Possible cracking/flaking of the exterior case?

[TallPaul86]

Happenin' guys

Currently got an excellent Nokia Lumia 900 in an exceptionally tacky glossy white colour (it's OK - i like tacky!) however there was one thing I noticed that's a bit weird...

When I initially got the device, i had what's known as the Honeymoon effect - the battery seemed to be crap, the device seemed to be hot most of the time etc etc i then realized that its because it was a new device for me and it never got a chance to go to sleep becasue i was playing with it most of the time when i first got it!! However during the time it was hot, it was hot primarily at the upper third of the device (from where the front facing camera is and upwards toward the MicroSIM card tray part/ear speaker) so i fired up the Nokia Diagnostics app (after reading an article on this forum i think regarding Background Tasks for the apps) and this certainly helped keep the device running cool by disabling non-essential background tasks

After doing this, whilst having an admiring glance at the design of it, i noticed there seems to be imperfections with the top two corners of the device (the corner by the 3.5mm headphone jack and the opposite corner) where the poly-carbonate corners seems to either have flaked or chipped however, i promise on my family's life, that the phone has never been dropped, has always been in a Nokia branded Red TPU case and has always been carried around in my jacket pocket (basically i've been carrying it around and treating it nearly like a baby from the intensive care unit!)

The only "remote" conclusion i can think of is that when it was hot, the plastic may have expanded and may have created mini-cracks in the corner of the device, thus causing some of the gloss finish to flake or chip off, however if that were the case then surely there should be other cracks or flakes on the device? I promise this is not like the Samsung Galaxy S3 story from Ireland where someone said "the device exploded in my pocket" which then turned out it was probably microwaved or something, so I can assure anyone reading this i absolutely did not drop the phone at all

I'll be dropping by a Nokia Care Point at some point over the next few days (basically the Carphone Warehouse shop near me as that's where Nokia Support referred me to) however I will take some pics on my iPad and will upload some pics when i get home later on today to illustrate the problem

 

[palandri]

.... however I will take some pics on my iPad and will upload some pics when i get home later on today to illustrate the problem

I would really like to see it. Thanks.

 

[TallPaul86]

Ok folks here the photos as promised

 

[LordGreylock]

Did you leave it in a very hot car or something? I've never seen anything like this. It looks like it melted. I'd have to say this is an extremely rare case.

 

[jimski]

The polycarbonate would have to get very hot, like in excess of 350 degrees (F), for that kind of bubbling. Looks like someone took a lighter to it.

My L900 is black, but I have had several periods sure it has been on constantly for 4-6 hours (with te help of a USB portable power pack) and nothing like that has occurred. My phone has also never gotten ex excessively hot. Maybe uncomfortably warm once ot twice, but never hot.

Sent from my Lumia 900 using Board Express Pro

 

[palandri]

It looks melted or dropped on the corners. I realize you haven't dropped it. Does anyone else use your phone, like a wife or child? Could someone else have dropped it?

Interesting.

 

[Loiselle]

I agree... looks like a lighter was taken to it.

 

[leosoybean]

I agree with the lighter assessment, except for the fact that there are no burn marks and the melted area is relatively too puny for an indiscriminate flame.

I don't know if you can claim a defect but that can't be normal.

 

[TallPaul86]

OK so I'm fresh back from Glasgow after doing various bits of shopping but more importantly after dropping in to see the Nokia Care Point in Argyle Street... Jesus H Christ that was a massive waste of time! I told the guy behind the counter what my problem was and as soon as i took off my Nokia-branded Red TPU Case, he IMMEDIATELY assumed I dropped it and then went onto a 5 minute sales pitch of why I should've got the Nokia Leather Flip Case because it protects it better than my Nokia-branded TPU case - wasn't even interested in my story at all...

To show a comparison, i gave my previous phone to my girlfriend which was a Samsung Galaxy Nexus and this phone i actually did drop - below are the photos: -

I just do not see how they are similar damage where, as many of you can see, the Lumia 900 looks like it has deformed through heat damage and the Galaxy Nexus has scuffs and marks on it that are consistent with it being dropped or scratched. This is not inspiring confidence in Nokia's customer service this.

As well as this defect, Nokia was offering free Monster headphones as part of an offer for getting a Lumia in May. I purchased the phone in May, sent the request away in June and now still awaiting response from them if I'm getting them or not... A bit depressing as I'm not sure if going to another Nokia Care Point will result in the same instant accusation-style diagnostics or not... Suppose my only route available to me now is to speak to Nokia Support directly and take it from there really

*EDIT*

Also forgot to mention - apparently the Windows Phone 7.5 build 8773 is out of date and that there is an update for my Lumia 900 available. This is of course according to the Nokia Care rep who was quick to dismiss my hot battery, which is now no longer a problem by the way, and state i had problems with the keyboard, poor battery life, heat from the phone etc (sounds like a familiar for an unrelated phone - New Lumia 800 Windows Phone firmware addresses more issues | wpcentral | Windows Phone News, Forums, and Reviews)

 

[selfcreation]

I think poly carbon fiber or w/e the material they used was just a BIG word to attract people...

turns out to not be that good huh....

Ive ABUSED my Samsung Focus and barely has a nic on it.

 

[TallPaul86]

I am currently tweeting @NokiaHelps the now to see if they can do something regarding my experience

*Update*

The rep I spoke to from @NokiaHelps has said he will escalate my concerns on Monday and will speak to me soon

 

[TallPaul86]

Update for you all

I had spoken with the UK retailer here that I purchased the phone from (Phones4U) and after explaining my situation to them, they have agreed to replace the handset for free for a new one (in her words, with the same make or model) so hopefully i'll get another Lumia 900 (gonna chance my arm for a Batman Edition however I aint banking on that happening) so will be visiting the retailer today to get something sorted...

Still awaiting word back from Nokia regarding the Monster headphones however the main issue here is my phone is getting replaced so overall at least a happy ending... All I need now is for Nokia to send me a set of Monster headphones and I'll be a happy chappy!

Will post pics of whatever model or colour I receive

 

[TallPaul86]

Another update for you all - just had a call from Nokia Care UK and they will be sending out the Monster Headphones this evening via UPS so I should have it by tomorrow at some point!

Finally getting the happy ending I was aiming for - took long enough however I suppose all shall be well when I get my replacement phone today as well (hope I now get another white Lumia 900 so it matches my headphones that are arriving tomorrow!)

They will also be dealing with my complaint about the Nokia Care Point as well so will let you all know the outcome

 

[Xsever]

Thanks for the updates. Lucky you guys in the UK are getting the headphones for free.

 

[TallPaul86]

Well folks, Ive now got a new Lumia 900 in white to replace the one with the above mentioned defects... Special shutout goes to whoever can pick out the odd one out of the below picture, and to help out I've included the original photo at the bottom