[Google Pixel 4 XL Guides, News, & Discussion] 5m4r7ph0n36uru:
Good morning everyone,

since it happened to me for the first time in my life that I have a self-inflicted defect on my smartphone, I thought that at this point I would post a thread on how the repair experiences with the Pixel 4 XL are - especially so shortly after the release of the device.

Field report

Origin of damage

I have caused the display to crack on December 17th, 2019, because the Pixel 4 XL - which as been in the corresponding Google Fabric Case - fell on a stone. The fall height was quite low at about 50 cm, but the angle of impact was so unfortunate that it hit with the exposed display edge, above the lower speaker. The lower 15% of the display surface is completely torn and the display has suffered a small hole in the display glass at the point of impact. The good thing is that the functions are not impaired. However, small shards of glass crumble around the hole, and I notice that the display is very sharp-edged at this corner.

Damage report

So I contacted the Google support directly from my pixel. After a short phone call they sent me a link to the website Pixel reparieren lassen, where I opened the repair order. After entering the IMEI and selecting my pixel model and the damage, I immediately received a fixed price for the repair of the display as such. The repair, which is expensive, but with a price of € 229.00 net, or € 281.67 gross, is within the usual range of a diplay repair for high-end devices, I could order there directly at the mentioned price. I created the order with the option that Google sends me a box for secure shipping free of charge. This way damages that occur during transport to the repair partner are insured by Google. The said box should have reached me by December 19th.

The whole order was - incl. phone call - done within a few minutes. Also the naming of a fixed price, without hidden costs, which could develop, if the production of the cost estimate were left to the repair service provider, is very good. I also welcome the fact that I have concluded my order, and thus the contract for the repair, directly with Google DE, and do not have to do this individually with the repair partner. This means that Google DE assumes responsibility for ensuring that the selected partner carries out the repair according to their terms and conditions. The repair duration was given to me with 10 - 12 days, starting from arrival of the device at the repair service provider. The sending in takes place via UPS Express. Google has already sent me a corresponding shipping label by mail, as well as the invoice for the repair.

The concerns

Unfortunately there is a further grain of salt ... The official repair partner of Google DE is the company CTDI from Poland, which has a bad reputation in the industry. With the Smartphone of my wife, I had big problems here in the past. I had to send in her HTC three times until the repair was completed professionally. I hope that everything will go smoothly and that I will get the Pixel 4 XL back in working order.

I will keep you up to date with all the latest news here, so that as many people as possible can benefit from my experience, and to make any problems that occur transparent.

Further repair procedure

Update 1: December 18th, 2019 - Packaging for the return shipment has been sent to me. Arrived at my place: December 20th, 2019 one day late.

Update 2: December 21st, 2019 - RMA package delivered to UPS Access Point. Arrived in Poland: December 24th, 2019.

Update 3: December 27th, 2019 - Device has been checked. Additional defects were identified. Google refuses partial repair. New repair costs € 279.00 plus VAT.

Update 4: January 3rd, 2020 - Device has been repaired and dispatched by Google. Arrival at Germany: January 6th, 2020.

Update 5: January 6th, 2020 - All in all I give it a good grade. The result is only diminished by the unavailable partial repair and the somewhat long runtime during the holidays around Christmas and New Year.

Quality of repairs

The Pixel 4 XL was delivered yesterday and I picked it up at my UPS Access Point to set it up and test it thoroughly in the evening. Carry it with me again today and I must say that the result is extremely positive. No differences in the gap dimensions can be detected on the device and everything works smoothly.

Summary

Pros

Google gives the net repair time very precisely. The 10 - 12 days, minus the holidays due to the unfortunate time of the defect, were fully adhered to.

Google proactively informs about the status at regular intervals, such as the delays due to the Christmas and New Year holidays. The online repair status informs about all steps of the process almost in real time.

The repair process can be initiated very quickly and self-explanatory by me as a customer. A phone call lasting about 60 seconds and the subsequent repair request via a sent website link was extremely uncomplicated.

Cons

Google refuses partial repairs on its devices. The consequence is that I - besides the cracked display - had to pay extra for the frame (contained a small scratch) and therefore also for the, actually intact, USB-C port.

XDA:Thread Information

[Repair experience] Pixel 4 XL - Display cracked

Created: 2019-10-29

Last Updated: 2020-01-06