[Esmartuek]

Sorry about the massive delay in this post.

I ended up very carefully reading the instructions that came with the replacement, they stated: remove all accessories, batteries, and SD Cards from the phone before sending the damaged unit back.
I took that to be very literal, even though I'm sure they didn't expect me to crack it open and yank out the card... that's exactly what I did.
I was also able to salvage my old screen protector and reapply it to my new phone.
In short, I had no worries about the SD Card anymore, even though I had pretty much junked it by trying to wipe it.
They also sent me a NIB phone, with 3 spare batteries, 2 wall-wart plugs (with cable), and a spare headset. All of that on top of what was in the box.
I made off like a bandit =D