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Apple Blemishes My iPhone 7+ After Repair

R

RSNL

macrumors regular
Original poster
Dec 28, 2007
121
3
I have kept my jet black phone in a case and screen protector since the first day of release to avoid scratches and blemishes on the jet black finish. I try to keep my phone in new shape for resale value every 2 years to purchase the new models.

On Monday I brought my phone in for a missing pixel on my screen. It's still under the 1st year Applecare and agreed to fix it. One hour later they came out the backroom and showed me that that the screen and graphics board have been replaced. They also were able to save my screen protector! I was happy and put it back in it's case. The next day I decided to clean my phone and noticed blemishes all around the top/bottom/sides of the phone. Not just hairline scratches!

I called Apple and said to make a genius apt and return to the store. I told them to document what I said because I wont be able to make it in until the weekend because of work.


I know I should've examined it before I left, but I was happy and didn't think that they would have handled my phone without care. What are the chances they will replace the casing of my iPhone? Or do you guys think they will just say SOL?

Thanks for reading. I'm just very irritated about what they did.
[doublepost=1486572214][/doublepost]Also hairline swirls on the back.
 

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Hopefully the store will help you. Whenever I get a repair I thoroughly inspect the device before even signing that I have picked it up. Doesn't matter if it's a phone or computer. I make sure it's just as I left it. My old iMac came back with a gouge in the screen. It wasn't there before and they ended up replacing it because they documented on the repair order the screen was flawless.
 
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RSNL said:
Pretty much all around the sides of the phone. And then the scratches on the back of the phone.
Click to expand...

Have you removed your phone from the case lately and looked to see if the case was scratching it?

Did you look at you JB before giving it to the Geek for repairs?

Some have reported scratches from their case. It is quite common for grit to get between the case and phone and abrade the finish even on a regular iPhone. The JB would be very prone to damage.
 
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RSNL said:
I have kept my jet black phone in a case and screen protector since the first day of release to avoid scratches and blemishes on the jet black finish. I try to keep my phone in new shape for resale value every 2 years to purchase the new models.

On Monday I brought my phone in for a missing pixel on my screen. It's still under the 1st year Applecare and agreed to fix it. One hour later they came out the backroom and showed me that that the screen and graphics board have been replaced. They also were able to save my screen protector! I was happy and put it back in it's case. The next day I decided to clean my phone and noticed blemishes all around the top/bottom/sides of the phone. Not just hairline scratches!

I called Apple and said to make a genius apt and return to the store. I told them to document what I said because I wont be able to make it in until the weekend because of work.


I know I should've examined it before I left, but I was happy and didn't think that they would have handled my phone without care. What are the chances they will replace the casing of my iPhone? Or do you guys think they will just say SOL?

Thanks for reading. I'm just very irritated about what they did.
[doublepost=1486572214][/doublepost]Also hairline swirls on the back.
Click to expand...

Perhaps Apple may have contributed to some of it. But I do agree with others on here, cases can be the worst culprit, even if you don't it's your case, it likely was. Especially with the Jet Black color. It doesn't take much for unseen debris to scuff the Jet Black color.

Also, the damaged area's from your pictures indicate where the case may have caused the damage.
 
Mlrollin91 said:
Hopefully the store will help you. Whenever I get a repair I thoroughly inspect the device before even signing that I have picked it up. Doesn't matter if it's a phone or computer. I make sure it's just as I left it. My old iMac came back with a gouge in the screen. It wasn't there before and they ended up replacing it because they documented on the repair order the screen was flawless.
Click to expand...
Same. My 2011 MacBook Pro, anti glare screen, had a scratch in the anti glare film after a repair. They replaced the screen.... with the non anti glare screen -.- but then ordered and replaced the screen with a brand new anti glare screen.
 
This is most likely caused by your case and you hadn't inspected it well enough before handing them your device. If they did mishandle it as you say, I would expect most of the scratches to be all around the back of the device. Instead from the pictures it looks like they are concentrated on the edges right where your phone contacts the case from inside. Unless they were using it as a hockey puck I doubt they caused all those scratches in an hour.
 
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I just had my matte black 7 camera replaced at an Apple store the other day. Phone is in literal mint condition, aside from scratches on the antenna lines, which were there out of the box btw.i also noticed that (as others are mentioning) my tech 21 case has unfortunately caused even more scratches to the antenna lines, just as bad as your photos. I didn't notice this until removing the case for the first time today under the Apple Store lights. It's been wrapped in the case since unboxing.

Anyway, after the repair, I noticed a few specks on the back. Specifically, the Apple logo had a speck that cannot be wiped off, where as it was previously flawless. Also, there's a small silver speck on the back under the logo...kind of like paint chipping. My screen also had a few dust scratches, which I know were not previously there - only because I've had a tempered glass on since day one.

What irritated me most, however, was after getting home I noticed a very large amount of what I assume is the glue or bonding agent, alongside the entire right side of the phone display - right where the display meets the bezel. I am assuming this happened when they resealed the display after replacing the camera. I was able to remove the excess with a razor, but still...just kind of sloppy to leave such a mess exposed like that. I wish I had taken photos. It honestly looked like the rubber gasket was misaligned, and was just hanging off the edge of the screen, where it meets the bezel. I was initially worried about the waterproofing of the phone, and kind of still am...but it looks like the plastic part of the bezel is still lined up perfectly. So I dunno...it did seem sloppy, however the turnaround time was quick, and it was the last repair of the night.

FWIW, I know the folks doing these repairs are under an extreme making of time constraints, so I'm not upset...just a bit disappointed. If I sent my car in for repairs, and it came back with glue hanging out and a few new scratches, that'd be an entirely different story. This is just a phone.
 
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The antenna bands on the JB are garbage, they'll get marked from just rubbing against the inside of your case when removing it. Mine are the same.

Also from memory, Apple has a calibration machine that each phone gets put into after a screen repair. Any other minor marks around the casing are likely from that. It's a necessary step in ensuring the screen was correctly applied and is working fine. I also wouldn't underestimate the damage that small particles that get under cases can do.

Either way, good luck in getting Apple to replace the case. I take it you had to sign for it when getting it back?
 
Most in this forum will back Apple no matter if it's obviously their fault, so don't expect much here. That said, I once sent in a pristine iPod Touch to Apple for a repair and it came back looking like it went through a war with the amount of scratches on the rear. I made them accept a return and refund my money. Similarly, as I've described on the forum before, I brought a MacBook Air into my local Apple Store for an issue last spring and right there in front of me the "genius" manhandled my pristine computer, picking it up by the display and sliding it roughly around on the counter. I stopped him before any visible damage was done thankfully. God only knows what they do in the back out of sight of the customers.
 
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I'd try to talk to them but I'm not sure how far you'll get with it.

For anyone reading this now, always take a photo before repairs, trade in, etc. They've got timestamps. If you take it immediately before you send it/bring it in for repairs, you've got proof of their neglect.

I learned this after a month fight over them saying the SE I was trading in at T-Mobile had a crack in the screen. Thankfully after a long drawn out back and forth it was found that my phone was one of about 25 that got damaged being sent from the T-Mobile store to their warehouse. If other phones hadn't been damaged, I'd have had to pay insurance on a phone that I didn't damage and then trade that in too.
 
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Apple did a repair on my matte black 7, when I got it back the bottom was completely destroyed. Like they took a knife and scraped the coating off. Did a whole phone swap after arguing with them.

Apple isn't perfect Macrumors/fanbois. lol
 
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Armen said:
It's most likely the case to be honest. My JB 7+ has been in a case since day 1 and there are a few spots around the edges that are far from perfect. I think what happens is abrasive particles get caught between the case and the phone and just causes marks.
Click to expand...

This is EXACTLY why I did not get the Jet Black 7+. While I'm in love with it, I know all-too-well that it takes essentially nothing to mar such a high-gloss black.
 
Batt4Christ said:
This is EXACTLY why I did not get the Jet Black 7+. While I'm in love with it, I know all-too-well that it takes essentially nothing to mar such a high-gloss black.
Click to expand...

Initially I got the Matte Black but after seeing the JB in person I couldn't resist.
 
AndrewR23 said:
Apple did a repair on my matte black 7, when I got it back the bottom was completely destroyed. Like they took a knife and scraped the coating off. Did a whole phone swap after arguing with them.

Apple isn't perfect Macrumors/fanbois. lol
Click to expand...

I agree if Apple damaged the device, they should be held responsible. One thing I think is to remember, is if the back of the aluminum casing is scratched for whatever reason by Apple, in some cases, they could just replace the aluminum casing, which is relatively easy and fairly cheap to do, versus replacing the whole iPhone.
 
Relentless Power said:
I agree if Apple damaged the device, they should be held responsible. One thing I think is to remember, is if the back of the aluminum casing is scratched for whatever reason by Apple, in some cases, they could just replace the aluminum casing, which is relatively easy and fairly cheap to do, versus replacing the whole iPhone.
Click to expand...
They can't replace the casing because then they would need to remove all the parts of the entire phone. That's incredibly time consuming, difficult and unnecessary
 
AndrewR23 said:
They can't replace the casing because then they would need to remove all the parts of the entire phone. That's incredibly time consuming, difficult and unnecessary
Click to expand...

You're correct. I construed the casing for the screen. The screen would be easier to replace over the casing, if the screen would be damaged or scratched during the repair process.

Also, the downside with the aluminum casing, if it is scratched, it's permanent.
 
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