Galaxy S4 repaired but found out screen is fake

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Yabanize

2350 posts

Uber Geek

#1086851 11-Jul-2014 00:22

Jattennz:
Yabanize: How much did the repair cost you? If it was cheap (under $200) then he probably replaced just the glass and not a whole new screen

$290 all up, for the glass and screen all-in-one part. Have the old panel still with me. The old glass actually had no cracks in it, was just the lcd panel that cracked on the fall.

Was your phone black and is the new part black too?

Does it look perfect? No dust under the screen etc,

Jattennz

90 posts

Master Geek

#1086904 11-Jul-2014 08:58

insane: Sounds like it's time to get your phone in a bag with a set of keys to make sure, a real S4 screen takes a real beating before showing any signs of scratching.

Haha, if I could ensure a return / refund after I would love to try this.

Jattennz

90 posts

Master Geek

#1086905 11-Jul-2014 08:58

fahrenheit: Check to make sure its OLED. I'm not sure that anyone other than Samsung produces Super AMOLED panels, so it should be fairly obvious.
An OLED screen will have a weak glow like a very dark charcoal grey in a pitch black room (with a black source). An LCD will glow enough to comfortably use as a reading light...

Will definitely try this tonight, cheers.

Yabanize:
Jattennz:
Yabanize: How much did the repair cost you? If it was cheap (under $200) then he probably replaced just the glass and not a whole new screen

$290 all up, for the glass and screen all-in-one part. Have the old panel still with me. The old glass actually had no cracks in it, was just the lcd panel that cracked on the fall.
Was your phone black and is the new part black too?

Does it look perfect? No dust under the screen etc,

Original and replacement part is black. Looks in perfect condition no dust under the screen that I can see.

Behodar

10501 posts

Uber Geek

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Lifetime subscriber

#1086909 11-Jul-2014 09:06

Jattennz: I'm more concerned that a company can just confirm original Samsung parts and then use fake parts

It does seem to be a bit of a problem on Trade Me. A few months ago I bought what was advertised as an authentic Apple battery, yet the one that I received was counterfeit. Fortunately I was able to get it refunded.

nzgeek

618 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1087437 11-Jul-2014 19:28

Jattennz: he assures me it is original but as it's imported it looks different to the local model

I call BS on this.

While there are several different versions of S4, by far the most popular version is the GT-I9505. This is the international LTE version of the phone, and is the one that we get here in NZ. There are no regional changes to the hardware, because doing so would be an extra cost to Samsung with zero gain. And from what I can tell, even the other variants look identical the outside. It's only the innards that are different. Again, this makes sense because having different parts for the different models incurs an extra cost. Unless Samsung have a good reason for having a different part, they'll use the one they already have.

If the screen you've been sold doesn't have the pattern of fine dots in the black area under the glass, I don't see how it could be real. See what response you get from the people who did the glass. If they continue to claim that the glass is genuine, point out the fact that all models use the exact same glass and that the new glass definitely does not match the old. As the other party is a company, not an individual, you should be covered under the Consumer Guarantees Act and should be able to get the glass/screen replaced with a genuine part.

Jattennz

90 posts

Master Geek

#1087512 11-Jul-2014 21:11

Yea, I thought exactly the same. The information I got online and youtubes etc all showed the same screen design when comparing the original to a fake one.

In the end I told him I would take it to one of the Samsung registered repair centers and would pay for the check if it was as he says genuine, and asked him to pay if not. He then said he needed to ask his supplier if the screen could be refurbished. But not sure how that would mean the screen would look different in design. Came back to me saying it's original materials but not sure if it's replacement, I didn't even know what he was on about at this stage.

He then offered to refund the parts if I took it back but minus his labour costs which I refused lol.

In the end I got tired waiting for him and took it to the Samsung repairer and they basically noticed the differences and said the panel also had a different light to it. Got a letter to say that from them. The Samsung store also did it for free which was great of them.

Took this to him etc, and got him to refund the full price and let him remove it etc and place my broken one back on. He was actually calm and easy to deal with at the time which made for a better day than expected.

So yes lesson learned, go for official repairers unless you know you are paying a lot less and happy for imitation.

richms

28168 posts

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#1087552 11-Jul-2014 22:39

Glad you got a decent resolution from this guy. I have a feeling that a lot of these people have no idea about the difference between real and fake because they went to Shenzhen cellphone repair school and now call themselves repairers.

Richard rich.ms

Equinox IT

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Jattennz

90 posts

Master Geek

#1087554 11-Jul-2014 22:47

richms: Glad you got a decent resolution from this guy. I have a feeling that a lot of these people have no idea about the difference between real and fake because they went to Shenzhen cellphone repair school and now call themselves repairers.

Yea, it's sad really. They say they can sell it as original because the supplier for parts they use says "it's original" so it must be. And that's the excuse he constantly used, "but my supplier said it's original". This repairer also has 100% feedback with a lot of happy customers with phone repairs, hate to think how many dodgy parts were used but I guess you wouldn't know unless you had two side by side for comparison.

AidanS

458 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1087556 11-Jul-2014 22:56

Edit: Nevermind, read page two of the thread :).

-A.

nitrotech

1285 posts

Uber Geek

#1087564 11-Jul-2014 23:08

If you're unhappy then usually a reputable company will come to a satisfactory resolution with you.

It's worth noting that Samsung are the only ones who make these particular amoled displays there are no fake displays available for the S4 however you very likely have a replica glass which may or may not be toughened glass.

It sounds like you were happy until someone said the word 'fake' however there are loads of 3rd party parts in the IT world eg. Chargers, batteries some as good if not better than the original.

Jattennz

90 posts

Master Geek

#1087572 11-Jul-2014 23:46

nitrotech: If you're unhappy then usually a reputable company will come to a satisfactory resolution with you.

It's worth noting that Samsung are the only ones who make these particular amoled displays there are no fake displays available for the S4 however you very likely have a replica glass which may or may not be toughened glass.

It sounds like you were happy until someone said the word 'fake' however there are loads of 3rd party parts in the IT world eg. Chargers, batteries some as good if not better than the original.

No you're right, I was definitely happy until the word "fake' surfaced. I guess ignorance is bliss. But it's hard not to react when you do find out.

Either way I'm happy it's done and dusted.

richms

28168 posts

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#1087573 12-Jul-2014 00:01

Third party companies making better products usually don't feel the need to counterfeit the trademarks of the original manufacturer of the parts.

Richard rich.ms

richms

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#1087574 12-Jul-2014 00:02

Jattennz: Yea, it's sad really. They say they can sell it as original because the supplier for parts they use says "it's original" so it must be. And that's the excuse he constantly used, "but my supplier said it's original". This repairer also has 100% feedback with a lot of happy customers with phone repairs, hate to think how many dodgy parts were used but I guess you wouldn't know unless you had two side by side for comparison.

The fake screen a friend had put on was nothing like a real S3 screen, the coating was just not there so it was smudge central.

Richard rich.ms

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