You can walk into the very first one you come across, but you can also lose out considerably by doing so. The question of how to choose an iPhone repair shop is certainly worth a few moments of your attention.
The iPhone was, is and will be a premium mobile phone. That's down not only to its popular brand but also to its high price tag. Its benefits are obvious, though. They include not only the interconnected ecosystem of Apple's products, but also better phone reliability than you get with competing brands, and a long lifespan. Thanks to system updates, even an iPhone that's several years old learns new tricks. So why throw it on the scrap heap straight away?
It's clear that after years of use the battery won't last the way it did when the iPhone was new. It's clear that if you drop the device and its display breaks, using it is rather less comfortable. It's clear that one of the buttons may stop responding. But what do you do about it if the iPhone is no longer under warranty? The obvious thing, of course, is to visit an iPhone repair shop. But how do you choose one that's as reliable as it can be?
What does the website look like?
These are modern times, and a repair shop's website has to be modern too. If it looks like something from the last decade, get away fast. Apple is a modern brand that calls for a fitting presentation. So if the repair shop's website contains errors, is unsightly, or something on it doesn't work as it should, it's evident that the operator isn't paying attention to it. How, then, can you be sure they'll pay attention to your problem?
It's about the price
Check the range on offer – not just the repairs, but also which models they're offered for. Usually the very latest ones won't be in there, but the year-old ones will. That means the repair shop updates its offer, setting repair prices for the newer models while at the same time making repairs of the older ones cheaper. The reason is that the price of their replacement components falls over time.
Repairing an iPhone will cost you something. But it doesn't pay to go straight to the first Apple repair shop you come across. Go through the repair shops' prices and compare them with one another. If one is markedly cheaper, you can assume it uses non-genuine components, and you certainly don't want that. Of course, you don't want to pay noticeably more for the same repair either. So go for the happy medium.
Social networks, references and reviews
Everyone is on Facebook, and anyone who isn't might as well not exist. So find the repair shop's profile and look through how it communicates with its customers. Feel free to ask it a question as well and wait until you get a proper answer. As a potential customer, you should be worth one to the repair shop.
Facebook, and all social networks in general, offer one more benefit. If you start following a repair shop, you may also receive a percentage discount of one size or another on your order. And for a single click on “Like”, that can certainly pay off.
Take a look at references too, and track down reviews to see what customers think of that repair shop's repairs of iPhones and other Apple devices. If you find a negative one, prick up your ears. Did the repair shop resolve it somehow? Or did it ignore the problem? Social networks will serve for this as well, as will the repair shop's website. On the website, though, you're more likely to find just the positive reactions.
The right iPhone repair shop offers something extra too
An iPhone repair shop doesn't have to provide just repairs as such, though. The range of its services certainly says a lot as well. If, apart from iPhone repairs and repairs of other Apple products, it also sells various accessories for them, such as cases and screen protectors, you can see that it takes a real interest in the customer. The customer saves time as a result, because they no longer have to hunt for anything elsewhere. If the repair shop also offers to fit such accessories to the phone professionally, so much the better.
Pay attention to discounts too. Hackneyed as it may sound, they can show the repair shop's interest in its customer. A discount may be a volume one for repairing several products in a single order, but it may also be meant just for students. Or one of your future Apple repairs may come at a reduced price.
Check, too, how willing and accommodating the repair shop is. Do you have to turn up at a bricks-and-mortar branch, or is it enough to send your iPhone by post? Or will the repair shop send a courier for it itself, or even collect it in person? And who pays the postage?
If your iPhone repairs are covered by insurance, the repair shop can issue a report for your insurance company. If it charges “a little something” for it, that's certainly not a good sign either. And one more thing: do you get any warranty on repairs of your iPhone and other products?
Take a look at the repair shop yourself
The last essential tip, worth its weight in gold, is to go and see the bricks-and-mortar branch in person – if you're able to. If you see any off-putting signs there, turn on your heel and march out. At most you'll lose the time you invested, but it won't cost you anything and you won't be disappointed afterwards by a possibly unsatisfactory result. If you can't visit the repair shop in person, at least look at photos of the premises. Google is sure to find you some.
Pay attention to the time the repair itself takes as well. If you're heading to the branch anyway, you can book an exact time slot. That way your problem will be dealt with while you wait. Common repairs are sorted out within a couple of hours. Major jobs naturally take longer. In the meantime, though, a designated member of staff can train you in using your type of device, if the repair shop provides that.
If you've read this far, you deserve the best care for your iPhone - appleguru.cz
