Google is offering Nexus 5 owners a free, one-time replacement for cracked screens and water damage
Although Google is expected to announce the Google Nexus 6 by Motorola at literally any time between now and November, Nexus 5 owners still have something to be excited about: namely, as several consumers at reddit and xda-developers have discovered, Google is actually offering Nexus 5 owners a one-time replacement device to anyone who calls in complaining of a cracked screen or water damage.
Google hasn’t said anything officially about this replacement program, but most people who call Google seem to be successful in getting a new device shipped to them, even though they are technically at fault for any damage done to the device. Details are kind of hard to come by, since Google hasn’t publicly clarified the rules of the replacement, but here’s what we have been able to piece together:
- You have to buy the device the device directly from Google through the Play Store. If you bought it from a carrier or some other third party, you are out of luck.
- You only get one replacement device – and if you’ve called Google for warranty work in the past, this is a no-go.
- Your device will be replaced with a brand new one – no refurbs!
- Google will ship the replacement device to you and put a hold on your credit card for the full replacement value; once you ship your broken phone back to Google, the hold will be released.
Overall, I’m mightily impressed that Google is doing this. This kind of reminds me of HTC’s similar screen replacement program, except with more flexibility and less restrictions. It’s unclear whether Google is doing this simply to get rid of extra inventory in preparation for the Nexus 6, but whatever the reason, I like it.
If you try to get a replacement Nexus 5 from Google, be sure to let us know your experience in the comments below.
