I dropped my 920. Dented it. Help!

[Muessig]

Here's the situation: I dropped my naked lumia 920 onto a tile kitchen floor from waist height (about 4ft) onto the top left corner. The screen etc is completely fine and the phone still works but the top left corner of the phone looks like it's had a shave and it's kind of dented inwards a little. This means that the sim tray won't sit flush within the phone itself anymore and so the phone doesn't think that a sim tray is in the phone. So it's basically an expensive paper weight pda right now.

I contacted Nokia Care (my nearest outlet) and they said I'd have to pay ?75 to replace the polycarbonate body, which they'd take a week to order in. Nokia online said physical damage isn't covered by the warranty (which I knew anyway) and the outlet where I got the phone (Phones 4 U) won't do a thing to replace it.

So my predicament is whether to cough up ?75 on a replacement shell but still be covered by the Nokia warranty which only lasts for about 3/4 more months anyway... or get a replacement shell myself from Ebay and fit the new case myself. Then I'd probably pay ?4/5 a month on a separate insurance policy to keep the phone covered from then on.

What are your thoughts on this guys? Can you see another way out for me?

 

[palandri]

I think you covered all the options. I would get the case replaced by Nokia Care.

 

[Muessig]

The only downsides to going the Nokia way is that it's about 4x more expensive (?22 for a replacement shell vs ?75) and Nokia won't let me change the colour of the shell until the warranty expires. I'm questioning whether that price difference is worth a 4 month warranty.

 

[z33dev33l]

I'd say replacement shell. I've gotten to where I can make the swap in 15 minutes and I have 4 different shells. It's like always having a new phone.

 

[Mike_J]

Think yourself lucky. I had the 920 for 8 months - treated it badly dented the body many times but no real damage to screen. The 920 feels like you could use it as a weapon.
Purchased a 925 - Hmm could not help trying something new - 24 hours later I cracked the top LHS of the screen the very first time I dropped it from about 500mm.
Carry the dents in the 920 with pride - 925's are nice bit of gear but straight to the wife once I get hold of a 1020. Once I can download GDR2 I am doing back to the 920 - miss the tank like feel.

 

[yonas_07]

im also facin the same issue i dropped the phone yesterday, can you tell me what you did, and whats the soloutin

 

[jamie johnston]

The only downsides to going the Nokia way is that it's about 4x more expensive (?22 for a replacement shell vs ?75) and Nokia won't let me change the colour of the shell until the warranty expires. I'm questioning whether that price difference is worth a 4 month warranty.

yes, it is more expensive, but the two things I would take into consideration are, if you replace the shell, you'll void the warranty. Secondly, you're getting nokia to deal with swapping out all the wireless charging plate inside the shell. for me.....i'd pay the extra

 

[Paul May]

Changing the shell yourself is not difficult. I have done it numerous times on my and my wife's 920's. To be fair if you get an OEM replacement shell from eBay that is the same color Nokia would most likely never even know the difference.

 

[Jealy666]

I've changed my shell twice now (to red then back to black) - very easy to do and helped when I dropped my phone a few times at a music festival this year!

 

[Derausgewanderte]

Also, even if you did buy a housing on ebay and would do it yourself and you'd void the warranty, they may not even notice that you changed the phone if you actually have to make use of the warranty provided at some later point. Just make sure you put the original case back on if you do want to use the warranty still on the phone.
I know it works from own experience.

75 pounds is a steep price compared to 30US$ that I paid on ebay for a housing that looks like the real deal. Yes, it requires some work (most notably the charging coil swap), but all done within an hour or so if you are careful and take your time.
http://www.windowscentral.com/how-make-your-black-lumia-920-snap-necks

http://forums.windowscentral.com/nokia-lumia-920/225333-7.htm#post2169946


You can also purchase the charging coil for an additional $10-12 on ebay. Something I'd definitely consider for swapping between my red, yellow and original black housing. No more worries to remove it from one housing to another and vice versa.

On the other hand, you could easily get frustrated with a housing you purchase on ebay that is not perfect. I've been there as well and had to return two until I got what I paid for. That is the danger of buying from ebay.
I certainly see the benefits of getting a housing with no imperfections and everything included from Nokia. It's not clear from your post whether the Nokia care center replaces the housing or if this is something you still have to do. If that is included in the 75 pounds then it certainly puts that in a different, more positive, light.

bottomline: I agree with Palandri. You pretty much covered your options. If you want to stay on the absolute safe side go with Nokia Care. If you like to adventure, do it yourself.