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Would you pay $328 to repair a purely cosmetic blemish on your iPhone 4?
This was the question that iPhone 4 user Prem Raj had to face when he accidentally dropped his iPhone two weeks ago.
The systems support specialist said that his iPhone 4 was damaged by accident, and the entire glass back of the smartphone was badly shattered as a result.
As the phone did not fall from a significant height, operationally-wise it was working fine. The shattered glass back of Prem's iPhone 4 was also thankfully held in place by a back protector that he had applied.
Prem called Apple Care to request for his iPhone 4's back glass to be replaced, but was directed to his telco instead.
However, his telco, which he did not name, got back to him saying that the shattered glass was considered a cosmetic damage and thus not covered under warranty.
Prem said that he already expected the iPhone 4's warranty to not cover cosmetic damages, and only requested that a service centre replace the shattered glass on his phone.
Instead, the telco said that it could only do a one-to-one exchange for the iPhone 4, which will cost $328.
Appalled by the charges, Prem said that he could not see how $328 was justifiable for a pure costmetic damage to the iPhone 4 that can be easily repaired.
He rationed, "Why would I pay S$328 for a new phone when mine is still working fine, albeit the shattered back glass" If I bring my car in to the dealer to repair a dent in the door, is it reasonable for my dealer to ask me to pay for a new car?"