iPod iPod Video - How Easy to Ruin Screen?

[mnlitig8r]

My son has an iPod Video. He keeps it in a hard plastic case. Today he noticed that the video screen doesn't work. I don't know how to describe it but to say that it looks like there is a "burn" in the middle, roughly 1/2" across, and the video screen doesn't show anything but random colors that "bleed" from the round "burn" area. It is very certainly ruined in that you cannot read song names or watch video.

When he purchased it he bought a Best Buy service plan. Best Buy said that the screen was damaged by some sort of impact to it and they will not repair it. My son denies that this occurred, and given that he keeps it in a protective case, I tend to believe him. The manager of Best Buy says that even with the case this sort of damage could occur. The truth is that I don't know what happened, but I feel badly about spending $60 for a service plan that seems to be worthless. That's besides the point.

My questions are this:

• Does the damage which I've done such a poor job of describing seem like the sort of thing that could pretty easily happen?

• Also, is it worth the $70-$90 it will cost to send it to an on-line repair place to replace the screen?

Thanks in advance for any insight.

 

[Eraserhead]

It should be fairly challenging to damage the screen. If he is telling the truth you may have to push for it, but you should be able to get it repaired.

Otherwise I'd say it was worth the money to get it repaired.

In a case I would expect the screen to be OK unless it was dropped or something, but the HD is more likely to fail, I dropped my 5G Video iPod from 2m up on a Vietnamese train at 4am and that was the only thing that broke.

 

[Frozonecold]

I seriously doubt that a drop caused what you are describing. Best Buy is just trying to get out of paying for it. Don't send it to an online place if you have a Best Buy service plan. Go to Best Buy and demand that they fix it!

 

[mnlitig8r]

I seriously doubt that a drop caused what you are describing. Best Buy is just trying to get out of paying for it. Don't send it to an online place if you have a Best Buy service plan. Go to Best Buy and demand that they fix it!

Best Buy isn't claiming that it was dropped. They're claiming that something seems to have poked the screen based on the shape of the damage. There is essentially a center with lesser damage being visable as you get away from the likely impact area.

Here's what it looks like turned off.



A closer look.



Here it is turned on.





Does anyone have any ideas after seeing these?

 

[JDR]

If you take the case off, is there physical damage to the screen? Is it cracked?

If not, then I highly doubt that an impact would ruin the screen but leave the glass/plastic (or whatever it is) untouched on top.

 

[mnlitig8r]

If you take the case off, is there physical damage to the screen? Is it cracked?

If not, then I highly doubt that an impact would ruin the screen but leave the glass/plastic (or whatever it is) untouched on top.

The case my son has does not cover the screen. What you see is what's there, which is to say that there is no physical injury to the top layer of the screen.

The Best Buy manager stated that you can damage a screen even just by pushing on it hard enough to cause damage beneath the surface but not so hard as to damage the top layer.

Honestly, the explanation made some sense when we were in the store, but I'm just so programmed to expect getting screwed by Best Buy at every turn just because that's the reputation they have.

 

[Frozonecold]

The case my son has does not cover the screen. What you see is what's there, which is to say that there is no physical injury to the top layer of the screen.

The Best Buy manager stated that you can damage a screen even just by pushing on it hard enough to cause damage beneath the surface but not so hard as to damage the top layer.

Honestly, the explanation made some sense when we were in the store, but I'm just so programmed to expect getting screwed by Best Buy at every turn just because that's the reputation they have.

Personally I have never heard of that kind of screen damage without the plastic cracking. I know several people who have shattered their LCD screens, but the plastic was broken along with it.

 

[JDR]

I agree. Best Buy is trying to squeeze every last dollar out of you. Demand to talk to the manager of the store, and ask for a replacement--- or threaten to take your business elsewhere or something.



A few years ago I got a Toshiba laptop from them, it overheated and for some reason failed to shut off, and I found it with the plastic on the bottom melted, almost ready to burst into flames.

 

[mnlitig8r]

Best Buy is trying to squeeze every last dollar out of you. Demand to talk to the manager of the store, and ask for a replacement--- or threaten to take your business elsewhere or something.

That's exactly what we did. As luck would have it, the store's general manager was on duty tonight. He was emphatic that the damage could only have been caused by trauma to the screen, and despite our assurance that we would happily shop elsewhere despite a very strong desire to support a local business -- Best Buy is headquartered in Minneapolis, where we live -- he was unwilling to budge.

While I am tempted to sue Best Buy since, well, I'm a lawyer, so it won't cost me anything, the more rational side of me thinks just paying the $70 it will take to get the screen replaced makes more sense.

 

[Dino451]

If you want to repair it yourself

http://www.ifixit.com/iPod-Parts/iPod-Video-Color-Display-New/IF195-000

they have a good tutorial for doing this. Its easy if you're careful and patient.

 

[gutterflowerjc]

Sorry, but...

It may have been accidental, and a freak thing, but the screen has been cracked. I have seen this on lots of different cell phones, and laptops and the like. There is no way to fix it, other than to get a new screen, and install it, which can be timely, and expensive. Does your son keep his headphones, and ipod in the same pocket? It looks as though the earbuds got pressed against the screen, maybe as he sat down or something if they were in his pocket. Sorry, but it's dead, and the Best Buy person is right, your accidental coverage is now void.