I just finished a two day ordeal with the Zagg smudge-proof invisible shield and thought that my experience may serve to help others. A friend recommended the shield as a must have. He had the clear version of the zagg shield installed and said that his only regret was that he did not buy the smudge-proof version. So assuming I would be able to one-up him by learning from his mistake I went searching for the filter. I tried Walmart, Target and Fred-Meyer, before I finally found the smudge-proof version at Best-Buy (All other stores had the clear version). It took about an hour to get it installed and I was quite proud of myself for the bubble-free installation I had achieved. Unfortunately, the instructions stated that I would have to leave the iPad untouched for no less than 12 hours (this was truly the hardest part of the install btw).
Once the 12 hours had passed I took a quick peek and was horrified to see my screen covered with tiny rainbows. Convincing myself that it must be because I hadn't waited long enough, I turned the iPad off and resorted to my Redmond-based clunker and started searching reviews. Sure enough, complaints were a-plenty. Turns out I had made a tragic mistake. Turning the iPad on-again after a few hours I realized that the invisible shield was not going to be acceptable. I am not a stickler, and would accept a small amount of degraded screen quality for the protection it would provide, but the screen was almost completely unusable. Text against a white background appeared grainy and the screen appeared to be in a constant state of movement as the micro texture magnified random pixels creating millions of tiny rainbows. Ridiculous! Zagg apparently doesn't know the meaning of the word invisible as it was the favorite description stamped all over the packaging (Good thing too, as any hope of return relied on a charge of false advertising). $35 was what the plastic rainbow maker had set me back, and I resolved to take the iPad in to the Best-Buy where I purchased the shield as evidence of its quality. Of course the first customer service rep stated that Consumable items could to be returned, I had expected that and calmly asked for a manager to assist me. She happened to be standing nearby and had already overheard the conversation. She stated that what the first representative had stated was true, and suggested that I call Zagg directly or complain to the Best-Buy headquarters, she was not very interested in trying to read the rainbow-laced text I had loaded for her, and after stating that the store manager I wished to talk to had taken the day off (strange how that always happens) I left and followed her instructions. The Best-Buy headquarters gave me case number... I'm not sure what that does for me. Zagg was closed for the holiday season. I loaded up their rainbow website and found that Zagg only covers purchases made from their website. All other issues must be resolved with the location of purchase it stated. Wonderful... I was caught in a loop. I went home and fumed for a few hours before deciding to try another Best-Buy. I know that may seem a little underhanded, but I was ready to rip the shield off and stick it to their door at this point. The second store experience started as did the first, the rep stated that it could not be returned as it had been consumed, but the manager was much more sympathetic. She actually looked at the gritty screen and admitted that it was anything but invisible, to the representatives dismay she over-rode her call and let me exchange the shield for the clear version. I actually managed to get $5 back out of the deal, but I thought for sure that I was going to be out $30 and that Best-Buy would have a new decoration on their window.
I think there are two lessons to be learned from all this: don't buy the smudge-proof shield, and don't buy from Best-Buy (I wouldn't have had this kind of trouble trying to return to the evil empire of Walmart). I have attached some pictures in an attempt to show the horrid quality, but they don't really do the truth justice. I hope my story helps someone out there!



Sent from my iPad using iPF

I had the same issue but Best Buy exchanged the shield for the clear version without a hassel.