Did the phone come with the scratch? No? Then it is not defective. Apple shouldn't be replacing phones or screens for people who choose to leave the phone naked. That falls under hazards of regular use which the warranty does not cover.
You did nothing to cause the scratch...yeah nothing intentional...accidental yes...you, someone near you, or something near you caused the scratch...they do not appear out of thin air.
Why should they treat you any different from someone who dropped their phone on the ground and had the screen crack? Both are accidental damage...yet they charge those people for the replacement of the screen. They should be doing the same for people who complain about small scratches that "appeared magically" since they bought it.
I do think the new screen is more prone to scratching. My original 3GS got a small scratch on it that I noticed within 24 hours of me getting it (it was flawless when I got it). I noticed it just before getting the LCD swapped out due to an uneven warm screen. Replacing it got rid of the scratch. I have since had the phone replaced due to a GPS issue. Just before putting on a Crystal Film tonight I noticed a hairline scratch...not enough to really bother me though as I could only see it barely and only at certain angles.
I delayed putting on the screen protector because I wanted to make sure my GPS issue was resolved.
I always put a screen protector on mine...along with a skin for the back (to protect the back from the case) and a case. I do that so I don't have to worry about what I put in my pocket with my phone. That said, I don't put anything more than just paper (like receipts) in the same pocket.
Thank you for this response. So speaking of defects, if I'm reading this post correctly, you had first YOUR LCD REPLACED, AND THEN THE ENTIRE UNIT REPLACED! And you're asking ME, "Who are you to expect a replacement phone?" Let me toss the same condescending questions on you:
Did your phone COME with an irregularly warming screen? Maybe while you were activating it, someone came by and poured water on it accidentally? Maybe your palms were extra sweaty that day, and because of that, the phone shorted out? Maybe you walked by a gigantic speaker magnet and it shorted out your GPS. This was BEFORE you applied the back case and the crystal screen right? Man, you get a scratch on your 3GS not 24 hours after you left the store and this doesn't strike you as odd? Of course you can nobly man up and say it was your fault the scratch was there and talk down to my post, because you don't have to worry about anything because you got your LCD and eventually the whole phone replaced! I had a 2G for over 2 years, and I never got a single freaking scratch on the glass. I know how I handle my electronics man, don't presume I take any less care of my phone then you do of yours. I don't put it in the same pocket as anything else at all, I have the invisible shield installed on the back for protection, and I took a risk, since I was told by the Genius Bar, as well as on the phone by Apple Tech Support, that the 3GS screen is "the same material and is as durable as the 2G or 3G", AND I was advised that a front screen would interfere and possibly damage the oleophobic coating, that the phone would be good without a front screen.
In any case, let's just say I was negligent in not covering the front. My point is, WHY WOULD APPLE TOUT THE GREATNESS OF THE NEW OLEOPHOBIC SCREEN IF THEY JUST EXPECTED YOU TO COVER IT WITH A GODDARN PROTECTOR?
My original post is getting misconstrued. I'm not angry I didn't get a replacement phone, I'm angry because I had three retards at the genius bar tell me asinine reasons for there being a scratch in my phone (and I'm angry there is already an unexplained scratch on my 3GS). When an Apple employee tells me, "Only like, a diamond can scratch this screen", and another chimes in, "It's like a car with a 5 star crash test rating, if you crash it, it can still crash," I get a little irritated with my Apple experience. I want to reiterate, other people have reported they have gotten scratches and have had luck with the Apple store replacing their phones. I am just as entitled to a replacement for scratches in a defective 3GS LCD as they are so I tried to get it replaced. Stop judging, you had your LCD replaced and ultimately the entire unit replaced.
Have you seen those Youtube videos of 2G iPhones being sealed in a ziplock bag with keys and nails and screws and shaken up and there isn't a single mark on the screen? The point is, if the 3GS is as durable as the 2G or 3G, and I haven't shaken my 3GS in any bags full of keys or nails or screws, and there is a tiny scratch on my phone, where did it come from unless it's defective? Or why can't Apple just fess up that the oleophobic screen was a mistake and is prone to scratching?
Uneven warm screen, busted magnetron or GPS or whatever, AND a hairline crack in your oleophobic screen? Man at least I'm not as unlucky as you. Notice I called you "unlucky", not negligent. Hopefully nothing tragic happens to your REPLACEMENT.
