Well I returned mine. So I should better just skip the iPhone 5 and wait for the iPhone 6 then?
I thought Apple would have fixed scuff-gate by now
Yep. Better steer clear of ALL consumer electronics that are mass produced. At least until you are able to either hold everything to the same standard (in which case you'll probably never buy anything ever again) or until you buy a few other things and realize there is no such thing as "flawless" consumer electronics, just:
1) One's with varying degrees of "damage"
or
2) One's with varying degrees of "damage" that just have not encountered someone OCD/Anal enough to NOTICE said "damage".
It makes no difference what you spend, or what you feel, or how great the company... If you look hard enough you WILL find a flaw. The people that return phone after phone just look harder than those who don't. They must also lead a miserable life. Feel bad for them.
Are there some legit cases for return? Sure. Are they a "gate"? Heck no. They are the cost of mass production. This isn't an "excuse" for Apple, this is a reality for EVERY manufacturer.
If you can't live with something not being "perfect" or "prestine" (sp), then seal yourself in a bubble and call it a day. If you look hard enough to notice tiny scratches that no normal person would, you will never be satisfied, and may as well save yourself the dissapointment now and just stop.
That goes for everything, not just Apple products.
The best thing most "scuffgate" sufferers could get (besides a seat in my class action lawsuit), would be professional help, not more sealed boxes to open and find "problems" with...