iPhone Replacement-filter

March 16, 2009 8:23 AM

Mrs. Argyle's iPhone is broken. The SIM card won't stay seated. Apple says the water damage telltale is red, so they won't touch it for repair, nor will AT&T repair it. The water damage telltale invalidates all warranties. From what multiple calls with AT&T tell me, my only option is paying full replacement cost of the iPhone ($400) for a new one. Does anyone know of other or better options? Thanks.
posted by Argyle to technology (10 comments total)

This probably won't help but in my non-iPhone, I have that issue with the SIM card not staying seated against the contacts, and the problem is that a screw chronically comes loose and tightening it fixes it.

If iPhones open like iPods, it can't hurt to get the plastic opening thingy and muck around in there.

Was it truly exposed to water like Apple said it was?

Good luck, anyway.
posted by Danf at 8:26 AM on March 16

I don't think water has anything to do with it. The problem occurred after the phone was dropped and I believe it to be a mechanical issue with the snug fit of the SIM card holder into the phone (there is no screw).
posted by Argyle at 8:30 AM on March 16

is there some way you could put a piece of folded paper, thin cardboard, or other sort of shim in there to make the sim card stay put?
posted by andshewas at 8:32 AM on March 16

I would caution against attempting to open up a first-generation iPhone without the specific tools to do so. I opened up a 4 gig this weekend to attempt to repair the power button on top (which didn't go well, anyway), and that metal back is a pain to remove without bending the edges.

Now for your specific problem, do you mean that the SIM card tray won't click down into the phone? Or just that the SIM card doesn't register correctly once pushed in?

If it is the second problem, then the low-tech solution from back in my Treo days is to put a piece or paper or business card behind the SIM card in the tray so it puts more pressure against the connectors.
posted by shinynewnick at 8:35 AM on March 16

Check out www.iresq.com and give them a call. They might be able to help.
posted by azpenguin at 9:13 AM on March 16

you can buy refurbished iphone 3gs from at&t for $99 (8gb) to $199 (16gb), but then you'll be locked in for another two years.
posted by lia at 9:49 AM on March 16

Thanks for the tips. Lia, when I spoke with AT&T they said refurbished phones are only available to new accounts (meaning a new phone number), not for replacement of broken phones. I'll double check.
posted by Argyle at 10:11 AM on March 16

I'm with t-mobile. The advice I've gotten direct from the folks at t-mobile is to call the upgrade line and upgrade your phone. If I called and said I wanted to replace my broken phone, the cost was significantly higher.

I've replaced several lost, broken, or submerged phones over the years by upgrading them [contract extension required, of course, but no full-price phone].

AT&T may be different, but this tack might be worth a try, if you haven't already.
posted by chazlarson at 1:40 PM on March 16

You could try covering or replacing the water indication sticker. On the iPhone the sticker is in a hard to reach place. Here are some new white water indication stickers. (Jamming a piece of white paper down the headphone port may be enough.)

You could also replace the entire headphone jack. There are a bunch of replacement parts on ebay.
posted by gregr at 2:04 PM on March 16

OP, please tell us whether the water-damage telltale flag is up because the phone got some water inside. Also, what exactly isn't staying seated? In one comment you said it's the SIM card, in another you talk about the card holder. It's all very confusing to us out here in AMeFiLand...
posted by exphysicist345 at 7:14 PM on March 16