Belkin acrylic case scratches iPhone
Damn :/ The Belkin acrylic case I purchased to protect my iPhone is scratching my iPhone… Can you believe it?
It appears that some debris (?) is getting trapped between the Belkin acrylic case and my iPhone, and is leaving marks on the aluminum and plastic back cover, as well as the stainless steel screen bezel. The iPhone is a bit loose in the case, so maybe that’s the problem!
Before you think that I’m being careless:
– I always put my devices in cases (either acrylic or silicone) to protect them
– I always put my devices alone in my pockets (no coins, keys or other items)
– Even cheap (eBay special) acrylic cases have never scratched any of my devices before
– My pockets are clean of debris
I’ve contacted Apple and Belkin… I’ll keep you posted!
First update: Others are reporting the same problem – see the comments below.
Second update: AT&T refused to refund the Belkin acrylic case and to exchange my iPhone, despite selling me both…
Third update: Belkin agreed to give me a refund for the Belkin acrylic case and to cover the cost of exchanging my iPhone (10% restocking fee)!
Fourth update: My iPhone was exchanged for free :)
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tnkgrl Mobile: Tech that Matters 
I can’t believe it. I was just reading the thread on HoFo about iPhone cases when I read yours. I looked at my case and noticed some spots… sure enough… a couple ding spots just like yours. Please keep me informed of what happens. Thanks.
I’m using the same case and have similar problems. I have one small scratch and a couple spots on the back of my iPhone from the case. The iPhone has been in a case since I bought it and I also have nothing else in my pocket. I switched to the leather case from the Apple store as it is a tight snug fit. Good luck on the job hunt!
Brian
I am posting this from my iphone :)
I have the same case and noticed two days after the purchase the same thing you guys are reporting! What do we do?
Bearing in mind the iPod Nano, I think it’s more likely that Apple will be to blame for this (through shoddy product quality) than Belkin.
Your ATT store sucks. I took the case back to mine and they gladly swapped it out and even refunded me the difference on the case I swapped it out for. Luckily, my iPhone did not suffer any damage from the case. I just didn’t trust the case to stay together; it kept coming unsnapped. I did have the receipt, and ATT is supposed to take refunds for 14 days – not sure if they would exchange the phone though.
Good luck. Sorry you had this problem.
Seriously, stop wasting your time with cases. I have kept my iPhone in my pocket from release day: not a single scratch.
Additionally, why do some people feel like the need to stress over keeping POCKET devices in perfect condition? I guess its like the grandmas of the world that cover their couches in plastic. Couch looks new, but sucks to sit on!
Just let it go people… its not new, its yours, let it age, get scuffed, used. ITS OK.
I have the same problem. I contacted Belkin and although they issued me a refund for the case they indicating that in order to get a refund on the phone I would have to send it in to them so they could inspect the damage which could take up to a month. How stupid is that?
I have the same case and noticed particles getting stuck in between it and the phone. It has a few nicks on the steel strip around the phone. The back is clean though. I don’t want a new phone, but i’m definitely shooting for a refund on the case.
I bought that case because I liked the kickstand.
I took my iPhone out of it the next day because I didn’t like the loose fit. Fortunately, my iPhone wasn’t harmed, but that Belkin case is junk. The bezel fell off twice, and that combined with the poor fit was enough to convince me that my iPhone was better off with no case until I could pick up another one.
I took the Belkin back to my AT&T store, and they refunded the difference between it and the DLO Jam Jacket gel case. I suppose I could have had a full refund, but I wanted the DLO case.
The DLO case is great. It fits very well, and makes iPhone easy to hold on to.
TnkGrl,
WHO at Belkin did you talk to, to get them to cover the iPhone exchange restocking fee? I called Belkin and the manager I spoke to in customer service said I need to not only send them the case in question, but they want my iPhone also, to examine. WHAT BS! ANNNND, they said it’d be 3-4 weeks before I could have it back.
This is obsurd. Can you please give us more info on HOW you got Belkin to cover the fee for you? Or direct us to the right person or department at Belkin?
Thanks in advance!
Yup, I’ve slowly started noticing the problem too:
http://itsmeusvita.blogspot.com/2007/07/belkin-case-scratches-iphone.html
how did you contact belkin regarding this? mine is slightly scratched, not as bad as yours but the case caused a dent that i’d like to not be there. thanks
ah sorry i didn’t read the other posts
The case sucks!
I’m returning mine to the Apple store tomorrow.
I found it very difficult to remove and I was very afraid that it would scratch my phone when I was trying yo remove it.
Plus you cannot charge the phone with the case on.
I feel that Apple and AT&T should discontinue sales of this crummy case!
DO NOT BUY THIS CASE!
It’s happened to mine as well. Belkin told me to exchange the phone and pay the 10% restock fee and submit a claim and they will evaluate whether or not to reimburse me. AT&T store reps, store manager, and district manager all told me they would be fired if they didn’t charge me the restock fee for this issue. They told me that the “burden of proof” was on me and to take it up with Belkin. I called Apple and they of course said the scratches are not covered under warranty but they would repair it for $249.
Here’s the pics of the damage… http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmorley/sets/72157600800828941/
SUCK!
I dropped my 8 Gig on concrete damaged the top right corner of the steel ring. Then about an hour later after checking my E-Mail the home button quit working and when I put in the dock it say non-Apple device go in to Airplane mode? So I went to the Apple store in Rancho Cucamonga, CA. They replaced it no questions asked….. Since then I have not dropped it… YET!
I also would like to know who you talked to. When I called Belkin today about it, they said they would need me to return the case (with receipt) and the iPhone. They said they would need a minimum of 30 days to “examine” the phone to see if their case indeed caused the scratches. Being without a phone for a month is absurd. Can you help guide me to anyone? Thanks.
I just got back from the ATT store where i bought my belkin case and returned it. Had to pay a $2.50 “restock” fee cause I didn’t have the box, but no way was I going to keep using it after the few small scratches on the back of my iphone. I feel the need to use some sort of case but for now I am going to just use the phone as is.
One thing I didn’t like about the Belkin case (and will be looking at how other cases deal with this) is the edge around the top of the phone where you would listen to calls. I had trouble sometimes hearing my calls as I was trying to find a comfortable position for the phone against my ear!
I can attest to that. I purchased a belkin clear case for 25 bucks and it’s scratched up my iphone to the point i had to return it and buy another iphone. Good thing it was within the 2weeks warranty so i got another iphone. This is such a bad product. I hope belkin fixes this
Hey, uh, I was with you up till the point where you said that you were a tech blogger. Just because you blog shouldn’t mean you get treated better than, say, a grandmother who doesn’t know a blog from the bog. I have an iPhone and a belkin case but it’s this fake leather stuff and it hasn’t scratched it up. :-/
Well I got one of the Belkin acrylic cases too without reading up on them first. The case put some minor markings on my phone but nothing to bad. I brought the case back to the AT&T store and they gave me my cash back with no problems and no re-stock fee. They even offered to swap my phone out for free with no re-stocking fee. I thanked them for being helpful and left the store happy with my 26 bucks :D
I have now called AT&T and Apple both have told me that there is nothing that they can do..AT&T is only the company that sold me the crappy product and Apple allows this company to sell their product on iDay…So now I have an email waiting in some Belkin customer service person’s mailbox..(offices are closed)..I’ll probably be calling them tomorrow morning before they even have the chance to read it.
I’m just so irritated that representatives on the phone are acting as if this it the first time they they’ve heard of this problem. I know what it is like in these call centers…they are all briefed on what issues are going on out there..but when you call, they play totally stupid, it’s no like you can acuse them of lying, they’ll just lie right back.
I know that I’ll probably have the most amount of trouble because it is now Sept 11, 2007, close to 3 months after the release. I’m going to have one heck of a time getting my phone replaced without paying a restocking fee and/or losing my phone for a month.
WISH ME LUCK!
i had the same problem!!! i was so pissed because it was only a couple days old!
i think we should file a complaint
it’s down to either getting a case or a screen protector, though to be honest I prefer having a screen protector than a case because i don’t like bulking up my phones plus cases can be so pricey too. In the other hand, screen protectors are lightweight and inexpensive if you know which one to get. You can pick a GEARMAXX screen protector for cheap…They sell on ebay and are high quality, lightweight and durable!