Sim card has condensation on it, NEVER GOT IT WET, APPLE Says Liquid Damage, HELP!!!

[curiousp]

Here is a random and frustrating story for you guys...

This week I went on vacation and on my way to the airport i realized my touch screen was not working, but only on the bottom row of the screen (everything else worked fine).
I didnt use the phone the whole trip and upon arriving home I brought my phone to my local store to consult a "genius".
He plugged my phone in and while doing so must have accidentally hit the camera button, which he noticed was not working properly either (the images were coming out all green and distorted almost like in the movie the predator). However, this camera problem was going on since the first day I got the phone, and I forgot to mention it since i never use it.
He then removed my sim card and said the phone had been water damaged and could not be fixed under warranty!!! He showed me moisture on the sim card which had actually started to rust slightly and had a greenish color to it.
I was shocked!

BUT here is the best part:

I have NEVER gotten my phone wet! I was furious, and he told me there was nothing he could do...

After spending hours on the phone with apple care and arguing with 10 different ppl I found this thread regarding the indicator in the headphone jack.

Well, I checked mine out, and it is completely white. (The Genius in the store didnt even mention this thing, nor did i see him look at it.)

I finally got a hold of someone at apple care who actually seemed to care, and he set me up with a repair order and told me to send it in w/o the sim card. However, he said that they can still refuse to repair the phone if they feel it is damaged by water.

After this call i received a call from one of the "product specialists" who I had originally spoke to, and he said that i could send my phone back if I want, but he had spoken to the Genius in the store that had turned me down originally, and they were positive that my phone was damaged by water and would likley be sent back to me by apple.---SO NOW APPLE IS CALLING ME A LIAR, OR THIS GENIUS HAS IT OUT FOR ME...

Anyway:
I sent my phone back today, but was wondering if anyone knows what may have caused this condensation to build up on my sim card? i.e. battery leaks, or any other liquid filled hardware in the phone.

Also, I'm worried that apple will just read the product specialist's notes on my account regarding my complaint, and just assume that my phone has liquid damage. I AM POSITIVE IT NEVER GOT WET, and i want to ensure that they will actually open the phone and check this out, rather than just base their decision on this guy's word, and send it back to me.
If they do send it back, is there any way for me to tell if they actually examined my phone?

Sorry this post is so long (I actually left out a lot of the minor details to shorten it up).

Please let me know your thoughts on this.... I will update you guys when I hear from apple, once they receive my phone.

 

[senorFunkyPants]

If any metallic item gets very cold then is brought into a warm moist room, condensation will form. Its the only other explanation.
If I was you and Apple refused to repair it under warranty I would tell them to return the phone so that I could have it independently inspected and I would inform them that I would take them to court to recover the cost of the repair, the cost of the inspection and all other incidental costs.

 

[curiousp]

If any metallic item gets very cold then is brought into a warm moist room, condensation will form. Its the only other explanation.
If I was you and Apple refused to repair it under warranty I would tell them to return the phone so that I could have it independently inspected and I would inform them that I would take them to court to recover the cost of the repair, the cost of the inspection and all other incidental costs.

While I do appreciate the advice, I don't think any of the apple employees that I would be able to get a hold of would be too concerned with me threatening to take apple to court, as i'm sure they get this everyday.

However, in terms of having it independently inspected, how would I go about doing this?

 

[senorFunkyPants]

While I do appreciate the advice, I don't think any of the apple employees that I would be able to get a hold of would be too concerned with me threatening to take apple to court, as i'm sure they get this everyday.

Thats because you are not aiming high enough...email your complaint to Steve Jobs, not that he will read it but there will be a dept set up to handle customers who are so pissed that they try to get his attention. You are working on the age old consumer principle that the louder you "shout" the more likely you are to get what you want. The typical Apple shop or customer service employee is not going to be interested because they know that out of every 100 people they refuse to assist less than a handfull will take it any further....you need to escalate it high enough up the food chain that your $200 repair is a simple annoyance and its less trouble to authorise it that to risk the grief of fighting you over it.

However, in terms of having it independently inspected, how would I go about doing this?

There seem to be plenty of repair shops online who might be worth contacting..but you want to avoid actually incurring any further expense on the possibility that Apple won't pay up. In the end it depends on how much you feel Apple should repair your iphone because if you don't want it enough then you might as well cut your losses, sell your iPhone on ebay and buy a new one.
Me I love a fight..the bigger the company the easier it is to win, I've had a new car replaced, a used car replaced, I've taken on the legal dept of my local education authority and O2 when they tried to slip some changes to their T&Cs under the radar. For me no amount is too small that it shouldn't be pursued..its all about the principle.