Vodafone Smart Platinum 7 spontaneous glass crack

[The_Neviller]

So, last night my Vodafone Smart Platinum 7 back glass just cracked without any external force or dropping of any kind. I had it on charge for a while, and then took it off. It felt a bit warm but nothing out of the usual. I carried it outside to go for a cigarette, where it was cold, and without it hitting anything, being dropped it anything that you'd expect to cause damage, I heard it crack while it was in my hand. I looked around it and there's a hairline crack running down the middle of the back glass, from the fingerprint scanner right down to the bottom of the glass.

Anyone ever experienced this? Any of the Vodafone advisers able to help me? I assume this is covered by warranty since it isn't accidental damage?

[The_Neviller]

Physical damage*

[BandOfBrothers]

You can but across your case to them. 

As I said in my first reply...

"The difficulty your going to face is you proving this isn't user caused."

[AnnS]

Hi @The_Neviller

Take the phone into a store and let them take a look at it.

From what you describe, with the hairline crack going from hot to cold caused the screen to crack.  However, the glass is gorilla glass and should have been able to withstand the slight change of temperature.

You can only try and ask, but the store may say the repair is chargeable.

[hrym]

If the phone had been dropped, there ought to be other damage from the impact of landing.   If you can show that there's nothing, you may be able to convince the store that the damage is spontaneous.   I agree that it's the transition from hot to cold that's likely to be the cause, and also that it shouldn't happen to Gorilla glass.   However, the screen is structural in most phones and therefore subject to quite a lot of stress - spontaneous cracks aren't unknown, though not that common.   There may already have been a weakness, possibly caused just by being in a pocket, though also possibly in the manufacturing process.

This is going to be difficult to prove, so be prepared to be firm, patient and above all, polite.   All you can do is try, but post back here if you don't get anywhere and the Tech Team will pick the thread up.

[The_Neviller]

Yeah, there's not another mark on it. It's completely flawless as it's a new phone, only a month old. I took it into the store today, and they had a look at it and said themselves that there is no sign of dropping damage, as there isn't even a sign of a scratch, dent or scuff on the phone, just the crack.

The hairline crack starts from the bottom of the fingerprint scanner, which is obviously a cut out from a solid piece of glass, and runs down to the bottom of the glass, so my guess (not that it's worth much since I know very little about how these phones are put together) is that there is/was a weakness where the glass has been cut.

[hrym]

That seems credible.   It's still possible that stress caused in a pocket could have initiated a weakness, but I thought that the whole point of Gorilla glass was to avoid that and anyway, lots of phone have cutouts for scanners and home buttons.  Plus, as I said, although this isn't unknown, it's  not common.   Did the store offer to send the phone off for repair?   They wouldn't be able to make a commitment to a warranty job, but a note from them that there's no sign of accidental damage would probably help on that score.

From what you say, this does sound like a fault and we'd normally recommend going direct to the manufacturer.  In this case, it's not an option, of course, and you have to deal with Vodafone's repair shop.

Give that a try and see what they say.   If they want to charge, they'll give you a quote and you can always turn it down and get the device back.   If that happens, post back here and the Tech team may be able to get involved (though whether they can mandate a warranty repair I'm not sure).

The other thing to try would be to give it best and look for a stick-on glass screen protector to limit further damage.   I think @BandOfBrothers knows more about them than I do.

[The_Neviller]

Yeah, they told me to back it up and bring it in again tomorrow. They're going to see if they can get a loan phone I can use while I wait on this one being sorted.

I would assume with Vodafone being the manufacturer, they'll be able to stand over their devices just the same way any other manufacturer would though, right?

[BandOfBrothers]

Hi @hrym

A Tempered glass screen back protector would help to stop the crack from growing ,and help to hide it. 

I've been looking at various spec sites and they talk about the front screen being 2.5D Gorilla Glass front and the back being 'The premium glass back'

gsmarena says "Corning Gorilla Glass (unspecified version)" for the front. 

At this point I'm unsure wether the back is Corning Gorilla Glass. 

I appreciate no apparent damage is showing which would point to a drop but I've come across similar experiences over the years and it can be put across that the phone may have been in a case at the time or aesthetic damage isn't always caused by a drop depending on the type of floor it was dropped on. 

@The_Neviller I'm in no way suggesting it was dropped but just advising what can be attributed to the damage. 

[The_Neviller]

@BandOfBrothers yeah I appreciate what you're saying, and if I'd have been able to find one in the store I bought the phone in it would probably have been in a case, but I've yet to find one I like. The problem with buying a phone that isn't as popular as Samsung's or Sony's etc, I guess.

And yeah, I appreciate that it's hard to convince anyone it wasn't dropped, but it genuinely did just crack in my hand and it would be gutting for the warranty to be voided by something that wasn't caused by me or anyone else.

Where would I find a tempered glass back protector that fits this phone, what with the fingerprint scanner and camera cut out?

[BandOfBrothers]

Hi,

As I mentioned I'm not disputing what's occurred.

There are different sites such as eBay or Amazon that can be searched both for cases and Tempered Glass Screens. 

Edit : There are options on eBay specifically for protectors for the phones back. 

Online accessory shops exist too. 

You could look at the specs of your phone and look to see if another make and model from another manufacturer closely matches it and look for protectors for that if you can't find a specific one. 

Highstreet Shops such as Cpw. 

I use the Samsung Galaxy s7 edge and due to its curved screen I've yet to find one I'm happy with. I've tried x4 Tempered Glass screens thus far. I don't like the plastic options due to the feel of them. 

When choosing a case my preference is minimal. I opted for the original Samsung Leather Case that the phone sits into and covers the back and provides some lay on table protection, and cost £40 from Samsung.

To be honest it adds grip and some protection but not lots of it. 

Im not into putting enough Tpu and silicone / plastic around my phones that they'd survive a nuclear winter.