Options for cell phone and iPad repairs

When it comes to getting your “iThings” repaired, iPhone, iPad or just your cell phone in general there are many options.

 1: Carrier Insurance 

It may sound appealing to buy insurance to “cover your cell phone”.  My kids have dropped my phone. I’ve tripped while running with my cell phone and shattered the screen. I’ve dropped it into the ocean while trying to rescue my daughter from a wave while building her sand castle. So, in the past I have opted to get the insurance.  I was told that it would cover everything that the warranty didn’t including water damage (remembering the ocean incident, I was in). The problem I have with insurance is that it is pretty pricey when you add up how much you spend on insurance over an entire year (times the number of gadgets that you have). And, when I did indeed drop my phone again my carrier had me call the insurance company who informed me that I had a $120 iPhone deductible. I had already paid $60 to them for the insurance over the year.  Now I had to pay $120 more to replace my iPhone?

I don’t know about you but I do not enjoy dealing with  insurance companies and this was no exception.  Their robot voices reading scripts to tell me why I am an exception or what hoops I have to jump through to actually get something fixed or covered are irritating to me.  So, as you can guess I don’t opt for insurance for my cell phone any more.

 2: Homeonwner’s personal articles

If you are a fan of insurance for your cell phone or iPad, you can check with your homeowner insurance company and see if they offer a “personal article” plan. It is less expensive than carrier insurance and typically have no deductible. Agian, not being a fan of insurance companies I go with option 3 or fix it myself

 3: Third party 

Third party companies that provide a service to fix your cell phone can save you money.  I have a friend that owns a cell phone and iPad repair company (Cell Phone and iPad Repair in Mission Viejo) and I fix phones myself, so I can tell you with certainty that most repairs for cell phones, iPhones, and iPads can be done for $150 or less.  A majority of the time they are less than $100.  So if you “paid yourself” the money that you spend on insurance and what you have to pay for a deductible …. you will have plenty of money saved up when the need to fix your iPad or iPhone arises.

Another advantage to going to a third party is that usually you can just drop by and your mobile phone or iPad can be repaired the same day.  So, you can drop your phone off, run other errands and come back to pick up your cell phone. Many times insurance companies have you send your old one in, and send you a new phone back.  It can take a few days.  Who wants to be without their phone or iPad for a days when you can have it back in hours?

Before you drop off your mobile phone or iPad, check to make sure they offer a warranty for the parts that they will be replacing. The good ones like my buddy will offer a lifetime warranty on the parts they replace. You may find a better price, but you won’t get a warranty, and you will get parts that come from China. You will  soon be replacing the same par they fixed in a few weeks.

In summary, save your money, come back to my blog and learn to fix your cell phone or iPad yourself or find a good cell phone / iPad repair company in your area.

If you would like to get in touch with me about anything in this article you can contact me here.

 

Welcome

I’m Russell.  I am a husband and a father.  I have always had an interest in fixing things.  I think it is because my grandfather owned a repair shop.  I remember being a kid just wanting to hang out with him and watch him tinker in his shop.  It seemed he could fix anything.  If he didn’t have a tool to help him repair something, he would make one.

Growing up I built and repaired my computers and computers of my friends and family.  I worked part time in repair shops of all kinds to put myself through college. Now with cell phones and iPads and the expense of protection plans, I decided why not look into repairing them.

I decided to start a cell phone and repair blog  so that I can write about what I love and share helpful information about the subject with others who may have the same interest.

 

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