Galaxy S3 screen cracked by itself.... anyone else? Verizon..

[bsweetness]

Hi everyone!! I am a new owner of an S3 and was ecstatic to get it 2 wks ago today!! Bought an Otterbox Commuter right away and stealth shield screen protectors - I'm an adult and take great care of my phones... Last phone was 2yrs old and not a scratch ANYWHERE!! I'm just cautious.

So I was doing housework and the phone was lying up on the kitchen table... (all day!) Went to pick it up to go into the living room and saw what I thought was a hair - corner to corner ... Went to the light and was like "wtf" Took my otterbox of and peeled back screen protector to discover a small crack UNDER the screen!!! I literally CRIED my eyes out!! I am so careful with my phones and it saddens me deeply.

My husband thinks the OTTERBOX did it?! *cuz it's sooooo tight -- almost too tight!!* and I even emailed Otterbox asking if it was possible but got a generic reply about if I want a otterbox replacement provide pics; etc.. No I WANT A PHONE!! Now I'm afraid if I put the otterbox on it it will cause more cracking?!?! For anyone unfamiliar with the otterbox commuter for s3 - it's a rubber case which slips on = followed but a HARD case that is almost impossible to get on!! The crack occurred corner to corner right where the plastic case snaps into the corner rubber feet!! (bottom left)

I THANKFULLY! had added the insurance right after getting the phone (my son and I both got them) because the investment with cases; etc became a quick monthly salary and we felt it was important to be covered, But I truly do not feel I should have to pay for a refurbished phone just 14 days after activation!! (seriously activated August 2) But most stories online are saying they do NOT cover screens for warranty!!

I contacted Samsung after reading a bunch of reports about similar issues and of course they say 'No, we've heard no such reports' I told the rep that was surprising because I'd heard about that on many forums; youtube; verizon forums; etc. but that was that...

Should I try to talk to Verizon too!? Or do I just wait and see if it spreads then pay for a replacement?!?

Other than this serious issue I LOVE MY S3!!! The OTTERBOX - Not so much This phone is not strong enough for such a tight case in my opinion - Tho I will never know for sure if the case is the blame... Most cracks underneath are "stress" cracks.. It was not stressed/broke/banged in any other way than that of the otterbox....unless its a serious manufacturer's issue.

Merged with one of the existing threads on cracked screens.

Given the more numerous than normal reports of screens on the S3 cracking without any known cause, I'd venture to say that your Otterbox Commuter didn't cause the crack. Many people use that case, and this is the first I've heard of anyone thinking it might be the cause of a crack. Anything is possible, but I'd venture to say it isn't the cause of the crack.

From what the many posters have said regarding their experiences trying to get the phone replaced due to a cracked screen that appeared to happen out of nowhere, you'll have a difficult time getting anywhere with Verizon or Samsung on a replacement short of going the insurance route. But the more people that report the issue, the more of a chance that Verizon or Samsung will eventually do something. There's no guarantee of that, but every little bit should help.

 

[DroidNOOB5]

Thanks for merging, I'd read and almost posted here, but wasn't sure... (didn't want to hijack)

I'm hoping that SS or someone fesses up that tho in small numbers, this IS happening.. My son hasn't had any issues at all... I hope he doesn't as both of us love this phone...

 

[hotconductor]

Last week we got up in the morning, we check our phones, and when my wife hit the home button on her phone it suddenly cracked from the home button out. No impact, nothing. WAS NOT DROPPED. I will take a photo tonight when I get home but it look EXACTLY like another photo posted in this thread. Ridiculous.

Has anyone else had any success with Verizon or Samsung? Visiting the Verizon store was an ordeal. I had to re-explain to each tech as they continually babied me. Apparently you are supposed to not use the phone, but rather leave it on a shelf.

Samsung's phone support was a nightmare. Worse than Dell. Much worse. Obviously they have outsourced their tech support to India, and they just ask questions on their screen and answer as directed on the screen. I was polite and asked to speak to a manager but was put on hold for 30 minutes and then hung up at that point. They have no intention of answering my calls or anyone else's.

I will be visiting my local Verizon store again to follow up, and will likely be doing this daily until they fix this. They were supposedly getting intouch with their "Samsung representative" but they haven't called me back or in any way updated me on this. So I will be visiting them daily, and asking politely every day, until they either, replace the phone or get me in direct contact with the Samsung rep so that he/she can replace the phone.

This screenshot was posted by another member here, but this is EXACTLY what my wife's phone looks like, except in white... http://www.droidforums.net/forum/at...en-two-day-old-samsung-galaxy-s3-imag0480.jpg

 

[jgmecarter]

Last week we got up in the morning, we check our phones, and when my wife hit the home button on her phone it suddenly cracked from the home button out. No impact, nothing. WAS NOT DROPPED. I will take a photo tonight when I get home but it look EXACTLY like another photo posted in this thread. Ridiculous.

Has anyone else had any success with Verizon or Samsung? Visiting the Verizon store was an ordeal. I had to re-explain to each tech as they continually babied me. Apparently you are supposed to not use the phone, but rather leave it on a shelf.

Samsung's phone support was a nightmare. Worse than Dell. Much worse. Obviously they have outsourced their tech support to India, and they just ask questions on their screen and answer as directed on the screen. I was polite and asked to speak to a manager but was put on hold for 30 minutes and then hung up at that point. They have no intention of answering my calls or anyone else's.

I will be visiting my local Verizon store again to follow up, and will likely be doing this daily until they fix this. They were supposedly getting intouch with their "Samsung representative" but they haven't called me back or in any way updated me on this. So I will be visiting them daily, and asking politely every day, until they either, replace the phone or get me in direct contact with the Samsung rep so that he/she can replace the phone.

This screenshot was posted by another member here, but this is EXACTLY what my wife's phone looks like, except in white... http://www.droidforums.net/forum/attachments/galaxy-s3-general-discussion/53964d1343950936-cracked-screen-two-day-old-samsung-galaxy-s3-imag0480.jpg

My wife's phone did that as well. I called Verizon and they sent me a new one. But from what I have been reading it does not sound like other people are having the same luck

 

[tarabeth]

My Galaxy S3 screen cracked at home button...

I woke up this mining and pressed the home button on my Samsung galaxy s3 as I always do to check the time. I shortly thereafter realized the screen was shattered beneath the rubber incipio case (bought at the time of purehase from verizon) and the home button.
A couple things came to mind:
1. My phone had gotten really hot the night before in my front pocketb OR
2. I have llittle phone breaking gremlins who come into my house at night with their miniature hammers who sabotaged my 18 day old love of my life, the thus far amazing s3!
Went to the Verizon store where I purchased the phone on August 10th after being told by Verizon tech support over the phone it would be covered by manufacturer warranty (1 year). Verizon store accused me of lying and said I obviously dropped my phone even though the cracks are obviously below the home button and protruding case which have no damage whatsoever.
They then informed that I DID NOT purchase the $6.99 insurance that o clearly asked for the day I purchased this $700 phone. They informed me that I need to purchase the insurance and make a claim in 30 days. I will be forced to pay another $100 on top of the original $300 and will receive a refurbished phone that I'll have the joy of transferring all of my data to and reconfiguring all of my apps. SWEET! I attached a picture of the broken screen which I ironically took with my husband's s3 that I talked him into getting.

 

[wvdroidman]

yeah there is no way you dropped it and it did just that. Unless it hit a rock at the right spot..
It is looking like I might have to consider the rezound or razr or nexus.

 

[TisMyDroid]

I would call Verizon back. It should be covered by manufacturers warranty not insurance, imho!

Sent from my DROID RAZR Maxx using Droid Forums

 

[bsweetness]

I would call Verizon back. It should be covered by manufacturers warranty not insurance, imho!

Sent from my DROID RAZR Maxx using Droid Forums

While there have been several reports of it here, it seems that it's not an extremely widespread issue. If it were extremely widespread, with as many Galaxy S3's that have been sold around the world, Samsung would have had to acknowledge it by now. So, I'm guessing that the problem - and it clearly does appear that there is a problem, at least with some batches - hasn't been large enough for Samsung to feel the need to address it. A screen that breaks on its own without any drops or forceful hits should be covered under warranty. But often, a company won't address an issue unless its big enough to be a major problem for them, either from a sales or from a publicity standpoint. So far, this particular problem doesn't appear to be major enough to do either, so they're probably not concerned about it. I'm certainly not saying that they shouldn't be concerned, because they should, but typically, that's how large businesses operate when it comes to this sort of thing.

It's similar to the car recall formula in Fight Club:

"A new car built by my company leaves somewhere traveling at 60 mph. The rear differential locks up. The car crashes and burns with everyone trapped inside. Now, should we initiate a recall? Take the number of vehicles in the field, A, multiply by the probable rate of failure, B, multiply by the average out-of-court settlement, C. A times B times C equals X. If X is less than the cost of a recall, we don't do one."

Except in this case, it's the number of phones multiplied by the probable rate of the screen breaking on its own, multiplied by the cost to replace the phones, multiplied by the cost to the company that bad publicity that could bring about if the phone starts to be viewed as flawed by the general public. I think the probable rate of the screen breaking on its own is extremely low (if it wasn't, it would be all over the internet in a major way), so that alone is enough for Samsung to not worry about it.

Apple found itself in a similar situation with the antenna in the iPhone 4. They ultimately decided it was financially worthwhile to compensate users and alleviate the negative press that the issue was bringing (which in turn garnered positive press because they were actively doing something to address the issue). For Samsung, there's been no negative press about the screen cracking on the S3, and it isn't happening in widespread numbers, so they probably don't see the need to address it.

 

[tarabeth]

vzw has only been selling the s3 for a month...

Considering that vzw has only been selling the galaxy s3 for a month, I wonder if in the next 30 days while I wait for my 'insurance' to be activated Samsung or Verizon might come out with a recall? The last woman I spoke with at vzw phone support told me that she didn't know why the store would accuse me of lying considering that this has happened in the past with one of the HTC phones...she said there was a huge recall because people were putting the phone to their ear and the screen would shatter. I asked her if there is a database that they keep to let the manufacturer know about these type of issues and she said no. So how does Samsung find out??? Maybe I should forward this forum to them... :-Q

 

[tarabeth]

I forgot to mention that when I went into the store their reasoning for it not being covered by the manufacturer warranty was that the crack is hardware issue...is it true that if they send it in as a manufacturer problem and Samsung determined it was caused by user negligence I would get charged $250? I am really curious how other people on this thread were able to return theirs with broken screen issues...??? I am in CA but could travel to a different store! I would love to have Verizon replace it just so I could return to my local vzw store to let them know I don't appreciate being accused of being a liar!

 

[TisMyDroid]

I forgot to mention that when I went into the store their reasoning for it not being covered by the manufacturer warranty was that the crack is hardware issue...is it true that if they send it in as a manufacturer problem and Samsung determined it was caused by user negligence I would get charged $250? I am really curious how other people on this thread were able to return theirs with broken screen issues...??? I am in CA but could travel to a different store! I would love to have Verizon replace it just so I could return to my local vzw store to let them know I don't appreciate being accused of being a liar!

A hardware issue is covered by the manufacturer warranty which means it is also covered by Verizon and not by insurance. Insurance is for one damage caused by the owner (water damage, dropped and broken, rooted and bricked, etc). Verizon/manufacturer warranty covers hardware and software defects (speakers not working, bad radios, display not working for no reason, etc, etc, etc). Your situation if it appears that owner damage could not have caused the damage would be under warranty not insurance.

Yes, if after the phone was replaced under warranty and it was determined that it was damage caused by the owner then the owner could be charged for the cost of the replacement. I have not heard of any situations where someone experienced such a charge. An example where that might happen is a phone was replaced and it was discovered that the phone was rooted or the phone had actually suffered water damage.

You could try another store or try calling Verizon (especially if you already talked to them and they said it would be covered). You could also try calling Samsung.

Sent from my DROID RAZR Maxx using Droid Forums

 

[kparks]

I woke up this mining and pressed the home button on my Samsung galaxy s3 as I always do to check the time. I shortly thereafter realized the screen was shattered beneath the rubber incipio case (bought at the time of purehase from verizon) and the home button.
A couple things came to mind:
1. My phone had gotten really hot the night before in my front pocketb OR
2. I have llittle phone breaking gremlins who come into my house at night with their miniature hammers who sabotaged my 18 day old love of my life, the thus far amazing s3!
Went to the Verizon store where I purchased the phone on August 10th after being told by Verizon tech support over the phone it would be covered by manufacturer warranty (1 year). Verizon store accused me of lying and said I obviously dropped my phone even though the cracks are obviously below the home button and protruding case which have no damage whatsoever.
They then informed that I DID NOT purchase the $6.99 insurance that o clearly asked for the day I purchased this $700 phone. They informed me that I need to purchase the insurance and make a claim in 30 days. I will be forced to pay another $100 on top of the original $300 and will receive a refurbished phone that I'll have the joy of transferring all of my data to and reconfiguring all of my apps. SWEET! I attached a picture of the broken screen which I ironically took with my husband's s3 that I talked him into getting.

Not the insurance fraud topic again lol

 

[mkstn]

maybe samsung needs to get hit with another class action suit to get them to admit there is a problem with the glass. it may have been just a bad batch. my s3 fell off my desk onto a tile floor... no damage but it was in an Otter case .

 

[TisMyDroid]

Not the insurance fraud topic again lol

I believe it is more a "shouldn't this be covered by the manufacturers warranty when it appears to be clearly a manufacturer defect than being forced to buy the worthless insurance" topic.

I have never bought the insurance and never will because the insurance is a scam, imo... why spend $7 a month which would've amounted to spending a total of over $300 over the past 4 years I've owned a smart phone then pay an additional $100 if I need to use it. In the unlikely event that I am responsible for ruining my phone, I would rather use that $400 to buy a used phone of my choice rather than receive a used phone from insurance. (And I do have a phone with a shattered screen that sits in a drawer because I replaced it myself for much less money using my eligible upgrade). Just mho!

Sent from my DROID RAZR Maxx using Droid Forums

 

[liftedplane]

I believe it is more a "shouldn't this be covered by the manufacturers warranty when it appears to be clearly a manufacturer defect than being forced to buy the worthless insurance" topic.

I have never bought the insurance and never will because the insurance is a scam, imo... why spend $7 a month which would've amounted to spending a total of over $300 over the past 4 years I've owned a smart phone then pay an additional $100 if I need to use it. In the unlikely event that I am responsible for ruining my phone, I would rather use that $400 to buy a used phone of my choice rather than receive a used phone from insurance. (And I do have a phone with a shattered screen that sits in a drawer because I replaced it myself for much less money using my eligible upgrade). Just mho!

Sent from my DROID RAZR Maxx using Droid Forums

So you save that 400 but do you honestly have it laying around or did you spend it on a latte.

That's the problem everyone always says they'd save hundreds without it, what they fail too realize is that unless they put that money away monthly you probably won't have it just lying around when you break your phone.

Besides i like having an extended warranty with the Tec.

Sent from my frozenly delicious bionic.