Ilya just got a new iPhone 5, and a $35 case from Incase to go along with it. The problem is that the case sort of did the opposite of what protective phone cases are supposed to do: it damaged his phone, instead of protecting it from damage.

I’d like to get your wise advice on what to do.

After getting a new fancy iPhone 5, and reading on how easily it can get scratched, I decided to buy a case. Forked over $35 for this good Slider Incase. It feels great in hand, slick look, and best of all protects my phone from all unnecessary scratches/damage. Last week I decided to take it off to clean off some dirt from around the edges and noticed a scratch on the side of the phone. Couldn’t believe my eyes since I knew there was no damage before I put on the case and couldn’t figure out where it came from. Closely inspecting the case from the inside, I noticed that one inside part had a piece of plastic sticking out. It corresponds with the scratch on my phone. Seems like it was a defect in the case which actually ended up scratching the phone.

I’ve contacted their support and they said to send them the old case and they’ll get me another one, and closed my ticket. But I still have a damaged phone because of their product.

Is there anything that can be done to fix this?

Arguably, Ilya could just keep it in a case all the time and pretend this never happened. The simplest solution would be to find a gray permanent marker and match the scuff color. The only problem: he will always know. Plus, if he plans to sell the phone next year when the iPhone 5s or 6 or whatever comes out, that one little scratch will cost him a lot of scratch.

Expecting Incase to replace the damaged phone is really above and beyond, especially when the warranty says that they’re not responsible for damage to your property while using their products.

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