iPhone 12 Pro Apple’s professional screen protector installer scratched my iPhone 12 Pro

[RayLancer]

What’s PVD?

It’s a coating they use to get stainless steel to look a certain color and also protect it from minor scratches and scuffs. Silver stainless steel doesn’t have this making it easier to polish. But you can’t do with with the other colors. Also once the PVD comes off it’ll look pretty terrible.

https://www.reddit.com/r/apple/comments/7xgs1w

This is what a ruined Space Gray iPhone X really looks like

A few days ago, I told you how I “ruined” my iPhone X in less than a minute, and that many of you have probably …

www.google.com

 

[Boardiesboi]

That’s a really bad experience you’ve had OP!

I understand if the user is careless and scratched their new iPhones by accident but getting a protector installed by them should not lead to scratches.

Maybe the machines weren’t calibrated for the width of the new phones?

Either way I’d just install it myself without a guide. The flat screen this year makes it much easier to install.

 

[AndrewR23]

At least Silver can polished easily unlike other colors since there's no PVD coating. My silver hasn't shipped yet but now I'm considering canceling and trying to go with Graphite in store.

My graphite came with scratches out of the box too. It is what it is

 

[symphony]

That’s a really bad experience you’ve had OP!

I understand if the user is careless and scratched their new iPhones by accident but getting a protector installed by them should not lead to scratches.

Maybe the machines weren’t calibrated for the width of the new phones?

Either way I’d just install it myself without a guide. The flat screen this year makes it much easier to install.

I think it’s just the plastic gripping on the polished finish. Because my plastic alignment tool for a screen protector I installed myself yesterday also left some marks on the steel. Which I also made a post about.

 

[NM08SRT8]

Honestly, the screen protector is beyond grade F tier trash so I’m not surprised and I doubt they’ll exchange the phone.

Reading is fundamental.

 

[Agent OrangeZ]

Imagine putting your whole life on hold because you want to complain about someone complaining about a scratch...

Yes... because taking 10 seconds to make a comment on a forum is the same as going back to the store... to complain about a scratch on a phone... demand a replacement... despite knowing their is no supply right now... and spending $25 in cab fare to do so...

 

[symphony]

The good thing is you helped them find out it was the machine and they didn’t try and blame you. It was good of them to replace the phone as well. As bad as your Apple day has been, you got great customer service which I don’t think you will find anywhere else.

Yeah, they were really nice. I just can’t stop thinking about what I did when I left the Apple Store, I feel kinda guilty.

After I got my iPhone in graphite, I ran into the supervisor from a distance on the way out and he was saying about how he’ll get the screen protector issue sorted out & thanking me (couldn’t really hear him), and I awkwardly said “okay, awesome” then walked out 🤦🏻 Hopefully he didn’t take it in a rude way, because I wasn’t actually trying to be. I did thank them previously, but still. I did not come off well........... 😅🤣🤦🏻

 

[mmomega]

The iPhone section .... she's a doozy.

 

[5105973]

Damn! Those are some dramatic scratches. I had a silver iPhone X for just under a month and yeah it really accumulated scratches. My green 11 Pro has stayed nice living in a variety of cases, even a polycarbonate one by Caudabe.

Looks like these shiney flat sides are really going to play up the scratches. I bet next year Apple goes for a brushed stainless look or some other finish.

I was never too bothered if I’m the one putting wear and tear on my iPhone back when these phones weren’t so expensive and I wasn’t counting on the trade in value of a pristine year old iPhone to help bring the cost down of my new iPhone. So I looked fondly at display scratches and case wear as “patina”. Now I fret over how much each bit of damage is going to knock off my trade in value.

Thanks for letting us know how careful we need to be with these shiny steel sides. On the plus side, you dealt with a very excellent customer service oriented manager.

 

[symphony]

Damn! Those are some dramatic scratches. I had a silver iPhone X for just under a month and yeah it really accumulated scratches. My green 11 Pro has stayed nice living in a variety of cases, even a polycarbonate one by Caudabe.

Looks like these shiney flat sides are really going to play up the scratches. I bet next year Apple goes for a brushed stainless look or some other finish.

I was never too bothered if I’m the one putting wear and tear on my iPhone back when these phones weren’t so expensive and I wasn’t counting on the trade in value of a pristine year old iPhone to help bring the cost down of my new iPhone. So I looked fondly at display scratches and case wear as “patina”. Now I fret over how much each bit of damage is going to knock off my trade in value.

Thanks for letting us know how careful we need to be with these shiny steel sides. On the plus side, you dealt with a very excellent customer service oriented manager.

Seeing micro scratches on the iPhone X curved metal didn’t bother me cuz they were hard to see because the reflections are distorted. But the flat metal is a mirror, and I can definitely see the scratches head on.

 

[symphony]

I’m going to take a train to a different Apple Store today. Going to get a screen protector for the graphite

And if you’re wondering why I didn’t go there in the first place instead of paying for a cab, it’s cuz they didn’t have any models to reserve, there’s no train that goes there.

I might try to record the process

 

[DennisdeWit]

This Belkin device that they use at APR’s an Apple Stores isn’t too great. I had a Belkin screen protector installed at my APR for my 11 Pro Max and XS Max.

So, for some reason, the iPhones don’t really fit in their applicator device. They need to ‘press’ the iPhone into the shape. And stupidly enough, it tends to pop up. I noticed many times the employee at the APR was popping my iPhone back because the applicator device kept popping out my iPhone. The employee even told me: “it is not supposed to that.”

When I will get my 12 Pro Max, I will not go to an APR again for a screen protector installation, I think. Why? My Belkin screen protector still gets lose around the edges and scratches easily. I recall the 2nd generation screen protectors for iPhone X were much better than these. In my opinion, the Belkin screenprotector is a bit overrated. This year I will try to install an Amazon screenprotector myself. It only costed 15 euro’s. I’m not expecring wonders. If it sucks, I’ll probably buy a Belkin screen protector again, but will apply it myself.

Fun fact: the Belkin iPhone 12 protector now comes with an applicator that you can use at home.

 

[Apple_Robert]

I’m going to take a train to a different Apple Store today. Going to get a screen protector for the graphite

And if you’re wondering why I didn’t go there in the first place instead of paying for a cab, it’s cuz they didn’t have any models to reserve, there’s no train that goes there.

I might try to record the process

Make sure you take time / date photos of the phone right before you get the screen protector installed. And do not mention your previous experience at the other store, unless there ends up being a problem and you are asked specifically about it.

 

[symphony]

Make sure you take time / date photos of the phone right before you get the screen protector installed. And do not mention your previous experience at the other store, unless there ends up being a problem and you are asked specifically about it.

I was going to ask them to test it out on a demo phone that was graphite before I use mine haha...

I’ll see how it goes!

 

[Gamer-Dad]

Just buy the Belkin screen protector in store and do it yourself! Comes with a nice plastic tray that the phone sits in perfect. Installation takes less then 30 seconds and is perfect! I've done them on all of my iPhones and never had an issue

 

[Royksöpp]

Are they deep scratches you can feel or are they only surface level?

 

[balzmcfearson]

I wonder how many cars that equates to.

 

[Snot Rox]

CONFIRMED! Apple’s screen protector installer DOES scratch the iPhone.

Here was my heartbreaking second trip back to the Apple Store. Another $60 wasted for a cab ride.

I met with the supervisor at the Apple Store and they inspected my unit. They tried to insert the iPhone back in the installer tray, trying to figure out what part of the tool could’ve scratched it; they didn’t understand where the scratch was coming from.

When they let me look at the tool, it was pretty clean and smooth. It was a black plastic tray with lever clamp. It didn’t really have grooves or notches that would dig into the metal band.

So the supervisor and specialist were very nice, and managed to scrounge up the last iPhone 12 Pro silver (which btw, their app says none were available; they mentioned that they do keep some extras just in case).

Anyway, the supervisor let me inspect the new iPhone 12 Pro he brought out, it was flawless. I passed it to him and he passed it to the specialist that installed it. I kept a perfect watch on the process, the specialist was smooth and careful.

But when he took the iPhone out of the tray, I knew something was wrong when he inspected the metal frame and started rubbing his thumb on the side. He passed it to the supervisor and he tried wiping it off with a cloth, I saw a glimpse of it and it was scratched to oblivion. It looked like a baby claw scratched a portion of the metal frame. WAY WORSE THAN what I got the first time at Apple.

And I’m just facepalming at myself for sarcastically joking to the supervisor by saying “imagine if this iPhone gets scratched too” and it did 🤦🏻 I’m so unlucky, I wish I didn’t say that now. In hindsight I should’ve asked if we could’ve tested this on a demo iPhone.

Well I got the last graphite iPhone 12 Pro, this time I didn’t get a screen protector installed. I didn’t wanna also risk another iPhone (especially the last one) getting scratched and going home empty handed.

They said I can still switch to silver when they restock and the supervisor will speak to the higher ups about this issue. But I’m just imagining how many people got their new iPhones scratched at the Apple Store without even knowing it. Even worse, you can’t see the scratches when the metal is smudged up by fingerprints.

Plastic damages the polished stainless steel!!! Seems as delicate as the chamfered edges of the iPhone 5s.

Damn. After reading your situation since I had mine done at the Apple store too, I took mine out of the case to inspect it. No scratches! Whew!

 

[The1andOnly]

Imagine spending $2080 only to receive a damaged product. I guess people don’t care about how much they spend or the product that they bought 🤷🏻

Yes. Although we make a big deal about a lot of small things around here, this one is inexcusable.

 

[zooby]

I used Spigen. Light weight plastic guide you drop over the screen for perfect alignment. Didn’t do a thing to the sides of the phone.

Do you actually use screen protectors?

With the notch it's easy to have it off center.

I use the Spigen one and it makes it extremely easy and it can be done in two minutes.

And the quicker an Apple Store employee can put on a screen protector the better. That's why they have machines for protectors and replacing screens.

Spigen... diy, a lot cheaper and easier to install.

I got this one for my Pro Max. How’s the quality? I tend to go for the Belkin at Apple but they’re not installing them at my Apple store. Is the quality pretty good or does it diminish the colors / screen in any way? How does it compare to the Belkin they install at the Apple store?

Let me know any other tips or comments as I am not the best at self installing these 😅

 

[lsutigerfan1976]

Bought this bad boy for 10 bucks on Amazon. Came with everything to self install. And a video you could watch online. Took me literally a few minutes. And I was done. No scratches, no bubbles.🤷🏻‍♂️

 

[AppleFeller]

Why would you get graphite?

Because it looks Pro and high end techesque yah I made a word up

 

[firedept]

Sorry to see that happened. I saw a new 12 Pro today and was thinking about how easy it was going to be to scratch them. I'm so glad my wife does ours by hand. She installs them daily at work so has become quite proficient at doing them.

 

[tt061282]

If I was OP I would be pissed too and making trips back and forth to the Apple Store.

I like the Silver model though so it does suck that the applicator messed up the last one in stock as well.

When you go tomorrow I would make darn sure before they install it for you that it doesn’t mess up the new phone.

The iPhone 12 pro is a beaut though. Still debating on the 12 pro or 12 mini. Not sure yet. For now I still am using the SE and 11.

 

[symphony]

Graphite with PVD SCRATCHED.