[audiringpwr]

yes, it is possible to get a brand new one.

the first 2 on my account, i had to go through multiple bad refurbish phones before it was finally approved to give me a new one.

the last refurbish phone i received, i took down to a corporate store and spoke to the manager. i guess it helped the store was extremely busy, and i was waiting for an hour...the manager just swapped it out with a new one for me.

fwiw, when you have to send in your damaged phone... they say you need to return the battery, back cover, etc... but you really don't need to. they are ok, and won't deduct anything from your account as long as they get the phone back. they really don't care about the battery or the back covers.