Scuffs/Scratches On New iPhone 5 Right Out Of The Box

I completely agree. I miss the simplicity of the iPhone, guess I should have known I would not be able to stand the switch 😝.

mritacca wrote:

The best thing to do is return the iPhone 5 and wait. When Apple sees iPhones sitting on shelves and not moving this will wake them up! Do not settle for scratches, scuffs, dents or chips out of box! This is a NEW device and it should be NEW out of box. ...

My concern is that waiting may mean a wait for up to another year until the next model is released. I really want to upgrade, primarily to get onto the LTE bandwagon. Oh, and the faster processor (my iPhone 4 feels annoyingly sluggish compared to even my iPad 3rd Gen).

But the thought of spending several hundred dollars on a device we were told is "finely crafted", and then living with nicks, scratches, rattles, dust, smudges, and other defects ... well, that would me feel like I bought a cheap knockoff, not a premium product as we expect from Apple.

Articles online have indicated that Apple is pushing Foxconn to improve the QA of the new devices. Other articles suggest the device is very difficult to build. They might already be doing the best they can given the constraints of trying to mass produce a thin device to very small tolerances.

Maybe the nicks and scratches etc should be considered to give the device "character", lol. 🙂

Lol, kudos to anyone who can chock up nicks and scratches out of the box as "character" 😝. I returned my Note 2, and I am awaiting 10pm to give the iPhone 5 another go. I have decided to bite the bullet and go with a 64GB White/Silver, hopefully this one will be good 🙂. I will be pretty ****** if I spend $400 on a scratched up iPhone, but I am going to make sure I open the box in front of the Apple rep so if there are problems they can be addressed immediately.

Good luck with the new one 🙂. I went so far as to check stock last night for pickup today but couldn't bring myself to press "buy", since I'm really reluctant to get into the whole try/return/exchange process.

It's saddening, really. I was in the PC (and non-iPhone smartphone) camp for decades and finally joined the iPhone party in late 2010, and then joined the Mac party earlier this year. Now I'm questioning my decision(s) and am actively exploring other options, still undecided on which way to go from here. I'm not one to blindly follow any one company - they need to continue to earn my business by producing desirable products.

Thank you bheiser1, and well said. I am reluctant as well but having tried Android for the past couple of days, I can say that it is definitely not for me. Blindly following one company will only make you have regrets later. If you find something that works better, then by all means switch 🙂. While I love Apple products, I have no issues writing them off it need be. If it wasn't for Android's problems (it very well could have been me 😝), I may have stayed on that side. I am buying iPhone for the iOS, which is the best mobile OS available IMO. Now if Apple can just get their quality control in check I would be all set.

Well, the store didn't have 32GB or 64GB, so I settled for a 16GB White/Silver (I don't use much anyway). Happy to report that there are absolutely no cosmetic defects at all. Going to sync it to iTunes, and hope that it functions properly 😀.

It seems the black ipad mini suffers with the same issue with scratches and chips on the bezel as well.

I went and bought an ipad mini to replace a 10.1" android tablet That was dropped by a friends daughter and was really happy with my choice as I was essentially trading up. When I got home with my purchase I opened my ipad mini box to find a chip out of the chamfered bezel on the bottom just off to the right of the home button.

To be honest it not big but its pretty deep you can feel it by running your finger over the bezel but in size it's about as big as a pin head. The retailer (currys UK) said it can't be replaced by them as its only cosmetic and not a technical fault and Apple will only replace it for a service part.

I've got a gel case ordered to keep the back protected as the screen seems pretty safe like most apple products. If the gel case covers the chip then ill be content but if not i will be getting it swapped and hope the retailer will change its stance once I give them apple's case number.

Well I am happy to report that the iPhone I bought yesterday is absolutely perfect. Apparently the phones that got returned had something wrong with the battery as well, because this one has way better battery life. I am at 1 hour 40 minutes of usage and sitting at 85%. Best of luck to everyone else who has had issues.

No one has posted any bad iPhones In a couple of days now, I wonder if Apple fixed the issue?

Anthrax82 wrote:

No one has posted any bad iPhones In a couple of days now, I wonder if Apple fixed the issue?

Not only that, but two people this week posted that they got defect-free devices. This is sounding better!

As for me, after going through about 9 bad iPhones, I finally got a mint one out of a retail box.

jla12087 wrote:

As for me, after going through about 9 bad iPhones, I finally got a mint one out of a retail box.

Wow, dealing with all those returns took a lot of time out of your life that you'll never get back. Was it worth it in the end? 🙂

Well heres a horror story for all of you.... After over a week from not hearing back from the "Executive Relations" woman. I started think "Hey i have an unused upgrade on my plan, Why not just sell the phone on Craigslist and with the money use my other upgrade and buy the phone from Apple direct or Best buy and still pocket $400?" Perfect plan right? Well yeah it could of been!

Post the phone on Craigslist for $900 which is still cheaper than buying retail. Plus no one has it in stock so its a good deal. Get a text from someone who wants it. Perfect! My plan is working out perfectly right? Shows up at night and i meet him outside my work. Looked sketchy to begin with. Two black men in a black Nissan. Look at the phone and count the money and hand it to me.

Great! Just made $900! As they drive off i notice their car had no plates. Strange right? Well what does it matter i got the cash!!! WRONG! as I good inside I look at cash and its counterfeit! I SCREAMED! AND ALMOST PASSED OUT! So now im out of an iPhone 5! What to do!! Thank God I had Asurion so I call verizon and report phone stolen. I go on Asurions site and make the claim. Everything is pretty smooth. They overnight me a brand new iPhone 5 sealed in box. Everything so far so good, I did have to pay a $200 deductible which was a ***** but whatever at least I didnt have to pay full retail. I get phone and open it , Small nick on the shiny part of bezel on the top right. Noticeable under the light.

I try to call Asurion again but they wont allow me to talk to anyone anymore. They keep refering me to their site. When I press Zero it says they cant transfer me. So im just gonna keep this one for sure. No more selling no more calling. IM DONE! This whole nightmare could of been avoided had Apple got their crap together from the get go and none of these nicks and scuffing and scratching would of never happened

For those that want to sell their phones on Craigslist, carry a counterfeit marker , never meet in a dark place where theres no one around. Meet in public places in broad daylight if possible.

Oh my gosh that *****! I sold my fist iphone 5 on Craigslist too. I'll make sure to check the cash in the future.

I dealt with executive relations as well. The iPhone they shipped me is free of any damage. Only issue is the top glass on the back is a bit uneven but by only a tiny bit. I can deal.

Yeah the only issue with mine is the small nick on the top left of the phone. Tiny nick, but visible under light. I dont want to deal with this anymore. Ill just keep it and forget about this whole iPhone 5 experiance. As long as phone is functional, thats what matters It will be in a case anyways. Would of been nice to have a mint iPhone 5 but doesnt seem like its gonna happen.