone is there some type of warranty..i bought my 3G with my amex

So i was talking on my phone and my phone randomly cracked through the middle of the screen, im kinda really pissed about this! not only does my screen have a scratch in it, but it randomly freezes and out of nowhere vibrates on hours at a time without stopping, one of the speakers does not work for god noes what reason.. and apple is a bunch of assholes i will never buy there products again, technological bullshit. thats what the iPhone junk is

got mine fixed for 15 dollars in oklahoma city

reese,

where in okc did you go? Thanks!

I have a Sony Ericsson K810i with a black silicone skin case and dopped it down a sewer and it did not even get a scratch. I was sitting in my car with the phone on my lap adn when i got out of the car i happened to have a manhole for a sewer right nect to me and my phone fell down the sewer about 12 feet and did not get single phone. My iPhone screen cracked when it ws in my pocket because i ran into a table. do not get a iphone unless u will keep it and use it in a BUBBLE! They break so easily. Im getting a K850 today i cant wait. I like the Sony Ericcsons much more especially the K-Series because they are a all around better phone and much much much more durable. Always get a silicone coverwith ur phones it saved mine!

I just wanted to let everyone know who’s reading this and being discouraged, that not all hope is lost. I brought my phone in with numerous scratches and dents on it, it was obvious that my usage of it wasn’t the best. But I came in because the black part of the lcd where the proximity sensor in cracked. I made an appointment and was very discouraged and let down. I wasn’t ready to spend 200+ on fixing it, However! The man was very nice, I was very calm, explained that it wasn’t my fault, and he swapped them at no charge on the spot. I was shocked

Don’t be discouraged. Not all hope is lost.

i found a great place that will repair water damaged or any other type of damage to the iPhone
they work with AT&T and Apple with non warranty repairs

http://www.northbayelectronics.com is the website i was in the bay area and just called and they fixed my phone the same day

I dropped my iphone on its corner and a few spider cracks started. Now I can barely read teh screen and peices keep falling out so Ive had to tape them down…It looks like its worth $0.99. I would think they would have a better tech…Whatever.

Reese, Allison,

Looking for the iPhone repair shop in OKC. I too dropped one and cracked the glass. Thank you!

My daughter tripped while hers was in her pocket the phone did not hit the ground but the screen shatter. (I saw it happen) The apple store wanted 200 for a new phone. She is 17 and bought it with her babysitting money, after doing quite a bit of online research chose the iphone over the blackberry. No where was it disclosed that the screen is so fragile. the phone rep said will “if you put a piece of glass that size in your pocket it would break too” Okay but who would carry around a piece of glass in her pocket. The people at the store and the people on the phone deny that screen breakage is a problem.
this is nuts.

Well hello all I have had a 16gig Iphone 3G for two weeks not i have had in there 2 others times for software problems freezing my phone and today i iphone hit the corner of my endtable and cracked all over took it to the store today told me $200.00 after complaing about the last 2 times i was here 45 minutes drive each way from my hous still said $200.00 I love this phone but damn why cant we get insurance for this stuff. So i do feel the pain for all that had to pay

im 13 with an iphone my mom got me for my birthday/good grades in march. i dropped my phone getting out of the car after volleyball practice. it broke on the edge and started off as small cracks but became bigger and spider webbyish after a while. my mom took me to the apple store and we talked to one of the guys who worked there and he said it will cost us $200 no exceptions. i told my mom if were going to pay that much why dont we just get the new iphone 3G. the guy that i talked to said the same thing happend to him and that he got the new iphone and was very happy with it. oh well i think apple is still an excellent store.

have you guys tried going to ebay and buying a replacement screen and taking the old one off and putting the new on in?

go to http://www.hitchsource.com/blo.....omment-588

and this guy did just that! its pretty cool. screen cost $25 and he did it with elmers cement glue.

ok, so I was so upset when I dropped my iPhone, but i have the new one the iPhone 3G. The glass cracked, and i looked all over the internet to see if I could get it fixed because APPLE CORPORATION would not warranty a cracked glass. It was only in my pocket, and I don’t even understand how it happened. Anyways, I found dr cell phone and they repaired it for $99 bucks. There were people who wanted to charge me about $200 to fix it. And Apple was even more ridiculous. Its good to know that you don’t have to pay crazy money to get something so simple fixed. I wanted to share this with anyone who might be pulling out their hair when they see their recently bought iPhone 3G with a cracked glass when you pull it out of your pocket. And then your like what to do? This is what I did… http://www.drcellphone.com

my iPhone would not accept incoming calls since the day I bought it. I called AT&T many times over several months. Finally was referred to apple. Then , I dropped the phone and shattered the glass. Apple will not fix the incoming call problem now because my phone is damaged. Even if I repaired the glass, I would not get my calls. They go directly to voicemail. VERY FRUSTRATED!!!!

apple should at least offer some kind of assistance in repairing these expensive phones instead of just letting the customers suffer with a phone that is cutting edge but doesn’t have insurance or a constructive outlet for keeping the customer happy with their purchase…..THIS SUCKS…I’m in the new Apple store in Willowbrook Mall in Houston as I write this mad as hell when a few months ago I was in the same spot elated to get this phone..Ain’t this shit

Well the issue with the 2G screen is that the glass is permanently fused together with the screen. I experiemented with heat to get the apart and it worked to some extent, however the glueing the new glass to the screen will trap bubbles in the glue between glass and screen, not a pretty site. Things got much better on the iphone 3G. http://www.portatronics.com.

Apple is horrible and has horrible cutomer service . I have my second cracked iphone in 6 months had the first generation and it cracked . bought a replacemnet glass tried to repair it and had to throw it completely away didnt learn and bought the 3G after not having it fopr 3 months it fell off the night stand onto my wood floor and cracked i was to threw. Called apple even vistited the apple store ( ahour drive from me) only to be told my new iphone had water damage. Im like yeah right it never been wet . but get this theres a meter that mesaures water damage that turns red after a cerian amount once it turns red it rendors your phone irrepairable. so basicically if that wasnt red we might give you another one cause they crack so much. But condensation will cause this little meter to go red say you have your phone in the bathroom while you shower or your in a place that gets really hot like JRTC. The Iphone has wonderful features but needs a complete overhaul. I have never been more diappointed in a product/company as i am with apple.

So I droped my phone today as I was walking and in a EDDIE BAUER leather case. Two hours later, I pull it out to make a call and it has three web like cracks. I went to the apple store and no luck. Had to pay $215 for a replacement. I guess it’s too late now to complain and try to get a refund. Maybe venting here will HELP!

I just hope people start reading these forums before buying iphone. Screens crack. That means iphones in reality cost $200 to $500 more than what is advertised. It’s crooked and underhanded of them not to repair cracked screens for a reasonable fee. Apple is a thief.

my screen is cracked but my screen still works. can i just get the glass that is cracked fixed or do i have to get everything fixed also?

they should do what microsoft does with the xbox 360 and the red rings of death every one gets one free repair

does any one know about anyother cards that do that 90 day thing cause that would be so clutch att covers it for 30 days and of course it cracks 35 days after i bought it

The only way for Apple to take responsibility for this is if enough people write in and share their frustrations.

Steven P. (Steve) Jobs
CEO and Director

Headquarters:
1 Infinite Loop
Cupertino, CA 95014
United States

I have had my phone for a year now and it has been dropped and cracked twice now, also it has been drenched in water and lemonade and left out in the rain, my sim card has given me 3 different messages to tell me it is not working but every time i just have to reset the phone and plug it in to charge for about 3 hours and when i come back it works. Also the screen is cracked all on the right side and luckily still works =)

yeah, im on my second phone in six months. i had the original iPhone and dropped that on its face and it cracked. i was eligable for the iPhone 3g so i upgraded. That lasted a sold three weeks… it was in my pocket and i simply leaned against a table and poof – broken screen, again. I love the iphone but can decide whether to dump ANOTHER rediculous amount of cash or just get a blackberry like i had before. i just cant fathom that if i get it fixed ill have spent $950 on iPhone related fixes and purchases in less than a year. if you dont have a bubble to put your iPhone in be very careful.

for those of you who were lucky and got new phones from the apple stores, did you happen to have your receipts with you?

Yes, I too dropped my second iphone. The first iphone i dropped (upon activating it) happened, I was really pissed at myself, as I had spent $499 and was told to lie about when returning it (which I am not proud of), my they gave me a new phone since I had only had it one day but it was a nightmare. Not saying I’m not a klutz, but these phones are too damn sleek to stay in your hand. I love this phone, so much that I want to marry it, so when I broke #2 tonight, I thought I was going to throw up. Point is, the fact that these phones crack so easily is unacceptable. Steve Woz, you are a genius but you have GOT to provide an avenue for this “phenomenon” unless you want to continue to be called a thief, crook, etc. The “protective covers” they offer look like tire tread, not well suited for the ladies, by the way. As of today, Apple’s stock has gone down almost 120 pts. in a 1 yr period. I realize the situation of the economy, but if you owned this company, wouldn’t you do everything you could to fix what you could?

My iphone was recently dropped. It fell perfectly flat on the only rock in my backyard. the screen still works, but the cracks are ugly and grow. im not going to spend 250 bucks to get it repaired when i can just buy a NEW 200 dollar one

Reading the posts …

Just realize that I have a cracked screen. I really do not have a clue how it happened. From what I’ve read it seems to be from pressure on the glass as this is not resembling that of a fall causing a shatter. The crack (single line) goes from the left side (signal meter) to the right side (above the battery indicator).

It does not obstruct the screen view. Only the time displayed has the crack going through it. The crack is visible when I look at the iPhone in an angle (most of the time this is how I look at the screen). Looking straight at the iPhone can’t really tell. The crack seems to be on the top layer glass. Other than that the iPhone works.

Question #1: Does it make sense to go to the Apple Store, talk to a “Genius” or even request to speak with the Store Manager? Seem that 2 out 10 experiences have resulted in an exchange. I does not warrant to spend $200+ for this type of repair.

Question #2: For those of you that have been operating with the cracked screen. Have you had any other problems as a result of the cracked screen? Is it only the fact that it is disturbing to look at? But has the iPhone has been working fine?

Question #3: By placing a protector sheet will this be beneficial? I ask since it will only create a protective layer of some sort. And, if I get the translucent layer it will hide the crack. Also, prevent dust/dirt to get into the crack.

For the price of fixing the phone – it would make sense to buy a new phone. If this is the case, if I deactivate the iPhone’s (cracked screen) can I just use the iPhone for Wi-Fi, iTunes, etc … Similar to an iPod, iTouch? If this is possible, I can give it to my son.

Appreciate your comments/suggestions.

Went to the Apple store …

Encounter #1: I spoke with the person, blue t-shirt at the store entrance. Showed him the phone. His initial response was that it these types of incidents a phone replacement would potentially not be covered. I simple asked if something could be done. He then directed me to someone else to further examine the iPhone.

Encounter #2: I spoke with second person, red t-shirt. He looked at the iPhone and asked me to wait while he spoke to a Mac Genius, dark blue t-shirt. The Mac Genius inspected the iPhone very closely. The person in the red t-shirt came back and told me that I was in luck since a single hair line crack would be covered as this could have resulted on the daily use, pressure on the glass and could potentially be attributed to a defective glass.

Encounter #3: Sat down with the Mac Genius. Reset and deleted all information from my original iPhone. The Mac Genius swapped the SIM Card. And issued an exchange phone. And advise what I’d needed to do to restore my backed-up applications.

As it was mentioned in the email thread:

- (a) it does not hurt to ask,
- (b) state the facts truthfully
- (c) ask what can be done
- (d) don’t demand
- (e) do your homework before going to the store
- (f) it helps going early in the morning once the store opens

Not all will have a positive experience. But, lets keep in perspective that cracked screens, as generic as the terminology states it fall under the vague “accident” clause in the contract. Not to be covered. Though, there are exceptions.

Remember that the customer is usually right, of course within reasonable situations.

Encounter #4: Approached a sales representative, blue shirt. Purchased the mate screen cover. I asked if she could install it. With pleasure she did.

Lesson learned: Careful with your iPhone. Does not hurt to try to solve – in person is the best way to approach. Be truth-full and humble. Regardless of the outcome … keep your cool.

Hope this helps. I do know that I lost a lot of sleep researching this last night. I thank you all for your commentaries and experiences.

Happy Holidays & A Prosperous 2009 to ALL.

I’m a class action lawyer. My son broke his phone glass too. If anyone hears of a lawsuit being filed against Apple for the too fragile glass, please post it here so I’ll find out about it.

I just dropped my iPhone this morning and totally cracked the crap out of the screen. Thank god it still works but looks awful. I have the 3g 16gig and only have had it for 2 months now. I called the local apple store and of course couldn’t get an appointment until Wednesday night. If I am denied a free new phone and I fork out this 250, do they give me my phone right back or do I have to leave it there? Do they give you a loner phone for the time being? I’m so sad ((

Wow! Talk about great customer service! I brought my broken phone into the Apple store and first spoke with a very friendly Genius. I showed him my phone and he tried to speak to a manager, but with no luck. I asked him how often they get customers bringing in shattered phones and he said “I see it ALL the time.” And then I asked how often the customer just shells out the $250 to replace it, and he said “ALL the time.” Wow! Sorry, but I just can’t get myself to hand over $250 after I’ve already paid $400 for it not even a year ago! I would have just lived with my ghetto, shattered phone because it’s still fully functional! So I asked to speak to a Manager since my Genius had no authority to do anything else other than hand me a new phone if I first handed him $250. Keep in mind all I did was ask the Manager “What options do I have to fix my phone without having to pay the replacement fee?” and I NEVER once asked if they could replace it for free. But, lo and behold, that’s exactly what he did. I don’t know if it was the sad, puppy dog eyes I kept giving them or I was just in the right place at the right time. Whatever it was, I was grateful for it!

The lesson I have learned in life is: IT NEVER HURTS TO ASK. Don’t make a fool of yourself and don’t overstep your boundaries, but if you ask in a polite and friendly manner, you’d be surprised what you can get away with! Good luck to you all!

__________________________________________

Thanks for the advice- I did EXACTLY this at the iPhone store and it WORKED!!!! The first store I went to, they were very busy and I asked the genius and he was very straight forward- absolutely not, its $200 to replace but you can talk to the manager. I politely asked the manager and he told me that he would see what he could do and went in the back with the genius. He came back and said he could not replace the phone. The next day I went early in the morning to a different Apple store. The guy at the front said all of the techs were out of town and I asked to speak with a manager. I politely told the manager that this is my 3rd iPhone and he told me that it would be $200. He said his little kids play with his all the time and it doesn’t break and I reminded him that I dropped mine a foot off the ground and it broke so this must be a defect. He then said that he could cut the price in half to $99. I told him that I am a very good customer, I have purchased multiple laptops and iPods and then he told me that he could go ahead and replace it FOR FREE!!! I hope this anecdote can help someone else because no one should have to pay that much for a new phone that they dont provide insure for! right now I am loving Apple customer service!

update!!! i went to the apple store tonight, 15 minutes before closing and cried my eyes out. the genius bar guy tried convincing me i had to pay the $200, but i got lucky! i got a brand new iphone 16gig right then and there! i just said the magic words “can i talk to your manager please?” and poof! i also think the fact that i was making a minor scene with the waterworks & the fact it was closing time on new years eve, put the pressure on to have this guy make me happy and LEAVE haha. good luck all!

I’m going to give this guy in Cupertino, Ca a go. He’s advertising $85 repairs. http://www.cupertinoipods.blogspot.com/#express has anybody used him?

I dropped mine a week after getting it about 3 feet to the hardwood floors and cracked the screen. It was small, and barely noticable but I was peeved just the same. Apple replaced the entire phone free of charge. Guess the Genius wanted my body… or maybe the small crack was obvious that I didnt’ back my car over it or drop it 20 feet onto concrete.

A friend of mine dropped my iPhone (original, 16GB) onto a gravel driveway and the glass cracked, from the bottom left hand corner of the screen down to the bottom of the phone. I have not been able to make it to an apple store yet, but I still plan to ask and see what they can do (before my warranty runs out!). I have been using my phone with the cracked screen since the accident and there have been no problems. Sometimes I don’t even notice that the screen is cracked, since there’s no crack over the backlit area of the screen.

Hey, I dropped my Iphone 3g a few days ago and I was planning on getting it repaired but there’s one problem. I need to know if I just need the digitizer and screen or if I need the LCD panel as well. I cracked it at the top by the earphone and it went all the way through to where I can see the chip. Does anyone know what I need to fix this?

My daughter’s iphone (April 2008) was in her backpack, and when she took it out, the screen was completely shattered, with pieces of glass coming out around the earpiece/speaker. Yes, it worked, but she’s certainly not going to use it like that. We went directly to the Apple Store, where they told us it would be $299 for a refurbished phone of the same model! That seemed insane, especially since a brand new phone is $299! Also, they told us that we would have to wait quite awhile, since they were so busy. We left with a new phone, but very disappointed. It really seems unfair and unfortunate.

I broke my iphone 3g last month by accidentally closing it in the trunk of my car(i know…very stupid) and took it to an apple store. The guy there told me that it was 200 to fix it so i paid the money and he just gave me a new one then. So just last week my friend drops my new one just a few feet onto wood floor and it the screen cracks again. I still haven’t gone to an apple store for this one but plan on it this week. I vaguely remember the last guy saying that if i broke my phone again that i would have to pay full price for a new one, hopefully that wont be the case.

I can replace your 3G cracked lens/digitizer for $129. Please visit http://www.allwirelessrepair.com for more details. The touchscreen is a large piece of glass that doesn’t absorb shock. It’s quite frustrating that they break, but I repair it in 30 minutes and you can have it back in a day. As for your warranty, it is void when the lens cracked. After it’s repaired, there’s no way to know that it was ever damaged. I hope this option can help.

I have seen a lot of Posting’s for iPhone Repair for the 2g & 3g I give great deals on Repair, and also if you live in CA I will even come to you and do a On-Site Repair right in Front of you. Please Email me if you have any questions. Thank You

I have had my iphone for 20 days, purchaced from att, and when I brought it in I was told that since the phone is not yet 30days past in store warranty, to buy the apple care protection plan ($74 after tax) and to call before the 30 days was up, and it would be replaced even for an accident. I did not get this in writing, and it was false information. Did this guy sell me a warranty that was already void because the phone is damaged? And, if so, what should I do about it? I have read a lot about replacing the screen (my LCD is not damaged) But am afraid of doing so, since I have already called apple and have a LOG on file with the warranty info. Any advice soon would be appreciated. Thanks.

hi there
i am posting this to a previous post : RE:

Craig
Dec 27, 2008 @ 11:48 pm I’m a class action lawyer. My son broke his phone glass too. If anyone hears of a lawsuit being filed against Apple for the too fragile glass, please post it here so I’ll find out about it.

ok, i am an Law Firm Administrator for a firm that does mass torts, pi, etc..
i agree, lets start a class action we can get enough to file complaint I am sure.
unfortunately i am stuck with being addicted to my iphone now that i have adapted ALL TO SYNC AND I USE IT LIKE MY LIFE AS TO DAILIES WITH THE FIRM SO , LONG AND SHORT I HAVE HAD TWO IN 3 MONTHS CARCK AND BOTH WERE FOR UNKOWN REASON,
PLEASE REPLY TO EMAIL@ LORETTA@LIMBERLAW.COM
I AM FROM TAMPA FLORIDA ANYONE WANT TO PURSUE THIS LET ME KNOW

i dont know all was well until dropped my iphone.. very poor screen it has cracked but still is working.. i dropped it from one feet it hit the floor and i saw cracks all over it.. jeeezz what should i do now.. i just got it a month back..

Hey I ordered my 3g the first day they cam out and loved it it had a manufacter problem and I sent it in and got a brand new one the next day and finally like 3 weeks ago and this if after dropping it 10000 times and plenty other stuff to it it cracked it’s not bad and still works great and the phone cracked after I practically threw it on the ground they aren’t bad at all and there amazing phones you honestly have the world at your finger tips and if you jail break it your in heaven I have everything you could ever need on mine from playstation games to video recorders I highly recomend the iPhone I love it just make sure you get a rubber case it saves it I swear you drop it and you can just hear it land soft but seriouly the phone is amazing and apples pretty good

I was given a 1st gen iPhone. Unfortunately I broke the screen soon after.I was able to fix it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here’s how….
Ordered JUST the screen on eBay for <$20.

CAREFULLY, use a razorblade to pry up the shards of glassand silicone under the glass. For razorblade leverage, use the aluminum part of the iPhone, NOT the digitizer underneath.

Cleaned the digitizer SPOTLESS and cleaned any other shards of glass at the top or bottom of the iPhone.

Applied small daps of silicone at top and bottom of glass, underneath the black areas. Set iPhone overnight.

That’s it, but I have had some minor complications…….

I did not completely seal around the glass, so dust may be an issue.

Nearly 95% of the screen is still touch sensitive. I believe a corner does not work because of the air gap between the digitizer and the screen.

I will probably take off the screen and put a better silicon glue on soon. Maybe I will silicon seal the entire screen and vacuum seal it to remove any bubbles.

Good luck to all,
Sean

i found this site when i did a google search for iphone 3g repair. my daughter cracked her iphone screen and we got it fixed at a place called Dr. Cell Phone. they repaired it and sent it back to me overnight. here’s their website: http://www.drcellphone.com

Honestly…all you people who think that this is Apples fault or that Apple should pay for YOUR mistakes are just a bunch of whiners. I dropped my phone today (for the 100th time) and it finally cracked. It still works and everything. This is more than I can say for my PSP or Zune screens. When those broke, the whole screen was black with multicolored fluid spilling out of the cracked LCD. My iPhone screen because of MY FAULT and I do not expect anyone to have to pay for something that I did. Also…you two “lawyers” really bring the career title down…Honestly, if you really knew class action lawsuits you’d know that you’d need to have ALOT of people sign up and have a solid case. “the screen is not shatterproof” is really a stupid reason. I mean, after all this time they finally got Apple to do something about the scratch-attractive Nanos. And you know what happened? Customers who have their receipt can get 25 dollars, which may take up to 5 weeks to arrive. 25 dollars. Doesn’t seem worth it, really. Here I thought you had to be smart to be a lawyer. Guess I was wrong…

Anyway…Does anyone know If you can just buy a new iPhone from AT&T if you’re still under contract with them? I have a 3G that I bought in August and It cracked, like i said. It still works, I just don’t like the way the screen looks. So does AT&T sell new phones? Or what If I bought one from Best Buy or Wal-Mart? I suppose I could activate it using PwnageTool.

UPDATE!!!!
Well, just a couple hours after writing my above review I went to work on TRULY fixing my iPhone. All I can say is….. yeaaaaa baby.

Removed glass again.
Completely (and carefully) scrapped/pealed silicone off.

Alcohol swabbed and cleaned EVERYWHERE. I actually found a lot of sticky original glass gunk (gunk is a technical term) around the top and bottom of the iPhone(i.e. the black areas). Anyways,I carefully scrapped the gunk off.

I laid a bead of silicone near the digitizer top and bottom to prevent dust. Now, I thought for a second how to seal the sides. The problem with the sides is the lack of area to lay down a seal.

Well, what I did was lay a bead of silicon on the ALUMINUM housing near the sides of the digitizer. Laying the beads here allowed the silicon to barely contact the glass, cause a seal, but not cause a huge dab of silicon underneath the glass.

Lastly, I made sure to put pressure on just the glass overnight. Turns out that the bottom of the glass (near the button), it is actually sunk ever-so-slightly BELOW the aluminum housing.

I cleaned up the excess silicon on the Aluminum side in the morning and it was an overall success!!!! I have fingertip access everywhere on the screen and (so far) dust free.

For any comments or question, feel free to e-mail me.

Take care,
Sean

P.S. Class action suits maybe not, but note that NINTENDO gave away FREE silicon cases AND wrist bands for their Wii controllers because people were shattering their 42″ plasma etc. screens by accidentally throwing the Wii controller.

Just food for thought!!!!

I’m amazed at this – my toddler knocked my phone off the coffee table — 2 feet onto a hardwood floor and it hit on its corner and it shattered. It was in a rubber case. I was stunned to hear that it would cost me $325 to get a refurbished replacement (and I didn’t have the option of just paying for the repair). Is this what Apple without Steve Jobs has become?

Can buy screens on ebay ! seen them for 20 bucks plus shipping, come with little screwdrivers and instructions on how to change.

as long as digitizer still works just replace the screen

digitizers go for around 70 bucks

Scott,

Don’t forget it matters which iPhone you have. My 2G had the screen siliconed to the digitizer. I have heard the 3G phones have separate screens and digitizers. So it should be easier to replace the 3G screens. (assuming)

Also, on the 2G phones you will mangle the aluminum back if you try and take it off. I tried and I stopped before too much damage was done. This is kinda the reason I put the instructions above.

Good luck,
Sean

What irritates me is that AT&T insists Apple won’t “allow” them to offer insurance for the iPhone. I don’t know who’s flinging the, erm, horse manure but I’m not happy with the idea. It’s an expensive phone, why can’t I insure it? I carried insurance on my old Razr and it didn’t cost $250 when new.

I mean, sheesh…

The Iphone is a piece of poop poo. It breaks so easily. I accidentally dropped my phone when I was putting it in my pocket. It just slipped, then bam! There goes a spider. It still worked though but a few weeks later, the switch on the side to turn silent/ringer fell off. I was like what the freak? I spent 400 on this piece of oreo? imma try what one of the messenger did…go to the apple store, give them the chihuahua eyes and ask them to replace it for cheap, or for free if i have luck. May the BIG MAN up there be with me.

ohh snapped, what did you know…i just check on my iphone and now the main round button doesn’t work…what a dog!

I can fix any iphone for just $90!!!
just check out my website and follow the instructions on it. This is a MUCH better alternative than buying a whole new phone (which is what apple will make you do)

Ok. so i cracked mine so bad that shards of glass where coming out…i mean most of the screen is spidered BUT i carefully covered the whole front in CLEAR PACKING TAPE…3 layers of tape and it still works perfect! yes, it looks really ghetto and i won’t be whipping it out to show it off but i really don’t care about the looks…the screen can still be read good and the touch works through the tape…it will buy some time anyway for anyone that wants to do that.

crazy i know, but im siked!

I am ignorant about iPhone. I have a 3G iphone with cracked glass. Thinking about replacing the glass, but am afraid of doing something stupid. First, I am not sure I fully understand the components of the iphone. I am confused about the following three parts: screen glass, digitizer and LCD. Are they three different things, if so what are they? is the glass screen and digitizer tied together? I saw a lot of sale on Ebay showing pictures like that, but not sure what to buy. Please help me out. Thanks

Grabbed my iphone from the kitchen table last night – it slipped, crashed on the kitchen floor. Glass shattered.
We just bought it in December – just 2 months ago. Paid the gazillion dollars! Then we find out it will cost ANOTHER $300 to repair it!! The apple store was going to close in an hour so my husband jumped in the car to try to get it repaired (while I watched the kids). Meanwhile, I read up on all these stories. Thank you! They saved me $150!

The “genius” told my husband there was no way he could reduce the repair price. I called while he was talking to him, my husband handed him the phone. He still said he couldn’t do anything so I requested talking to a manager. I made my plea to please reduce the repair costs – my having just purchased it 2 months ago and being a loyal customer – bought 3 laptops over the years, an 80G ipod, and 2 iphones…. She insisted they don’t cover accidental damage and treat all customers the same…. but would see what she could do. She took 50% off the repair and gave us 10% off the best case they had. I’m satisfied but kicking myself wishing I had worded it differently. Instead of asking her to reduce the price I should have asked her to eliminate it… Sigh.

If anyone has issues and need help/reassurance during the screen repair, feel free to read my post above or e-mail me at ewing.124@osu.edu

To Leo:

Leo,

You’re not alone about the confusion regarding the iPhone’s components. Here’s the breakdown for ya:

1. LCD + Digitizer + Glass = Touchscreen Interface

The LCD is affixed (via a special crystal clear epoxy) to the digitizer. The digitizer is what enables the iPhone to be a touchscreen. Separately, the digitizer has a cable and the LCD has a cable, so often if these two are sold as one (usually with the glass attached as well)–then you should see a unit that has two cables.

The LCD + Digitizer assembly is affixed to the glass with the same clear epoxy. The glass is the simplest component, but obviously the most fragile. Beware of auctions that sale only the glass. Unless you really are daring and want to attempt ruining the LCD by chipping away at the glass, I 100% recommend against doing that.

What you want to look for are auctions or resellers that sale the entire LCD/Digitizer/Glass unit. I have used pdaparts.com before, and if researching, use them as a means of cross evaluating what others are offering on eBay.

Hope that helps!

The Gadget Techie

If you cracked a 3G, the glass and digitizer are one fused unit, but NOT the LCD. You can pop out the glass and digitizer easily, and get a replacement on eBay for $25 shipped.

It is totally not worth it too try to scrape just the glass off the digitizer on the 3g– it is hours of painstaking results with almost guaranteed less than perfect results. The glass+digitizer pops out and drops in in minutes, and is cheap, and will look good as new when you are done.

What bothers me is that there is no consistent policy…cry and beg, and maybe get a break, or accept what the employee tells you, and most likely end up buying a new phone (same price as the repair quoted).

It doesn’t matter if the iphone was your first purchase, or if you’ve spent $20,000, the Apple employee seems to be able to make the final decision. There should be a policy that satisfies everyone; something in between a free phone and a full-priced phone!

Or do it yourself………. for less than $20……. become a better, more mechanical adapt, independent person. It will require hard work though, nothing is for free.

I wish I knew why more people do not repair the screen themselves.

I am buying cracked screen iphone. Phone must still work other than cracked screen. Please email for an inquiry on a price. Payment through paypal. Will be willing to set up ebay private auction as well. matthewleonard@gmail.com

Ok I’m 14 years old and I got the orignal iPhone when my mom got the new one. Tonight, I guess it slipped off the table it was charging on I heard it fall and went to check on it and there was No spider on the screen. But then my DUMB dog comes by and steps on it the screen cracks all over the place. he barely even stepped on the thing cause i moved him away from it! But, I dont know what to do since its the old one?

Go to http://www.drcellphone.com, they fix iPhones.
Dj rad

Sell it the Matthew Leonard… matthewleonard@gmail.com Or…find someone to repair it for you…there are a lot of people who provide this service, but it will cost $$$. Do a google search for “iPhone repair” Since you’re 14, I am assuming you don’t have a lot of cash saved up, so this is probably not a viable option. It will cost you just as much to have it repaired or repair it yourself as it would to get a iPhone 3G.

i know all of you alls pain i just dropped my phone today and it broke completely from the screen…i dn’t want to pay 250 to get it repaired

go to ubreakifix.com, they do a great job at replacing iphone 3G glass and LCD if needed for a good price. I just recently broke mine and sent it to them and had it back in 2 days working like a brand new phone

I can professionaly fix broken screen for 2g and 3 g for unbeatable price. Unlocking, fixing other issues and cheap accessories are also my services.
call if you live in Miami area, I will meet with you. Mike 786 683 9487

Simple solution is pay a flat $85 to http://www.whitapplerepair.com to have the front glass and digitizer replaced by them. Plus they warranty their work as long as you own the phone. If you live in AZ they say same day repair and if your out of state they offer mail in service.

Just had this happen to me for the second time. They’re great phones, but this time it cracked when I dropped it in the grass. Clearly, this is a design flaw that Apple is capitalizing on by refusing to repair the phones and requiring that you buy a new/refurbished phone.

The first time this happened, I paid $200 at the Apple Store for a new phone. However, this time, I found a somewhat more afforable solution. If you are in the South Florida area, I would recommend USIP Solutions in Boca Raton. They will replace the cracked face for $100 while you wait. It took Ike, the technician, 5 minutes and the phone is as good as new. Their number is 561-350-9656 and their web site is http://www.usipsolution.com

I dropped my IPhone in my garage last week, i panicked because i was one of the early adopter and i paid $600. But thankfully it was a small crack below the “Home” button. I took it to the genius bar yday and told them what exactly happened, my genius was very kind and got my phone swapped for a new IPhone (8GB 1st generation). I was lucky and i feel so happy.

I cracked my iPhone… went to two Apple store and used the “I like to speak to the manager” trick. No luck! One store, Oak Ridge Mall, said $290 to replace the phone. The other store, Valley Fair, said $200 to replace the glass… I guess i am screwed..

I finally went to a Mac repair store, We Fix Mac, in Palo Alto and they fixed my phone for $100! Friendly services and excellent attitude! Thank god there are still decent people around…

If I go to a third-party to repair my broken glass, how would Apple know if I took it in under warranty later?

I’ve had my iPhone for 2 weeks tomorrow and I dropped it last night. It fell about 2 feet, I was sitting on a little bench and it fell out of my pocket and onto the concrete.There is a big crack in the upper corner of the glass and a little chunk is missing. Although the phone still works fine, I am afraid of what a future bump or drop might do.
I ordered a case a week before I bought the phone and still haven’t gotten it yet. If I wasn’t ticked before I sure am now!!
Anyway, I saw replacement glass on eBay but I am certainly not going to risk making the situation worse by trying to repair/replace the glass by myself!
How the F does the repair of something that you can supposedly replace yourself cost twice as much as a brand new phone?!!!! What a flipsy piece of crapola!

My Iphone survived a drop from 9th floor. The glas/screen broke, but everything works and you could not tell if it wasnt for the screen.

I have ordered a new one today

cheers

robert sell me your cracked screen iphone matthewleonard@gmail.com, will do ebay/paypal contract

OK. I finally got around to getting my screen repaired by http://cupertinoiphone.com/Cup.....epair.html . He did a great job for $75, looks like new and I am extremely happy with the work he has done. Hope that’s helpful

I just had the bummer experience of getting out of my car after returning from my birthday dinner, only to have my two week old 16GB iPhone fall out of the holster and land perfectly flat onto the parking lot asphalt with the glass side down… It is shattered into hundreds of tiny segments, sort of like a car windshield shatters… The plastic screen protector kep the glass all in place, and it still sort of works… Which is amazing in itself! When I get home to phoenix I will head over the the Apple Store and based on what i have read here will attempt to get some assistance… I will let you all know what happens. This web page has been very helpful in letting me know what to expect… I also purchased the AppleCare, but know that it does not cover damage from drops and falls.

the Apple store will just frustrate u more and not be very helpful…. best to find a repair store

I was so frustrated with Apple when my iPhone glass started to crack near to the earpiece. I used my iPhone for over a week since the first crack, but the screen continued to crack. Apple priced the repair at $199., even with the manager’s input. The glass was beginning to escape like sand, out of the plastic keyboard protector. I felt I had nothing to lose, so I looked up http://ubreakifix.com/flash.html and called 1 877 224-4349. I live in Orlando, where the repair guys are located. We made arrangements, and my phone was fixed is less than 15 minutes: $79.99. He fixed my son’s iPhone as well. The Drama is over! My iPhone is like new! Thank you Carlos!

Yesterday i cracked my iPhone 3G screen, a hairline crack in the glass right through the middle. So I took your guys’ advice and visited the Apple store in Calgary. I talked to a tech and he told me for the last month or so theyve been giving customers a new phone if it wasnt obvious abuse. So right then and there he exchanged my phone for me for free. Great service, very pleased

Reading ALL of these posts with much interest as I am in court tomorrow, defending myself against a guy who ran me off the road (Road Rage)… I accidentally dropped his iPhone (he wanted me to speak to his mum !)…it fell around 5 feet onto the Asphalt road but he picked it up and continued talking to his mum. 20 minutes later the police arrived and I was arrested for damaging his phone ! The Policeman believed that the iPhone would have survived an accidental drop from this height and that the glass screen would have remained intact…(he owns one and thinks it’s indestructable)…..from what I read here, a drop from 2 feet onto a wooden floor, or even grass, can cause the screen to crack……seems the iPhone is not as infallible as some would believe…..

I was so frustrated with Apple when my iPhone glass started to crack near to the earpiece. I used my iPhone for over a week since the first crack, but the screen continued to crack. Apple priced the repair at $199. I felt I had nothing to lose, so I looked up http://www.crackedphonescreen.com and called (214) 550-0707. I live in Orlando, and the technician is in Dallas. We made arrangements to mail the phone, and my phone was fixed within 24 hours and shipped back to me. They only charge $89.99. They even do LCD repair.

Thanks a lot guys, i was also looking for iPhone cracked screen repair and found http://www.drcellphone.com they repaired it for just $99 in one day!. Thanks again.

I too have dropped my IPhone and the screen has cracked. However, its just the glass that covers the touch screen that has broken. My IPhone still works perfectly, i can text, call etc.. without any trouble at all. I am finding difficult in tryint to find out how much this will cost to repair as it is only one sheet of glass that has to be fitted over the screen… anyone aware of how much this will cost me?
Kerry from Scotland.

I recently got my phone repaired locally. I live in Dallas and http://www.crackedphonescreen.com fixed my phone in 45 mins. They only charge 89.99. My phone looks like new. I would definitely recommend using them locally or for their mail in service

I am totally pissed.I bought an iphone yesterday I payed $855.00 for it because I canceled a sprint account about 8 years ago and never payed the $200.00 fee thats why I had to pay so much but I still thought buying the iphone would still save me money intead of having a prepaid phone.Well anyway today 6/23/09 the next day I dropped it and the glass shatterd I went back to at&t where the consultant told me I had 30 days of insurance he didnt explain to me what would be covered and what would’nt he just said if anything happens to it bring it back and they’ll replace it so thats what I did and ofcorse they told me they cant do anything about it and they sent me to an apple store so I went to an apple store and they told me it would be $200.00 to fix it but they could’nt do it today and if I was going to spend all this money I wanted it back today and in perfect shape so they sent me to another apple store where they would be able to fix it that day so I have an appt. at 3:30 so I guess I’ll see what happens and Im definitly buying a case for it which they should’ve told me when I bought the phone that it’s really fragile and to becareful with it and that I should buy a case to protect it.He just wanted the commission from the sale and hurried me up out of the store as fast as he could.I should’ve stayed with my pre-paid virgin mobile and saved the $1000.00.After all if your thinking of buying an iphone I would have to say dont and save your money because everyone drops there phones more then once even if you have a case for it I doubt it’s going to keep it 100% safe.Im mad as hell and apple has no right doing this to there customers they do it because they can and they have you buy the balls because they know you paid alot for the phone and that you’ll do anything to fix it……I really regret buying it now……

please sign the twitition to have apple extend their warranty to iphone glass screens…

http://twitition.com/txr86

alright.. i actually stayed up ALL night… i didnt go to sleep (what kid wakes up 9:18am on summer vacation???)… but anyways.. last night, while at walmart, some dude was arguing with his girlfriend and gets pissed off and just turns around and snatches my moms phone right outta her hands!

and guess what happens next.. Shattered like a twig. and then the half brained dumb*** just runs off!! so my mom is left with a completely shattered phone (Digitizer, LCD, and glass!) and the buttons dont work at all (who cares, blank white screen with leaks wont do much anyways…)

so i was wondering, would apple replace my phone if it was clearly not my fault? this is 100% true btw… the dumb retards in this world -.-”…

I recently had the same problem, I went to http://www.iphone3gscreenrepair.com. They had the repair for only 69.99 and they did great quality work, my phone looks like new!

I had my new G3S two weeks when it slipped and the glass broke. I had my other G3 for one year without a problem and many phones before that without breaking the glass. I had to bring my computer to the Apple store so I had my glass replaced. He didn’t tell me in advance that it would cost me $214 including tax. My salesperson at AT&T thought that was outrageous when I told him. I wrote to apple and the apple store feedback survey when I got one about how upset I am. I could have bought two phones for that repair. I just send an invoice to Steve Jobs asking for a refund. I don’t know if he’ll get it, but we’ll see. I think for the apple store to charge so much for a piece of glass and 15 minutes of labor is taking advantage. I agree with the writers above. If it happens again, since the warranty won’t cover the screen, I’ll take it somewhere else.

PPL! dont give ur money to apple! go to ur local craigslist! there are ppl that do screen services repair for cheap. i found a guy that does them at a flea market for only 55 dollars!!! dont let apple keep taking ur money. hope this helps

Why is this post cut off on the right? It is infuriating to have to read it.

My wife dropped her 8 gig iphone and shattered the glass. I went to the Apple store and they would replace the phone for $200.00. I then went to the AT&T store where I bought it in the first place and the manager there gave me a business card for a guy in Encinitas, CA who fixed it (replaced the glass in 25 minutes on a Sunday evening for $80.00) perfectly. Hope she doesn’t drop it again… His name is Jerry Yeh at aplusiphone.com 619-339-4001 cell phone#. I’m very happy!!

I found some company on CL in dallas to do it for me for $79.99 and they gave me a 1 year warranty beats out apple any day $199 WOW what a rip…. if anyone is interested i think they do mail in service if your not in dallas http://www.PhoneRepairDepot.com

dropped my iphone and cracked made appointment with genius and didnt even ask me if iphone fell, he quickly said we can help you with this and replaced my screen at no charge what a lucky man. IPHONE 3GS btw.

I broke my glass on my phone and ended up just buing a new one I still have the broken phone ..

I dropped my iPhone on the bathroom floor which is tiled and the screen cracked in one place only. I rang apple and they told me to take it to the nearest apple store which I did. The genius told me that it looks like a stress crack from the iPhone bowing. I said ok fine. He then scooted of and popped a new screen in. Took him 5 mins.

I see broken screens all the time! Which is why my buisness has been doing so good, unfortunetly APPLE will not replace a screen, but we will!!
check out iphonebodyshop.com for more information or call us at
610-350-6037

I took someone’s advice here and sent a letter to Steve Jobs. I got a call back from a representative for Apple. What I basically got was the usual rhetoric… the glass replacement is special glass, if some get the replacement for free and others don’t, she couldn’t discuss it b/c it has to be dealt with on case by case basis. If you get the glass done somewhere else it wouldn’t be the same, yada yada. She said she’d pass on my comments and suggestions, and I asked that my case not be closed, b/c if the policy is changed as to warranty etc, I still want some money back. But at this time not even an inkling of a repair. I told her I did not believe the glass for the Iphone and the labor cost anywhere near $200. Then she said the phone really costs $400 something, and it is discounted to begin with. So what that really has to do with replacing glass I’m really not sure except to recoup money where possible. Now i have to say that this response was not what I would call consumer friendly.On the other side of the coin (or Apple company) I called Apple Care about my MBP which has had a number of repairs, and no questions asked, Apple is sending me a brand new upgraded computer! And I did not ask them to do this. The issues are different, but still there was no arguing or third degree. So on the one hand Apple is great and the warranty means something,and on the other side (the i phone division) if glass breaks so easily, you’d think they would come up with a better alternative or at least supply insurance for it. I still think no matter whose fault, repair of glass for $200 or more is WAY TOO MUCH. I urge the rest of you to send your own letters to Steve Jobs and maybe if enough people write in, something will change. I was very pleasant, I think, but I did not in the end agree with her and I said I still felt I should get some kind of partial refund.

I dropped my 2 week old iPhone that I paid full price for (to replace a lost phone) and cracked the edge. The phone worked fine – but the crack and the ding in the white casing really bothered me. I took it into the Apple store where the manager said he couldn’t help me because the phone had been dropped, but to call Apple’s customer relations to see if they’d consider my case seeing that I’d barely had the phone 2 weeks and I’d paid full price.

After opening a file with customer relations and having the Apple store send pictures of the damage, the customer relations guy authorized a free screen replacement even though the damage was not covered under the warranty as I had dropped the phone. The Apple store proceeded to try to change the screen for free, but I guess the impact of the fall had jammed the screen so they couldn’t remove it. So they replaced the iPhone with a brand new one for absolutely free!! Now I have a crackless screen and a ding-free iPhone body.

I took the advice in this forum – didn’t demand a replacement, asked them what my options were and called customer relations, who was very sympathetic and really wanted to help. I was really impressed with the service.

I broke my iPhone screen a little while ago and just searched around for a little while and found http://www.magicphonerepair.com they had the best prices along with 24 hour turn around and free insured return shipping.

I wasn’t so lucky as far as my pnone is concerned. I should have called customer relations. I called applecare about problems with my mac book pro and they replaced it with the newest model, but then it was covered under warranty. If you get the right person, one can sometimes luck out. I did not ask for a replacement glass either, but no one offered me a free fix.

I have a 3GS. I went to FIVE Apple stores AND called Apple Care. The best I could do is get an offer at one of the stores to replace the screen for $100 instead of $200. I decided that was my best bet because it would still be under warranty after the repair….still VERY unhappy about this policy though!!!!!

I pulled my iPhone out of my pocket this morning and it slipped out of my hand and landed screen facing down on a cement floor. The whole screen shattered like a spiderweb (it looked like a cracked windshield on a car). The surface was still pretty smooth and everything still worked fine. I took it to the Apple store right away and had to pay $199 for the repair – and they just gave me a brand new iPhone.

Needless to say I bought a case while at the store!

i bought a 3g 8gb ihone with a broken glass for $160. bought new glass on ebay for $9.99, replaced it and also a new metal bezel and replaced it….new bezel, and new glass equals unlocked and jailbroken iphone for about $180 dollars and good as new

I broke my iPhone screen a little while ago and just searched around for a little while and found a place in dallas http://www.texasphonerepair.com/ they had the best prices along with 24 hour turn around and free insured return shipping.

Okay so, I got my iPhone 3G on my birthday which was June 23 of this year. Me and my friends were walking and my friend tries to hand the phone to me and it drops between her fingers. That was this week. So, the bottom of the screen was cracked. It still worked though. These phones are slick. I took the case off and forgot to put it on though. Okay so, today my “friend” pushed me off our school stage while I had my damn phone in my hands. It fell and slide halfway across the gym. Now, I am pissed because the bottom half of my screen won’t work.

haha, sorry about that. Mine fell from a roller coaster last weekend at Six Flags…screen cracked and pieces of the glass were missing, but part of the screen still worked. I found this place online that does iphone repairs, http://www.drcellphone.com. They were great, and really fast. I’m pretty sure they’ll be able to fix that too. Rad

I still urge all of you to send a letter to Steve Jobs. If enough letters are sent maybe something will be done about this situation. As I mentioned in an early letter I got a call back with the usual rheteric… I said I did not accept their excuses and they could only deal with people’s complaints on a one to one basis. So if we bombard apple with letters, then maybe change will happens. Meanwhile I’m asking my insurance carrier about getting glass insurance on the phone… My representative is looking into it. The address is:

Steven P. (Steve) Jobs, CEO and Director

Headquarters:
1 Infinite Loop
Cupertino, CA 95014
United States

I want to add to recent comments that Apple’s comment to using third party repairers was that they use special glass and it is not the same quality!!! I think this is BS and I still encourage people to send in comments and letters to APPLE. If you have a third party repair and it is working like new, let APPLE know!!

I got my iphone 1st genaration for my birthday and a week before I got my protector it got cracked… But lucky for me my brother had a friend who could repair it if we paid for material and labor, it cost about $80 total, I was happy.

Well, like everyone else posting I loved my new iphone until it fell out of my pocket facedown onto a cement floor yesterday. The whole screen shattered like a spiderweb. The phone is just over 1 month old and was in otherwise perfect condition. The surface was still smooth and everything still worked fine. I took it to the Apple store and had to pay $199 ($214 with tax) for the glass repair which took the Apple Genius about 10 minutes. I think it is absolutely disgraceful that this is how they treat their customers! If this was not a work phone, I would not be doing business with them any longer!!!

Last summer me and my uncle decided to go crazy with shrooms. I went on the top of my house and was pretending I was spiderman. That’s when my phone slipped and dropped ten ft. on to the concreate. I was devastated. My phone had about 40 cracks in it. When I went to turn it on I was amazed that it actually still worked! All the cracks were on the outer piece of glass and not the LCD side. I’ve been looking around the Internet for alternatives to being repaired by apple. I have found this website called drcellphone.com and they do repairs alot cheaper than ATT. So as I’m writting all of this on my iPhone right now I would just like to ask If anyone knows cheaper alternatives. I will not get my
phone repaired untill it is demolished and unusefull.

why not just by another iPhone or even 3GS? they both cheaper than the repair cost (3G is only about 100$ and 3GS is only about $200)
I JUST cracked my screen and my plans just gonna get another new iPhone. not gonna evenbother fixing it xP

I am looking into Travelers HOme insurance. My agent said it’s less costly in general than what I have now and it would would cover the iphone glass with no deductible up to ONE TIME. Better than nothing!

When I broke my glass my iphone was one week old. No way was I going to buy another one, although I see what you are saying. I could have, but I still think it is too expensive a cost to replace that part. apple says the phone’s real price is something like $499. I have my doubts.

I have had my iPhone for about 4 months now. And just had my first major crack like Friday. It so freaking crazy. It dropped of my charger and dock when someone past by and bumped it. It fell to the Tile floor and cracked all over. it still work perfectly butwho wants to walk around with a cracked screened iPHoNE!! It’s ridiculous. I don’t plan on buying anothorone till next year but I just need a exact solution for getting a new one for under $50 or no money at all. I’m a senior in school and really don’t have the extra money to be buying a new one or get it repaired for that matter.

If you sign up at dealmac.com and put in iphone emails, you’ll get offers for lower price iphones when they come up. Most of them, if you are okay with the previous models and 8gig are going for $39.00 plus or minus.

I use dealmac.com for many products especially apple products that I’m looking for. It is a great place!

I have accidently dropped my iPhone numerous times, I was always very lucky. I figured though that I was bing dumb by not purchasing a cover, so I bought a cute 20$ cover. The next day I dropped it and it cracked. It is not a terrible crack at all. It doesn’t even touch the touch screen part so it works wonderfully. It just looks nasty. I wont pay $250 for this repair, but there are many $100 options out there. It was just frustrating since I bought the cover the day before. I felt like this was the place to vent. The iPhone is still the best phone I have ever had. This was my fault I did drop it definately not on purpose that would be idiotic.

It is a 32gig 3GS if anyone has any not very expensive options that would be greatly appreciated.

Ashley wrote: << I felt like this was the place to vent. The iPhone is still the best phone I have ever had. This was my fault I did drop it definately not on purpose that would be idiotic.

I agree… best phone ever, but the APPLE cost to replair the glass Is Ridiculous. I broke my glass inadvertently about a week or two after I got it. I should have just gotten a new phone but ended up paying the $200 which I am still fuming over. There are a lot of cheaper repair places listed on this board. As I recently wrote, one home insurance company will cover it one time. Apple’s response to me was ridiculous as well… special glass yada yada yada. This is the one time I disagree with Apple’s policy to charge so much for a simple repair. I love Apple, but I think some kind of insurance for breakage of glass at least one time is only good PR or at least don’t charge so much for a 5 minute fix.

I am in my office had just cracked my screen 30 minutes ago. My iPhone came out of my pocket as I was sitting down in a chair. Although the floor is carpeted, the end result is a tattered alectronic device.

Does anyone know of a place or person in the Rochester, Ny area that will replace the iphone glass at a reasonable rate?

Well this is the second time my glass screen broke… It slipped off while I moved it onto my wood floor. I couldn’t believe it was cracked. I refuse to pay Apple another $200. And I was just about in the process of signing up for a new insurance company that would cover the iphone for one breakage. I did find someone locally who will fix it for about $75+ dollars. So that is the route I’ll use. He has ordered the glass. Funny he said because he heard the glass on the new G3S I phones was supposed to be a little more flexible and less breakable. Hardly!!! I can’t imagine how much extra money has been made by apple for all the broken glass phones they have repaired. I may order one of those new cases I just heard about that looks like it would protect the phone all around.

I sure have! It slipped out of my pocket and fell about 40cm and landed on asphalt, and splintered real good. But I found that they are not that hard to fix, I found a replacement glass front panel + digitizer at dealextreme, took 3 weeks to arrive from hong kong, but it was cheap, cost under $24 including shipping, and it wasn’t that hard to repair. I’ve put a complete tutorial an my blog for those who want to try it. http://pappmaskin.no/2009/09/r.....ont-panel/

Update. I found a place in Rochester that repairs the iphone glass. I had it taken care of today.
Took about 1/2 hr. The cost with tax (although still a little pricey) was a little less than half of what I paid at the Apple Store the last time this happened. With tax it came to $91.79. The apple store charge was $200 + tax, about $216 or 218.00 Total. It still seems like a lot to me, and I hope it doesn’t happen again, but there are no guarantees. I’m looking into a more protective casing for the phone, but so far I’m not sure which one. I’ve read pros and cons about most of them. BTW I looked into just replacing the phone, but the rep at the ATT store said it couldn’t be done. Who knows? He said my original price was a discount price and they wouldn’t trade it in for another phone which carries a price tag of about $499 or so. Hard to believe. I have spent that just on glass repair so far.

i bought my iphone last august and i dropped it and it has a large crack down the entire screen, now it works fine but the volume button fell off, and the wake/sleep button isn’t functional. and the little holder that slides into the phone to place the sim in is also now lost. now i know 1 year warranty is completely void, now i’m just wondering if i can go and get out of warranty service and pay the 250$ or will i have to shell out 600$ for a new one. any advice?

As you may have read my posts, apple warranty does not cover the glass, so why pay that much? Go online and google apple screen repair in your area (or variations of this) and see what comes up. Also if you read thru these posts, others have listed places to send your iphone in for repair, but if you are like me, you won’t want to live without your phone. I just paid under $100 including tax to fix mine.
Some people pay as little as $50 something . Just look around. If you phone functionality is damaged I probably would humble myself to go to Apple if it is still under warranty.

Re: to itasara

That really is good advice because i live in Dallas and i cracked my screen on a brand new 3GS when it fell from my apartment balcony. I was surprised that everything still worked on it. Phew. The poor glass was all shattered though and i just looked on Google and found a repair place. I went to Texas Phone Repair. They are located in a professional office building and weren’t doing it out of there homes which i felt better about. Plus they repaired it in like 20 minutes.

I was devastated when i thought my phone was dead but it helped paying only $79 bucks to get it repaired instead of $200 that apple charges.

If you purchased your phone with a credit card,many of the cards offer 90 protection plans. Amex just covered my broken screen.