When one (or even a handful) of people have an issue with a product that literally sells in the millions, it is NOT indicative of a "problem" with "inferior" xyz process/item/material.
I have gone naked since launch, I am not OCD to the point of caring about damage (I have AC+ if it's bad), and I have NO scratches to mine (nor do all of my friends, with the notable exception of our paralegal who is a dingbat and dropped hers down a flight of stairs...).
Does it mean it never happens? Of course not.
But just because you damaged your phone by accident it doesn't mean the blame lies anywhere but on you. There would be hundreds of thousands of complaints if any of these issues were "real" (be it "scuffgate" "bendgate" "wifigate" "scratchgate" "batterygate" etc...).
I'm sorry you scratched your phone. If it bothers you that much, spend the $50 and get a new one. Although I'd bet a dollar you didn't get AC+. It's odd that the people who are the most OCD are always the ones that refuse to use a case and never buy AC+...
If I'm wrong just spend the $50 and be more careful. No worries. Accidents happen.