Weird Screen Damage

[henderjr]

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B5K0hZRXSQVDLWxOTXVzT1R3eW8

Looks like the screen is separating from the inside???

I got this back in December as a replacement through Sprint for a bad camera. Not too long after I got it I noticed what I thought was a bubble under my screen protector in the top right. Eventually it got bigger to what it is now. Took my screen protector off to replace it to find out that it's actually under the glass. It appears some dust has gotten in too. I haven't dropped it or done anything to it that I'm aware of. Sprint wants me to take it to a repair center. Nearest one is 143 miles away. Grr! Any thoughts as to what this is? Could I have damaged it somehow to cause this? There aren't any scratches or dents on it anywhere!

 

[SpookDroid]

If it's under the screen it's probably manufacturing defects unless the phone has sustained a heavy fall or water damage. If the plating inside is damaged it might just be caving in. Was your replacement unit a refurb? Either way, you should be able to claim this as warranty (unless they prove physical damage from a drop or water immersion).

 

[henderjr]

Yeah my old phone had camera issues (weird grinding/vibrating noise) so my replacement was a refurb. No heavy falls and no water damage. It just appeared as a small little "bubble" and got bigger over the course of a month. The nearest repair center is 140 miles away. My local sprint store did my last exchange but said they can't do exchanges anymore since they are a seller and not corporate owned or something like that. Not sure why they did my last one unless it's because it was an obvious camera issue and no external damage..

 

[SpookDroid]

Call their support line and explain your case. They should be able to help, at least to ship the device to the repair center if there's none available in your area.

 

[henderjr]

Yeah I'm working on chatting with them through their forum. Wanted to be able to show it to them. I'm sure they're going to want me to ship it. Crappy part is I don't have an extra Sprint compatible phone. All I have laying around is a Firephone that I use just as a wifi device but it's not sprint compatible..

 

[d1nman]

It is the "foil" on the back of the screen separating. These screens are actually clear glass with a foil adhered to them for the coloring. Happened to two of my Samsung phones on a hard drop.

 

[d1nman]

See, here is one where the glass got ripped out but the blue coloring remained on the phone

 

[henderjr]

Thanks. From what I've gathered and after chatting with Sprint in their forum they're likely going to say I did the damage but I have no idea when/how. They want to talk to me over the phone to discuss options. Pretty much the only thing I'll do is if they'll send me a replacement and I'll send them mine back. If they determine it's not my fault great. If it is then I'll just pay the $200 insurance deductible. If they won't do that then I'll probably just pay the $200 insurance claim and get a replacement. Unfortunately I don't have an extra phone to just send them this one to inspect.