Defective back cover. Warranty?

[duceduc]

Hello. I just wanted to know if anyone have had this happened to their iPhone. I have 3 fine hair line cracks as depicted in the picture. The phone has never been dropped or crushed. Overall, the phone still looks in excellent condition.

I didn't get the applecare plan but the phone has been purchased less than a year. Will Apple warranty it?

[stonyboys]

why don't you try going to the nearest apple store and finding out?

[angiepangie]

I think hairline cracks are replaced as there was an issue with the 3G iPhones.
Only as long as you're still in warranty.

[duceduc]

Thanks. I will stop by; however, I'm from japan & I hope their warranty is the same all over.

[duceduc]

Well, I finally went to my local softbank and they exchanged my phone. However, the associate told me that since I don't see any negligent, I will replace the phone, but Apple will also review it and if they find that it is my fault, I will have to pay $260 for the replacement phone. I said ok. But....

I noticed the same hairline cracks are present on this phone and around the on/off button area. WTF!! Since the phone came out of a brown box, I will assume it is refurbished. On top of that, the vibrate is not as strong as my first one.

It was a pain to have to exchange it in the first place and to find out that the second phone is much the same. What to do? As much as I love the Iphone, the quality of the phone is chit. Heck, my 1G phone until this day, still looks in excellent condition without any cracks.

Are the 3GS phones the same? I might as well buy the 3GS since we don't really have an upgrade for the existing customers. By the way the 3GS will cost me $680 on top of a $30 additional monthly payment.

[Melech518]

Apple has an internal document about these kind of cracks. They are considered normal and covered fully under warranty. However, if they notice any neglect to the phone they will not cover. Being that this is an internal document, no Apple agent or genius will admit to you that it is covered under warranty if they feel the phone has been damaged by no fault of their own. The 3GS is actually made from a slightly thinner resin mold, so the housing is actually even more likely to get these hairline cracks. We are seeing them mostly around the dock connector on the 3GS iPhones and they are all covered under warranty and granted a replacement iPhone.

PS- If you keep seeing these cracks in the same areas on different phones you are using, you may want to take a look at the case you are keeping the phone in. Some cases put abnormal tension on weak areas of the phone causing them to crack.

[JJMA]

yes they will replace it they did mine

[duceduc]

Thanks for the reply. I don't use any case and I noticed the cracks the same day after the replacement. Since these are covered under warranty, do I have another year from the time I exchanged it or it continues from the time I purchased the phone? I don't have AppleCare btw.

[Melech518]

Normally a replacement carries your existing handsets warranty. If you just received the replacement I would call 1-800-MyiPhone and make them aware of the problem, or visit your apple store.