[matthew32811]

i do have insurance, but essentially its a $199 fee to replace an insured phone. the phone is still working however the screen is blank and its not a galaxy s4 active. is there anything i could specifically tell att so that they just replace the phone without charging me $199. i have had the phone under 1 month and i only paid $100 for it to begin with so i have a hard time with paying $199 to replace my phone. what options are available to possibly fix the phone for very minimal or free cost?

[mrsmumbles]

First remove the battery and dry it with soft paper towels. Try to dry off any water on the insides of the phone and outside.

Pour a huge bottle of rubbing alcohol into a glass baking pan like Corningware. Put the open phone and battery in the rubbing alcohol pan and let the alcohol dissolve any mineral deposits from the water (and kill germs).

After a while take the phone parts and battery out of the alcohol and dry them again.

Then put them into a nice big bag of rice and leave it for a week. Don't turn the phone on or remove it from rice for a week.

Good luck

Sent from my LG870 via Tapatalk 2

[Fairclough]

I never wanted to try the alcohol method, was i didn't want yo wet my phone more but I can see the logic and it's vaporises rapidly and would take water with it.

+1 on rice. Works a charm most of the time.

- Android Central App. N'oublions jamais l'Australie, Villers-Bretonneux. Prepare for January 26.

[mrsmumbles]

I know, the alcohol seems scary because it's a liquid, but apparently it is best because it can dissolve the minerals or chemicals from the water which will otherwise cause corrosion and bricking. I think it's probably a miracle if a wet smartphone comes back to life.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk 2

[Garvin6600]

I had the same experience .Dropped mine in toilet on week 2!
I had a full price phone $640 no contract.

I got a replacement for $200.
As I had paid by credit card. .purchase was covered by Buyer Protection! !
Got a check for the full amount from credit card co.!! $704 including Tax!

Posted via Android Central App

[George53]

If you've only had the phone a few days you're probably still eligible to get a SquareTrade warranty which I believe will replace the phone free of charge, even if it gets physically damaged.

I would not want to dry it out and reuse it, because no matter how much alcohol you wipe on it, I'm still going to be thinking about it floating next to a POS when I go to press it against my face. I think the Black Death started that way. lol Good luck.

[anon(156377)]

This is called fraud if you're trying to get a free replacement due to your own negligence. Obviously there are acceptions like buyer protection.

Sent while enjoying a Pabst

[NetworkGuy]

If you try to take it back to the store as defective, they will open the unit and check the moisture indicators. Both the battery and the actual phones indicators will be triggered showing water damage. You won't be able to swap it out. Best bet is the rice (never heard of the alcohol), and hope for the best