What exactly do I need to replace for non-functional screen on S10e?

[Bella Blossoms]

Dropped my phone into the lake with water damage. Brought it into repair shop. They said they cleaned out the water damage but then said power button needed to be replaced. Note that the battery was accepting the charge with a display on the screen indicating % charging before I brought it in after 3 days of drying it out.

When they tried to replace the power button they had issues and needed to remove the screen - they also forced the power button out by yanking it out. I got my phone back with an empty slot and no power button and they said they broke my screen trying to remove it to install the power button??? I didn't want to spend $400 for replacing the new screen. So now I am worse than when I first started: now without a screen showing me a % charge and no power button hardware. I feel a little cheated.

What should I do? What can be done? And how much will this cost me?

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! It could be a total loss. Extensive water damage like that can affect multiple components. If they replace one thing, there's no guarantee that they won't discover some other component that would need to be replaced.

 

[VidJunky]

Samsung displays are notoriously fragile and often break when removal is attempted. A qualified repair service should have known this and warned of it prior to repair attempts. In the meantime, if you accepted the risk and they did not certify the work you may have no recourse towards the repair shop.

Screens can be relatively inexpensive, depending on your definition. If your goal is just to replace the screen, a Google Shopping search turned up screens for the S10e starting around $150. There are several YouTube videos to DIY the replacement. I have replaced a few in my time and didn't find it overly difficult but getting the right adhesive and having the correct tools isn't something most people are just going to have laying around but it is possible.

Considering the extensive damage to the device, water damage, power button missing and display shot, it may not be worth the time, effort or expense. As B. Diddy mentioned you may successfully replace the screen and button only to find that something else has been affected. Even if you had insurance prior, allowing the phone to be opened by someone not recommended by your insurance, has voided any agreement you may have had with them. That's sad too because most insurance companies have begun allowing water damage as claims. With mine I think it changes the deductible but is still far less than a replacement device.

So the question is what are your alternatives?

Spend $150 and DIY the screen, plus another $7 or $8 for a power button and hope there's nothing else wrong with the device?

Save your money from the repair and just replace the device? If you're savvy you might be able to sell the device for $10 or $20 bucks for parts.

 

[L0n3N1nja]

With water damage you have no way of knowing what all got damaged, I've fixed a handful of water damaged phones via complete disassembly and cleaning the components with electronics cleaner, only one phone made a full recovery.

 

[Rukbat]

1. "They broke your screen" means that it's their liability - they have to replace it for free (if you're in the US - some countries may allow business to harm you and get away with it).

2. Charging a phone after it gets wet is electrocuting a patient with a few broken bones.

3. Consider the phone a total loss, unless you can get the "repair shop" (they're not, they're a ripoff shop - a real repair shop wouldn't break the screen) to replace the screen, the button and, possibly, the case if they damaged it when they yanked the button out. (Hope that they did, because all that would cost them more than a new phone, so they'd have to replace the phone.)

Then read Oh, no! My Phone got Wet!, especially the part about "2 zip-lock bags", so you don't get your next phone wet.