Unresponsive screen on S4

[firesole03]

So I pulled the trigger and upgraded myself and the GF to S4s a little over a month ago. Of course 3 days later shes drops hers in the toilet at a Superbowl party. Yanked the batt dried everything off and left the phone over night in a bag of rice. It took a few days but everything eventually started working again just as normal. Now, a month later, her screen just stops working. you can wake the screen but when attempting to input her pass code only a few of the numbers respond to touch. It appears as if the only responsive areas are a few random spots on the screen. The screen is clean and shows zero signs of damage. I can't call Verizon and claim defective equipment due to the water incident on day 3. My current thoughts are to file the insurance claim and report it lost. Suggestions???

 

[anoniemouse]

To be safe it is recommended to leave a phone that has taken a swim/dunk in water, in a container of rice for 4 days to have a chance to dry it out properly.
You will more than likely find there was still moisture in the phone that started the problem off.
As for the insurance check through your policy you may find you are covered for accidental damage, which this would fall under.

 

[Rukbat]

Read Wet Phone You DO NOT put a wet phone into rice until AFTER you've gotten it clean and dry inside. The corrosion that started because of the impurities in the water kept corroding parts inside the phone, even if you got it what you thought was 100% dry, every time the humidity went up. Eventually, if you leave it in rice long enough (without cleaning it first), the phone will be totally dead.

Reporting it lost, if the insurance covers loss (some only cover theft if you provide a copy of the police report) is insurance fraud, a felony. (Not that many people are caught, but the insurance companies come down particularly hard on those they do catch, because that kind of fraud costs them a fortune [which they pass on to us as higher premiums - I used to pay $5/month for the most expensive phones on the market for full replacement coverage].)

 

[anoniemouse]

I used to pay $5/month for the most expensive phones on the market for full replacement coverage].)

I got full coverage of all members of my household for phones covered in my home insurance as part of the standard policy.