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You are here: MacNN Forums > Hardware - Troubleshooting and Discussion > iPhone, iPad & iPod > OMG!!! Water Damage!! on my Iphone!!!!

OMG!!! Water Damage!! on my Iphone!!!!
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cr18
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Jul 4, 2007, 11:17 PM
 
Now the touch screen wont recognize input!!! what do i do!!??? can they find out and not fix it?
     
steamy
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Jul 5, 2007, 02:27 AM
 
eBay it
     
michaelb
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Jul 5, 2007, 03:49 AM
 
Let it dry out, then take it in for warranty, saying "it stopped working." Chances are they'll replace it on the spot.

They even gave a guy who accidentally broke his screen a new one on the spot.



At this stage of the honeymoon period, I don't think Apple wants any reports of damage or unhappy customers to tarnish the halo (think of the damage Engadget did when they blew out the Nano scratching beyond all proportion).

PS DON'T EVEN THINK OF EBAYING IT! That's unethical. I would expect better from a Mac user.
     
chipchen
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Jul 5, 2007, 05:00 AM
 
What happened?
     
chipchen
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Jul 5, 2007, 05:01 AM
 
Originally Posted by michaelb View Post
PS DON'T EVEN THINK OF EBAYING IT! That's unethical. I would expect better from a Mac user.
I don't see what's wrong with Ebaying it. People ebay broken stuff on ebay all the time. Just type in broken iPod and you'll get tons of results.

You can just ebay it saying "broken iphone. sold as is." nothing wrong with that.
     
TETENAL
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Jul 5, 2007, 07:48 AM
 
Cell phones - because they often land in the laundry - have humidity indicator dots inside that permanently change colour when they get wet. Does the iPhone have those as well?
     
cr18  (op)
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Jul 5, 2007, 07:57 AM
 
I really regret buying an iPhone, knowing how clumsy of a person I am and how delicate a piece of hardware it is! I slipped into the banks of a creek on my 4th of july!! Im just wondering how thoroughly they'll investigate the reason behind its malfunction.
     
mdc
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Jul 5, 2007, 08:52 AM
 
some phones have a sensor type thing inside which changes color when wet.
my friend's phone had never been wet before and she sent it for a screen repair, they told her the "sensor" thing showedwater damage and wouldn't repair it.
     
shinykaro
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Jul 5, 2007, 10:09 AM
 
Ditto on the humidity sensor. I dropped my RAZR in the bathtub and when I opened it up there was a white paper dot that quickly turned red from the moisture. I took it apart and let it dry as well as I could. Let the iPhone dry. You can't really take it apart so easily but give it 24-48 hours and see what happens. You'll still be within that "honeymoon" period.

Good luck!
     
shabbasuraj
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Jul 5, 2007, 10:15 AM
 
return it
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vln2
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Jul 5, 2007, 10:21 AM
 
     
cr18  (op)
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Jul 5, 2007, 10:24 AM
 
Wish me luck everyone! I'm off to the apple store to see if I can get this replaced.. I pray to god the iPhone is too delicate for employees to crack open and inspect in the store!

I'll report back later and let everyone know!
     
CadetStimpy
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Jul 5, 2007, 10:31 AM
 
The issue now is gonna be whether or not they've got any left to replace it with. As of Tuesday, half the Apple stores and all of the Cingular/AT&T stores were completely out of stock.
Scott :)
     
cr18  (op)
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Jul 5, 2007, 11:51 AM
 
Thanks everyone for your replies! I did as michaelb suggested and went back to the apple store and played dumb. They replaced my iPhone with a new one and i was sent on my way no questions asked! Case Closed!
     
shabbasuraj
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Jul 5, 2007, 12:35 PM
 
yay team
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icruise
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Jul 5, 2007, 12:49 PM
 
I'm not entirely sure I approve, but I can't really blame you either. How did they go about switching your AT&T account over to the new phone? I understand that it's more complex than just swapping SIMS.
     
UNTeMac
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Jul 5, 2007, 01:47 PM
 
Given the enormous profit Apple makes on these things ($250+), I'm not surprised at their generosity early on. The iMac was the new beginning in the 90's for Apple and the iPhone works the same way now.
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cr18  (op)
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Jul 5, 2007, 02:04 PM
 
Originally Posted by icruise View Post
I'm not entirely sure I approve, but I can't really blame you either. How did they go about switching your AT&T account over to the new phone? I understand that it's more complex than just swapping SIMS.
From how I understood it, the employee who helped me out swapped out my old sim and put it in the new iPhone, from there he forced at&t to activate the phone from the store.
     
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Jul 6, 2007, 04:24 PM
 
I found a dead pixel on my iPhone screen the day after I got it (day after iDay). I brought it in and they promptly exchanged it. They swapped the SIM card and sent me home to activate it (which consisted of docking it and clicking one button). I then resynced it and all is well.

I friggin love Apple.
     
amazing
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Jul 6, 2007, 04:30 PM
 
This is the problem with having no insurance--ATT charges $5/month for phone insurance, but the iPhone doesn't qualify.

So how are folks gonna insure against loss or theft?
     
::maroma::
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Jul 6, 2007, 07:43 PM
 
Originally Posted by amazing View Post
This is the problem with having no insurance--ATT charges $5/month for phone insurance, but the iPhone doesn't qualify.

So how are folks gonna insure against loss or theft?
We don't really know yet what Apple Care will cover when Apple releases it for the iPhone. I have a feeling that's why its not ready yet. If it was going to cover the same way it covers the iPod I think it would have been available on day one.
     
spiff72
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Jul 6, 2007, 08:19 PM
 
Originally Posted by ::maroma:: View Post
We don't really know yet what Apple Care will cover when Apple releases it for the iPhone. I have a feeling that's why its not ready yet. If it was going to cover the same way it covers the iPod I think it would have been available on day one.
I think it is safe to say that Applecare isn't insurance - it is an extended warranty. I can pretty much guarantee that it won't cover any sort of accidental damage (just like the current Applecare you can get with other Apple products).

I might be willing to pay 5 or 10 bucks a month to cover the risk of accidental damage if they offered it.
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amazing
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Jul 6, 2007, 08:50 PM
 
If Apple were going to offer Applecare for the iPhone, I think they would've had it out by now. I'm afraid they're not going to offer an extended warranty, just as other mobiles don't have extended warranties...

Anybody called Safeware for a quote?
     
spiff72
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Jul 6, 2007, 09:02 PM
 
Actually I asked about Applecare on the phone when I bought my iPhone at the Apple Store in Grand Rapids, MI. They told me that it wasn't available yet, but it would be available in July (he gave a date, but I can't remember what it was - probably mid-late July). I think he said the price would be $69, and it was good for 2 years (from the original date of phone sale).

I wish I was listening better rather than staring, glassy-eyed at the phone.
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chipchen
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Jul 6, 2007, 11:01 PM
 
UNOFFICIAL WORD ON ACCIDENTAL DAMAGE ON IPHONE:

(got from from an Apple Store insider) Don't expect Apple to cover all your iPhone problems indefinitely. And don't expect them to swap them out instantly each time either. Apple has given the Apple Stores a mandate to "capture" EVERY problem iPhone for about 2 weeks from the release. That means, Apple will take back ANY iPhone with a verified problem (not just customer non-satisfaction) for this time period. So if you crack the screen or have dead pixels, or etc... make sure you get it to an Apple Store before these two weeks are up. Basically, at the beginning of a product release, Apple tends to have the stores "capture" problem products to send back to Apple engineering to see what problems there are, and see whether they are manufacturing related or, etc. With the iPhone release though, Apple has upped this about 50 times what they normally do for a product release.

So, while the service is above and beyond right now... don't expect Apple to just give you a new iPhone when you drop your iPhone on the cement a few months from now.
     
Simon
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Jul 7, 2007, 04:08 AM
 
AppleCare for the iPhone will be out in July. It's $69 for two years. (AppleStore > Warranty)

AppleCare isn't insurance, it's warranty extension. If you're clumsy either get additional private insurance or start paying attention.
     
amazing
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Jul 7, 2007, 03:39 PM
 
I'd be waiting until the very end of the one-year original Applecare to get a sense as to whether there's likely to be problems.

I'm more wondering about theft and damage insurance?

Edit: just saw the following story about whether Safeware is going to jump into the breach to cover the iphone--if they did, it'd cost $85/year.

Macworld: News: Insurer may jump in to cover iPhones
( Last edited by amazing; Jul 7, 2007 at 03:47 PM. )
     
Eriamjh
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Jul 7, 2007, 06:19 PM
 
Jeez, you people are clumsy. You should take better care of your $500 and $600 iPhones.

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PhotoBug
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Jul 7, 2007, 06:31 PM
 
My old Cell went swimming with me one day(i dove in a pool and forgot i had the phone) and it stopped working. one week later it just started up and works like a charm. I'm not sure if it just had to dry or whatever but i was lucky.
     
sailin74
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Jul 7, 2007, 09:39 PM
 
Well you could take it back and explain it to them.

Might want to see what protection your credit card provides for purchases, they often insure against damage for a period of time.

Other than that, buy a new one if you liked it.
     
stevesnj
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Jul 8, 2007, 01:13 AM
 
Originally Posted by amazing View Post
If Apple were going to offer Applecare for the iPhone, I think they would've had it out by now. I'm afraid they're not going to offer an extended warranty, just as other mobiles don't have extended warranties...

Anybody called Safeware for a quote?
They told me that they are aware of the iPhone but they have yet to set a plan for pricing. But they will soon
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Rolando_jose
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Jul 9, 2007, 11:53 PM
 
Here in Panama, humidity goes from 80 to 89 % as a normal rate, for what you have said I wonder if the humidity thingie changes color just after you walk a few meter with your phone : )


Roland
     
analogika
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Jul 10, 2007, 02:02 AM
 
Originally Posted by UNTeMac View Post
Given the enormous profit Apple makes on these things ($250+), I'm not surprised at their generosity early on.
The numbers you quote cover PARTS, not assembly, packaging, marketing, shipping, import taxes, and personnel, etc.
     
CIA
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Jul 10, 2007, 06:47 PM
 
That little sticker that changes color when wet. I've always called it the "F*CK YOU" sticker. Since it will change color if kept in a sweaty pocket, like (in my first case) at a outdoor concert on a hot day. The second time was in a moist pocket snowboarding. No damage to the phone, but the sticker changed just enough so that when I had a legit problem a few months later, it wasn't covered. I got f*cked by that sticker.
Serioiusly, if you take your phone into the bathroom on a hot sticky day, leave it on the counter while showering, it will probably change color. I learned on my third phone to cover it up with tape, effectivly sealing it. Too bad that won't work on the iPhone (if it even has one).
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scubus
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Jul 12, 2007, 06:59 PM
 
Originally Posted by michaelb View Post
Let it dry out, then take it in for warranty, saying "it stopped working." Chances are they'll replace it on the spot.
...and I suppose this is ethical?
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drfun
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Jul 14, 2007, 02:51 PM
 
Ethical, well no. But if you dont think apple is prepared to to evaluate every repair that arrives on a case by case basis then you might be fooling yourself. After all this is not the first electronic device apple had made.

Wether its ethical or not, people are still going to try and have it fixed.

The truth is with water damage, as soon as you take apart the phone there will still be a trace of water marks if not corrosion on the contacts were the chips meet the board.
Even if you get lucky and dry it out, and it works. The corrosion might start getting bad enough that 7 months down the road it will stop working.

Im not saying this to be an @$s, its just the facts that I have seen working on pagers, phones, and laptops over the years.
     
amazing
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Jul 14, 2007, 04:37 PM
 
So, Applecare is available for the iPhone. The battery seems to be covered for the first year, so will it be covered when you buy the additional coverage? I'm inclined to say, "not likely!"

How very unlike Apple to not have Applecare available for sale with the original product! How much revenue did Apple miss out on? Will people remember to buy before their first year is up?
     
icruise
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Jul 14, 2007, 04:42 PM
 
Originally Posted by amazing View Post
So, Applecare is available for the iPhone. The battery seems to be covered for the first year, so will it be covered when you buy the additional coverage? I'm inclined to say, "not likely!" ?
Why? iPod batteries are covered by Applecare.
     
amazing
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Jul 14, 2007, 09:45 PM
 
Are they really? Wow, if iPhone batteries are covered for the additional 2 years, then the overblown battery "issue" vanishes like the chimera that it always was.
     
icruise
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Jul 14, 2007, 10:09 PM
 
They are covered, although you should note that Applecare on iPods only extends the warranty for an additional year, for a total of 2.
     
   
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