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Help Unbelievably crappy luck = cracked glass

youngdoc

Well-Known Member
Section 1 (optional reading): The Vent

Ordered an Otterbox for my GNex last week; it arrived two days ago; I cracked my glass last night before I had a chance to put on the case.

It's a little frustrating because it was such a short fall. I had my phone in my left hip pocket and as I sat down in my car seat it slipped out and dropped on the pavement -- probably only a 12-18" fall, but that's all it took. It landed on the upper right corner and fractured the glass there. The cracks are small -- they haven't spread beyond the upper right corner of the phone -- but of course one is directly across the front facing camera.

I didn't purchase insurance because I've had good luck in the past -- I've owned a TBolt, DInc, and an Eris without issues, but go figure, this has been my favorite phone and one short drop was all it took. I am so. Incredibly. Bummed. (thanks for listening).

Section 2: Legitimate Question

So, my GNex glass is cracked... what are my options? I assume I can (1) live with it; or (2) buy a new one at full price. Is there a third option, i.e., get the glass replaced? Failing that, is there a market for used phones with broken glass (eBay, etc?)
 
Last I checked the digitizer was $200 I don't know if you can get it cheaper. Or if you have insurance its $100.
 
there are people that would buy it and replace the glass.

this is one of the reasons i keep insurance on all my phones....i never run a case, however, i have never cracked the glass on any of my phones either...but it only takes one fall to do it. sorry about your loss, hope you get it figured out....

oh, and everyone knows to keep the phone in your right pocket, keys in the left....that way if/when it falls out sitting down in your car, it will just fall into the car somewhere ;)
 
I saw in another post someone claimed that Samsung will replace the screen for $163 or something like that. Reach out to Samsung and find out.
 
I know this doesn't help you now, but seriously, get insurance next time. It's only like $7/month and brings piece of mind.
 
I know this doesn't help you now, but seriously, get insurance next time. It's only like $7/month and brings piece of mind.

I've owned a smartphone for 5 years now.

At $7/month, I would have paid for a whole brand new, no-contract phone, and never collected on my insurance claim.

Alternately, all of my on-contract phones would have been free - and again, I never would have collected on a claim.

Insurance is fine, but it's a decision to be weighed, not something that "seriously," everyone should get. Personally, I don't buy insurance for items that I can reasonably afford to replace out of pocket.
 
I've owned a smartphone for 5 years now.

At $7/month, I would have paid for a whole brand new, no-contract phone, and never collected on my insurance claim.

Alternately, all of my on-contract phones would have been free - and again, I never would have collected on a claim.

Insurance is fine, but it's a decision to be weighed, not something that "seriously," everyone should get. Personally, I don't buy insurance for items that I can reasonably afford to replace out of pocket.

Reasonable minds may differ regarding the insurance issue. Like all insurance, you can never predict whether you will ultimately reap the benefits, that's why it's called insurance. I never bothered because my phones (until recently) were always pretty affordable. Now that they are in the more expensive range, I will have to rethink it. But let's not get off on an insurance yes or no tangent here, that will just lead to flaming. Does anyone have any concrete links to services that might replace the glass/digitizer?
 
OK, I contacted Samsung. I was hoping to get more info via this forum to save some time, but I gave up and did the heavy lifting myself. Hopefully this saves others time in the future:

If your GNex glass is cracked and you want to get it repaired by Samsung, here are the details:

1. Call the 800 number, rather than setting up a repair ticket online. The online system is pretty poor -- I tried that initially and my credit card was charged $70 for the basic repair hold fee. However, I did not receive a return shipping label as instructed, so I called the 800 number and after several transfers I was told that the repair would actually be $163.46. I'm fine with that (it's far better than $600+ for a new phone), but the hoops that I had to jump through to get the charge adjusted were brutal. That's why I recommend just doing it by phone. Here is the contact info:

SAMSUNG REPAIR CENTER, RSI
2901 SUMMIT AVE SUITE 100 Plano TX 75074
Phone: 888-987-4357
Fax: 469-241-4774

Call the 888 number and when provided with the prompts choose mobile, then mobile again, and then specifically the Android department (otherwise you will be transferred mercilessly). Create a ticket via phone and they will email you a shipping label. The $163.46 covers the repair and shipping both ways. I was told that the repair is expected to take 7 days total -- 2 days to ship to them, 2 to repair it, and 2 to ship it back, with one fudge day added. I will post back to confirm this and to details my experience.
 
That seems like a pretty reasonable price.... and much better than trying the DIY route or an unknown repair service. Definitely post back with your experience.
 
OK, I contacted Samsung. [...] I will post back to confirm this and to details my experience.
Thanks for taking the time to post your experience (and potential followup). These details probably deserve a sticky, somewhere, as I'm sure you're not the first or last person to have suffered screen damage of this sort.

I hope it's repaired to your satisfaction.
 
Has anyone had a replacement phone from Asurion? I'm going to file a claim soon. I also have a crack on my screen. I was wondering if you get a refurbished phone or a new phone? Also if it's a refurbished one, how is the quality? Am I going to hate my replacement phone?
 
My Asurion replacements have always been refurbs. I got a refurb Droid from Asurion last year and it was in excellent condition. Like new. I think people are wary of refurbs b/c they think they are used phones that are going to look worn. In reality, they are open box returns that can't be resold, or defective units that were repaired.

On the other hand, I got 4 refurbs from Verizon in the first year I had my Droid....because every one had a serious problem....including one that had been clearly used. I had one where the speaker didn't work at all.....how does that get through even a basic check? So SOME refurbs are not 'quality controlled'.

My guess is that because Asurion is a service you pay for, and pay a lot for, they are more concerned with providing working phones - I never really read the contract (doh) but maybe they guarantee "like new condition" or something....whereas whoever handles the Verizon refurbs doesn't give a crap.
 
Wow, that's an amazing price quote. I called Sammy trying to get the screen replaced on my 10.1 tab and the guy was useless. Said that the 7" was about $400 so the 10.1 would be significantly more (wouldn't give me an actual price). I tried to get a bit angry with him since the tablet was a mere 2 months old, wouldn't budge. Ended up giving it away to someone who would replace the screen since I got a Prime.

In regards to insurance, we've had it on both our phones for almost 3 years. Yeah, it's a high cost over times if you never use it. But, I pay a crap ton for health insurance that I don't use since I'm young and healthy. If I get into a car accident and have to pay several K for medical assistance I'll be very happy I had insurance (I know, a poor analogy monetarily wise, but valid nonetheless).
 
In my experience Asurion gives a refurb phone. When you get it check it thoroughly. If anything is not right call them and they will give a brand new phone at no extra cost. This happened with my Thunderbolt where the power button was soft, they sent me a new one.
 
I was told that the repair is expected to take 7 days total -- 2 days to ship to them, 2 to repair it, and 2 to ship it back, with one fudge day added. I will post back to confirm this and to details my experience.

I had mine repaired from Samsung and it takes a little longer than 6 days. I sent mine on a Monday and did not get it back till almost the end of the next week. I used my OG Droid in the mean time... -Ryan
 
I've owned a smartphone for 5 years now.

At $7/month, I would have paid for a whole brand new, no-contract phone, and never collected on my insurance claim.

Alternately, all of my on-contract phones would have been free - and again, I never would have collected on a claim.

Insurance is fine, but it's a decision to be weighed, not something that "seriously," everyone should get. Personally, I don't buy insurance for items that I can reasonably afford to replace out of pocket.

I've been with Verizon for about three years and had insurance on all my phones the entire time. Never had a claim until a couple of months ago when my Nexus took a trip from the kitchen table to the tile.... needless to say broken screen.

I went online and filed an insurance claim and had a brand new phone the next day. Not a refurb, a brand new one in the box with battery, headphones and all. $7 a month is a small price to pay knowing you have that piece of mind.
 
I just finished filing a claim with Asurion. My SGN also has a cracked screen (I have no idea how it happened). So tomorrow I will find out if it's a new or refurbished phone. Either way the process was very smooth and fairly easy. I've had insurance for two phones and this is the first time I ever had to use it.
 
I just finished filing a claim with Asurion. My SGN also has a cracked screen (I have no idea how it happened). So tomorrow I will find out if it's a new or refurbished phone. Either way the process was very smooth and fairly easy. I've had insurance for two phones and this is the first time I ever had to use it.

My Asurion replacement is due tomorrow as well. I have had a smart phone for the last 3+ years and never had insurance. Never needed it. :rolleyes: I signed up last week "just in case" since they were offering open enrolement. Thankfully I took that chance and signed up. I dropped my GNex yesterday :( what is it about the top right corner? Have read more than once thats where they break from falls. Weak spot in the glass?
 
My Asurion replacement is due tomorrow as well. I have had a smart phone for the last 3+ years and never had insurance. Never needed it. :rolleyes: I signed up last week "just in case" since they were offering open enrolement. Thankfully I took that chance and signed up. I dropped my GNex yesterday :( what is it about the top right corner? Have read more than once thats where they break from falls. Weak spot in the glass?

that's interesting, that's where mine broke -the top right edge. Sucks, I've dropped alot of phones in the past, this is the first to crack the glass. I put my Samsung Galaxy S through hell, that thing is still going strong.
 
I know this doesn't help you now, but seriously, get insurance next time. It's only like $7/month and brings piece of mind.

I have two of them, so it would be $14 a month. In year's time, that's $168.

Plus, the older the phone gets, the easier it would be to replace it with a used, refurb, etc. After it's been out a year, it plummets in cost.

So I take the risk. I think they charge too much for the insurance, especially for a multiple phone account.
 
Plus, the older the phone gets, the easier it would be to replace it with a used, refurb, etc. After it's been out a year, it plummets in cost.

Yeah, so just do what I do and get insurance until it's about a year old and then drop it. It's not like a contract where you're obligated to keep it for any amount of time. When the phone goes for under $200 used (but decent condition), I just call up Verizon and drop the insurance.
 
I have three phone's on my account each with insurance - $21 a month. The way I look at is I'll blow $20+ bucks at Ihop for some half ass pancakes. So $21 a month is a small price to pay for having the peace of mind of knowing that my phone is protected, plus the replacement is overnighted. And, If I do something like scratch the screen, crack the plastic, or somehow brick it from ROM/Kernel hopping, I can just report it as broken/stolen/lost and get a brand new phone for $99 with no questions asked.
I guess everyone has their own reasons, but I use my phone for ALOT of stuff. So if something was to happen to it, I need that over night replacement.

Also, I've already put a scratch on the glass - is it just me or is the glass on these phones not up to par? So I plan on spending the $99 for another replacement within the next couple of months. You only get two replacements a year so I'm waiting it out.
 
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