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Dust under iPhone 3G screen - Anybody successfully exchanged?

sallythemac

sallythemac

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jun 16, 2008
274
8
As the days pass, the fact there is dust under my screen is really annoying me. I am wondering if anybody (preferably from the UK) has managed to successfully exchange theirs? I don't mind traveling to my nearest apple shop (2h train journey), but only if its worth it.

Thanks.
 
sallythemac said:
As the days pass, the fact there is dust under my screen is really annoying me. I am wondering if anybody (preferably from the UK) has managed to successfully exchange theirs? I don't mind traveling to my nearest apple shop (2h train journey), but only if its worth it.

Thanks.
Click to expand...


I'm in the US but I was able t exhange mine twice because of dust under the screen at the Apple store.
 
dsm2gst said:
I'm in the US but I was able t exhange mine twice because of dust under the screen at the Apple store.
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Thanks for your reply. Can i ask how many bits of dust u had in each to get a replacement? I think that the customer service you guys get in the USA is very high, higher than most places. I am a bit worried that Apple UK won't be as understanding. Oh well, i have bitten the bullet and have booked an appointment at the Genius Bar tomorrow morning. Hopefully it won't be a wasted trip :eek:
 
"Dust in two locations" (was written on the maintenance report)...

Went to an apple store without an appointment, found a random employee asked him to check if they had any stock for replacement. He went away and found one, gave it to a genius who took my details, switched the SIM, erased the old one and I walked off with a brand new iPhone (Black 16GB).

I went in at 2PM, the next appointment would have been at 5, but they exchanged it anyway.

They also didn't ask for the receipt or any accessories or any details at all. I didn't even buy it from an Apple Store; I purchased it from CPW online. Phone and check first, but there should be no problem getting it replaced.
 
ajthomason said:
"Dust in two locations" (was written on the maintenance report)...

Went to an apple store without an appointment, found a random employee asked him to check if they had any stock for replacement. He went away and found one, gave it to a genius who took my details, switched the SIM, erased the old one and I walked off with a brand new iPhone (Black 16GB).

I went in at 2PM, the next appointment would have been at 5, but they exchanged it anyway.

They also didn't ask for the receipt or any accessories or any details at all. I didn't even buy it from an Apple Store; I purchased it from CPW online. Phone and check first, but there should be no problem getting it replaced.
Click to expand...

Wow, that story makes me hopeful!! Can I ask what your "arguement" for a replacement was? I am concerned that I just will come across as an obsessive, and not have a strong case for why I want an exchange. Also, how big were ur particles of dust, they are quite small on mine (maybe the size of a pixel), but annoying none the less. Thanks for ur help so far!
 
ajthomason said:
I didn't need one, just told the truth. :)
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Which was? Were yours definitely there when u purchased the phone? I can't be sure mine were, but i highly expect they were. There are 2 on the screen and 1 towards the edge of the screen on the black rim. How many did u have, 2?

I am nervous that i am guna be sent away with my dust intact :eek:
 
sallythemac said:
Which was? Were yours definitely there when u purchased the phone? I can't be sure mine were, but i highly expect they were. There are 2 on the screen and 1 towards the edge of the screen on the black rim.
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Even if the dust wasnt there when you bought it, you still should be able to get the replacement. If these dust particles have entered the screen within 4-5 days of use then seriously this is Apple`s fault. The screen wasnt assembled correctly. So IMO you wont have any trouble getting a replacement.
 
sallythemac said:
Which was? Were yours definitely there when u purchased the phone? I can't be sure mine were, but i highly expect they were. There are 2 on the screen and 1 towards the edge of the screen on the black rim. How many did u have, 2?

I am nervous that i am guna be sent away with my dust intact :eek:
Click to expand...

I just said that there was dust under the screen and they asked no more questions. If they do for you, just keep quoting the word "unacceptable" and tell them that being forced into an 18 month contract and being stuck with a phone that is below standard is unacceptable as well.

Or just threaten to return the phone and buy a new one - you're within 14 days, so they have to do that!
 
ImNoSuperMan said:
Even if the dust wasnt there when you bought it, you still should be able to get the replacement. If these dust particles have entered the screen within 4-5 days of use then seriously this is Apple`s fault. The screen wasnt assembled correctly. So IMO you wont have any trouble getting a replacement.
Click to expand...

ajthomason said:
I just said that there was dust under the screen and they asked no more questions. If they do for you, just keep quoting the word "unacceptable" and tell them that being forced into an 18 month contract and being stuck with a phone that is below standard is unacceptable as well.

Or just threaten to return the phone and buy a new one - you're within 14 days, so they have to do that!
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Thanks very much for your help guys. Hopefully i will be posting back here tomorrow lunchtime off my new, dust-free iPhone (touch wood)!
 
i think all the 3g iphones have dust under the screen. i've been through a few so far and they all have dust. take a look at it with the screen off, in natural daylight. you'll see some. poor, poor quality control.
 
orijinal said:
i think all the 3g iphones have dust under the screen. i've been through a few so far and they all have dust. take a look at it with the screen off, in natural daylight. you'll see some. poor, poor quality control.
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I have seen three so far with no dust at all. So there are some out there, and i don't see why i shouldn't be one of those lucky owners!
 
sallythemac said:
I have seen three so far with no dust at all. So there are some out there, and i don't see why i shouldn't be one of those lucky owners!
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maybe i'm just too anal then or look too close. i've had a couple and they all have had dust and have had four friends who have it, too. i bet if i looked close enough in the apple store i'd find some, too. i also read others in forums and other threads who have the same problem. it may not be ALL the phones, but it's WAY, way too many to be acceptable.
 
orijinal said:
maybe i'm just too anal then or look too close. i've had a couple and they all have had dust and have had four friends who have it, too. i bet if i looked close enough in the apple store i'd find some, too. i also read others in forums and other threads who have the same problem. it may not be ALL the phones, but it's WAY, way too many to be acceptable.
Click to expand...

Yeh i totally agree its unacceptable. And that's why i'm off to Apple tomorrow to ask for a replacement.
 
orijinal said:
i think all the 3g iphones have dust under the screen. i've been through a few so far and they all have dust. poor, poor quality control.
Click to expand...

Not really. The reason these 3G iPhones have dust under the screen is something which I and everybody else thought was a great move. Like having a normal headphone jack compared to 2G`s recessed jack is a much more logical choice.

Similarly it sounded completely logical that apple decided not to glue the screen and the glass together this time. Its really unfair when you are forced to buy the complete package of screen, glass, digitzer when only one of the these three is the faulty one. Unfortunately this has led to a completely new problem. Since the screen is not glued there is now a lot more chance of dust particles entering your iPhone screen.


So it not POOR quality control. They messed it up at the design table only. The screen/glass damage is now cheaper, easier to repair than before but at the cost of having dust under your screen.
 
ImNoSuperMan said:
Not really. The reason these 3G iPhones have dust under the screen is something which I and everybody else thought was a great move. Like having a normal headphone jack compared to 2G`s recessed jack is a much more logical choice.

Similarly it sounded completely logical that apple decided not to glue the screen and the glass together this time. Its really unfair when you are forced to buy the complete package of screen, glass, digitzer when only one of the these three is the faulty one. Unfortunately this has led to a completely new problem. Since the screen is not glued there is now a lot more chance of dust particles entering your iPhone screen.


So it not POOR quality control. They messed it up at the design table only. The screen/glass damage is now cheaper, easier to repair than before but at the cost of having dust under your screen.
Click to expand...

i haven't seen any new dust get into the phone since owning them, but rather that this dust has been there since i purchased it, ie. in manufacturing.
 
sallythemac said:
I'm back... with a new iPhone! No questions, straight swap. All good! :D
Click to expand...

This is what I am talking about...a person who actually went and did something for themselves...

Hey folks if you have dead pixels or dust under the screen...take it back and get a new one. You are well within your rights.
 
So I bought a 16GB 3G just under 2 weeks ago and noticed a dust piece on the top right of the screen.

I took it in today and the genius saw it and actually found another also on the right side. He agreed to exchange it for another black 16GB.

We activated the new black 16GB and what do you know, it has dust too! And this time there are 2 pieces in the middle of the screen, and one off to the right side.

He was extremely nice and said that yes this can happen with the manufacturing and he couldn't guarentee that another one would be clear, but he went ahead and ordered a 3rd one, since they were out of stock of the 16GB replacements. He said they'd call me when it came in.

My question is, how common is this? Is this just something you've got to live with if you get a 3g or do most people not have this dust?

Also, is there a limit to the number of replacements? I would think that if it was a manufacturing defect that warranted a replacement the first time, it would hold up as a valid argument each time you encountered that defect.

*crossing fingers that the 3rd time is a charm*
 
Megatron said:
So I bought a 16GB 3G just under 2 weeks ago and noticed a dust piece on the top right of the screen.

I took it in today and the genius saw it and actually found another also on the right side. He agreed to exchange it for another black 16GB.

We activated the new black 16GB and what do you know, it has dust too! And this time there are 2 pieces in the middle of the screen, and one off to the right side.

He was extremely nice and said that yes this can happen with the manufacturing and he couldn't guarentee that another one would be clear, but he went ahead and ordered a 3rd one, since they were out of stock of the 16GB replacements. He said they'd call me when it came in.

My question is, how common is this? Is this just something you've got to live with if you get a 3g or do most people not have this dust?

Also, is there a limit to the number of replacements? I would think that if it was a manufacturing defect that warranted a replacement the first time, it would hold up as a valid argument each time you encountered that defect.

*crossing fingers that the 3rd time is a charm*
Click to expand...

I am on my 5th iPhone and am contemplating taking this back for a yellow screen (plus two weak pixels and a piece of dust). I was at the Regent Street store last week whilst in London and the "Genius" brought out 3 iPhones and i refused all of them for having dust under the screen. He said they ran out of all replacement 16Gbs and i would have to come back. I was in Manchester the next week and went to the Arndale Centre for my swap. They had 11 replacements in stock.

No there isn't a limit to the number of replacements, because they can't say "we'll replace it for problem X" and then just because it's your 5th iPhone your returning say "no we won't let u return this one for problem x, because u have returned so many", because they have already excepted that problem x warrants a replacement.

I am so scrupulous about checking my replacements now because each time i get one there is always something wrong with them. I thought i'd get used to the yellow tinge, but i'm not. It's horrible.
 
I have a hair under my screen :eek:. I first suspected a row of malfunctioning pixels, but apparently it is a hair, because it moves a little bit when I slightly shake the iPhone.

If you look at my iPhone from the side, you can see that the glass is not perfectly flat. The upper-right corner is slightly elevated. You can also press it in, which can't be done with the other corners or sides. The chrome bezel doesn't align with the glass (or actually with the rubber in between). This is where the hair probably entered.

I reject the idea that the dust under the screen is a design flaw, because Apple stopped putting glue between the screen and the glass. I've owned an iPod touch for well over 6 months before owning the iPhone 3G. It was completely dust free. This has the same design (no glue between the screen and the glass). Therefore, I just think it is sloppy QC or manufacturing. Probably a combination of both.

I want to swap my iPhone. But I also want to wait until I'm sure the matters are resolved. It would be interesting to know, when your iPhones were manufactured. Mine's from week 27.
 
When I went to replace my first phone for light leak and dust they brought out two replacement phones that had dust under the glass, worse than my original one. The third one was clean so I took it. One week later some dust had gotten under the screen and I had already gotten a scratch on the screen :(. I went into the store and had no trouble in getting another replacement. I like how they don't give you any problems during the swap, it just sucks that this is happening to so many phones. Hopefully they will fix this issue, and at that time I figure my phone will be littered with dust and I can get a good replacement.

Dustin
 
Had dust under my screen & exchanged for one that is perfect. No dust/light leaks or cracks - cross your fingers! I was SOL for a week because when I returned it "genius" boy did a full refund instead of an exchange & wanted me to pay an additional $399 for the new phone while my account gets credited. I ended up walking out empty handed with a de-activated SIM card. All of this for dust! you can imagine how much hell I got from my wife. Picked the new one up this morning & so far no dust, dead pixels, cracks, light leakage or yellow screen.
 
sallythemac said:
I am on my 5th iPhone and am contemplating taking this back for a yellow screen (plus two weak pixels and a piece of dust). I was at the Regent Street store last week whilst in London and the "Genius" brought out 3 iPhones and i refused all of them for having dust under the screen. He said they ran out of all replacement 16Gbs and i would have to come back. I was in Manchester the next week and went to the Arndale Centre for my swap. They had 11 replacements in stock.
Click to expand...

Don't think that you're alone - I'm now on my 3rd. The one that I mentioned earlier in this thread (the replacement for the one with dust) turned out to have a horrible yellow tint to the screen, 3 dead pixels and crashed a lot. I got it replaced in Southampton a couple of days ago (when I tried to prove it had a yellow screen, the genius whipped his out of his pocket and it turned out that his was even worse than mine! - he warned me that getting a perfect one was like playing the lottery but still happily replaced it). The replacement one I have now seemed perfect at first glance, but turns out to have a light leak all the way down the left hand side and a couple of pieces of dust under the glass (but interestingly enough not on the screen, actually on the black bit at the bottom of the phone). I've given up though - it is a lot better than the second phone... but I still miss the first one - I wish that I'd never traded it!!!

It's not worth going back to Southampton (2 hours drive away), especially as my problem is only visible in the dark. If only the apple store at the Trafford Centre (Manchester) had had no replacements when I went the first time - I would have just stuck with the first phone!

There seem to be some REALLY BAD quality control issues with the iPhone 3G - I have had 3 of them (all with problems), my father has one with dust under the screen, even the Apple Genius had one with a horrible yellow tint... The only good thing that I can say is how great the geniuses are at replacing them - the guy at the CPW just looked at me as if I was a moron and claimed there was no problem before telling me that the IMEI number didn't exist (this was after lying to me by telling me that there were none available (after having been told that they had 10 in stock) only to find out that they were all 'reserved').

@droeun - They all seem perfect... then you use it for a week and notice the problems! (sorry to be a pessimist!).

Anyway, that's it - and the morals from my rant? Avoid the Carphone Whorehouse at ALL costs, Apple store employees are great, and Apple were in such a rush to produce the pathetically limited stock that we do have that they have destroyed their reputation for high quality products.

I do hope that Mr Jobs pays attention to the amount of iPhones that seem to be returning from Apple stores compared to the ones that they are actually selling...

Unless something drastically goes wrong with my current one - I'm keeping it. I'm not risking getting an even worse one! This one is not so bad anyway (not 'acceptable' for a £160 + contract phone, but better compared to the others).

</rant>

So, who bothered to read it all anyway?! ;)
 
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