iPhone 5 lock button not working

I am extremely dissatisfied over this whole thing. I had twice went to the apple store for this issue and they refused to help me, insisting it was software. Fast forward until my phone is out of warranty and I find this thread. Now I know it is hardware and I am hosed. Meanwhile the button continued to get worse until it would not work at all. Major frustration ensues for several weeks.

I finally cannot take it anymore. I go to take it to the Apple store to get it fixed. THe Apple store is now closed for renovations for anothe rmonth (go figure) so I opt to pay a phone repair store located next door the Apple store in the mall for the repair. In the process, something happens to the accelerometer (or whatever part it is) where now the phone screen will not dim and go inactive while on a call - but the power button now works like new again. I'm happy - kind of - the new issue is very frustrating too.

2 weeks after paying out of pocket for this to be done, Apple releases this power lock button recall, finally confessing to the issue we all knew existed all along.

Apple refuses to do anything for me because the repair was performed by a 3rd party. This is even though I did not have an apple store to go to and the repair program did not yet exist (by a matter of 2 weeks).

They will not give me a partial refund even though I cna provide an invoice dated 2 weeks earlier. They will not give me app store credit. They will not do anything.

This whole experience has me never wanting to buy another Apple phone. And then come the iPhone 6 rumors... *&!<&%

All is well that ends well!

It turned out that there was a mixup with two mobiles and somebody else's dented phone was thought to be mine. So now I have a new refurbished one with a three-month guarantee. Not bad.

Thank you Apple

if you're going in to get this fixed be sure you back up your phone on your computer, not just the icloud as i did, as when they gave me a replacement, not only did I have to use a computer to restore it anyway as it was given me with a flat battery and an old operating system but the icloud backup did not restore the apps that had since been removed from the app store (I was gutted). So please don't make the same mistake

My problem is that I recently bought the phone used from a friend, and it's also out of warrenty, having had the screen replaced by an unauthorized technician (myself). That and the only Apple store in my country is in Stockholm, which is a 6 our train ride. What are my options? Order a new lock button ribbon connector?

Yes.