https://www.ubreakifix.com/
For those of you who aren't familiar with this company, they are a franchise business which promotes themselves for repairing today's popular consumer electronics, like your Smart Phone, your IPad, your computer, etc.
Apparently, this company started a few years ago in the Orlando, Florida area in someone's home. The business grew and they have decided to "franchise it" and now there are apparently more than a hundred of these stores spread across America.
To be completely fair, each of these stores are independently owned by a franchise purchaser, who paid for a license to open one of these stores in a select area. So, my experiences may not reflect your results. I wanted to simply highlight what I learned in my dealings with them so should you decide to use the store in your area, hopefully you will have some background which can help you avoid the issues I have experienced.
In our area, the UBreakIFix store occupies the store front where Verizon previously operated from for over 10 years. This is merely a coincidence and there is no relationship between the two companies as far as I can tell.
Background regarding my Phone
I have a Motorola Droid razor Turbo cell phone which I have come to really like. I have had it just over two years. It has excellent battery life and does everything i have asked and expected of it. I had no complaints at all with my phone prior to the recent incident.
I noticed my phone wasn't charging correctly. I used a jewelry loop and looked at the charging port on the bottom of my phone and it was clearly worn from hooking it up daily for the last 2 years. So the charging had become intermittent. Previously, the "Turbo Charging" feature of my phone would permit you to charge it from a battery with 50% battery power remaining to 100% charged in a matter of 15 minutes or less, if you used the charging cord which came with it and plugged into a standard 110 volt outlet. This was a very handy feature as in the morning when I am getting ready, I would plug the phone in and it would be fully charged and ready to go in just a few minutes.
The battery would last and last. Often, after a day of use, I would still have between 71% and 80% of the battery life remaining. My friends with Apple phones can't make it an entire 12 hour day on a single charge, so I was very happy with the fact I could go 2 or even 3 days if needed on one charge with my use levels. I know this is extraordinary and just one of the reasons why I like this phone.
My phone also has "wireless charging" where you can lay the phone on this small pad which is plugged in to the wall outlet and the phone would charge through the case without the phone actually being connected to a charging cord. It's not as fast as the "Turbo Charging", but it's still a great feature as simply lying the phone on the charging pad, which is smaller than a credit card, would permit the phone to charge and not even be directly plugged into the charger itself. My phone would even charge wirelessly through the OtterBox case, which is very unusual. That was one of my favorite features of the phone and I could lay it on the night stand while working at my desk and the phone would charge itself.
Seeking Phone Repair Options
I stopped into Verizon and talked with them about my phone. Clearly, they want to sell me a new phone. They could send this phone in for repairs (direct me to send it in actually) and it would take between a week to 10 days for the phone to be returned to me. I simply can't be without the phone for any period of time as it is my portable link to email, etc and a strategic part of my daily business operations. So, sending it out isn't a real practical option for me. I could just picture some 12 year old in China fixing my phone but the reality is it was likely his 13 year old cousin who originally built the phone when new.
I could buy a new phone, which would be the updated model of my phone, for about $720. That's an option but I hate to discard this phone when all that's wrong with it is the small, replaceable charging port.
While I was at Verizon, I saw two places advertising that they repair cell phones within sight of the store. One looked like it was a single location entity and to be honest, it occupies the space where many other businesses have come and gone and none have left enough of an impression for me to even remember what the purpose of their business was. The other repair place happened to be in the same parking lot as Verizon. So I started to walk over to that store, which was the UBreakIFix location. I stopped and sat in my car for a few minutes and looked that UbreakIfix up on the internet to see what I could learn. After seeing the page, which I have linked above, I drove across the lot and parked directly in front of the store and walked in.
UbreakIFix first encounter
The showroom is basically a counter you walk up to, a counter mounted in the wall to my right and a display selling phone accessories to my left. There were a couple of large flat screen TV's playing promotional videos and "educational video's" about the services which UbreakIfix offers.
A young man came out of the back and greeted me. I would guess he was in his early 20's in age. I explained the issue with my phone and he took the phone from me and walked over to a bundle of charging cords for various phones which are on the wall mounted counter. He plugged in the correct cord and then indicated the charging port was worn and could be replaced.
I asked his about the process to repair the phone and he emphasized how the repairs would be made in this store and would be completed in about 2 hours. I was very pleased to hear this and I inquired if they had the correct charging port for this phone. He went into the back of the store and returned a few minutes later and indicated it would have to be ordered. I inquired about the cost of the repair and was told it would be about $120.
Once again, I inquired to confirm that the repairs actually would take place in the store and that my phone would not have to be shipped out to another location. He assured me that "nearly all of the repairs they do are done in the store the same day.". I confirmed the amount of time it would take was about 2 hours and he said "Yes, maybe even sooner, but figure 2 hours." I had him order the parts needed and I offered to pay 50% of the total cost as a deposit. I provided my number to call when the parts came in.
This was the Tuesday before Christmas. Early on Friday afternoon, just a few days later, I received call from a woman who said the parts were in for my phone and I could get it repaired right now if I would bring it in. I had just returned home and was in fact pulling into my garage and it was snowing very heavily. We were in the middle of the Winter Storm Warnings which went on for several days. I told her I would come down after Christmas and have the repair made. I asked her how long it would take and I was told "About 2 hours". I asked if it would be helpful for me to schedule an appointment to get the repair done and I was told this wasn't necessary.
Day of the repair
Now, it's the Thursday following Christmas and I called the UbreakIfix location and asked if I could bring the phone in for repairs. I was told absolutely. I drove down and walked in and the same young man greeted me. I confirmed they had the parts needed and he assured me they had waht they needed. I asked him how i could be sure all of my contacts and photos were backed up and he leaned towards my phone and said "Yep, they are backed up". I asked him how he could tell that from 3 feet away. He took the phone and flipped through a few screens and that said "See, it says right there that the backup is complete." How he could tell that from 3 feet away and with me holding the phone is still unclear.
Phone Dropped off for Repair
It's now 12:15 pm on Thursday and I asked him when the phone would likely be ready. He asked for a number to call me and I provided my wife's cell phone number. He then said "It should be ready in about 4 hours". I stopped him and said "what happened to the 2 hours I was told?" He replied "Well, this is a solder job and they take extra time, blah, blah, blah." I told him I needed to have the phone back that day otherwise i wouldn't be having it repaired today. No problem, he assured me.
First Attempt to Pick Up Phone
4:30pm arrived and I had heard nothing from them. So I drove down to the store and walked in about 5pm (now nearly 5 hours after I dropped the phone off). WHen I pulled up to the store, it had been snowing all day and there were no tracks in front of the store nor was the parking lot plowed. The showroom floor was dry as a bone when I entered. There was no sign anyone had been in there recently.
The young man walked from around the wall behind the counter and he looked surprised to see me. I asked "How are you coming on my phone?" He replied "She is soldering it right now and it should be done in an hour." I left the store shortly after 5 pm and went to Best Buy to pick some items up.
Second Attempt to Pick up Phone
I stopped and grabbed something to eat and returned to the store at 6 pm. When I walked into the store, he came from behind the wall and said "She is just putting in the last screws and it will only be a few minutes." I said "One hour ago, she was almost done, what's going on with it?" He rambled on about the time it takes to solder and basically talked a lot but had nothing to say. I stood there as he walked behind the wall.
I could hear their muted conversation and I could hear them on the phone with someone inquiring about a problem, which sounded like it was with my phone. I asked in a loud voice since no one would come out from behind the partial wall "How is it coming?" and she replied "I am just about done".
45 minutes passed and I asked again, in a loud voice since no one had bothered to come out and say anything while I waited for 45 minutes, and she appears from behind the wall carrying my phone, missing the OtterBox case. It's now just about 7 pm, which is their closing time.
She says "I got it done and there must have been a software update while I worked on the phone today as the phone will now only charge when it's turned off." I told her that earlier that day, the phone would charge some of the time, but I had never turned my phone off since it was new. I left it on all of the time. I said "I find it hard to believe that a software update happened just today, which caused this issue." She replied "Well, you have been hurrying me and I haven't had the time to test it correctly".......
Now I am mad. I said "I was told 2 hours for the repairs. Right now I am at 7 hours you have had the phone. How did I "rush you" and how is the phone's failure to be repaired my problem?" She said "Well we had to work on other customers items which came in that had priority over yours." Even if that was true, and there sure were no tracks in the snow to indicate anyone else had been in, WHY would you ever tell a customer such a thing?
When she could see I was unhappy, she pivoted "well, you can leave it and we will Google and see if we can figure out what's wrong with it." Needless to say, I am not about to do this. First off, the store closes for the day at 7 pm and it's now 7 pm and I said "No, I explained I needed my phone back the same day. I asked you several times about the length of time the repairs would take. I also asked if I should make an appointment for the repair. I even spoke with you last week and raised these issues and you told me to just bring it in."
She replied " Well, I am not even sure if the solder job took because you kept rushing me." I asked how is allowing 7 hours for a repair which I was told would take 2 hours "rushing her"? Clearly, she doesn't want to accept any responsibility for the issues now with my phone. She says "You can bring it back and we will work on it and see if we can figure out what's wrong with it."
Now, I am ready to spit nails and I just want out. She lays the phone on the counter and it's asolutely filthy with smudges and greasy hand prints and finger marks on the screen. I ask where is the Otter Box which came on the phone/ She replies "Oh yeah" and the young man comes out and lays the pieces of the case on the counter and walks away.
She then offers to give me a "discount" since it "took longer". I said "it's not fixed. I never had to turn it off before to charge the phone". She keeps rambling about the discount and their 90 day nationwide warranty and essentially ignoring what I was saying, just the way many of the telemarketers who insist I have previously stayed at thir $hitty resort somewhere and they can't seem to honor a do not call list or numerous complaints filed with the Federal Officials.
I paid the remaining $30 and picked up the pieces to my phone and walked out.
I was so disgusted with the entire experience. I started my car and then I took out the eyeglass cleaning cloths I carry in my pocket which are sealed in moisturized packets and I cleaned the entire outside case of the phone and removed all of the smudge and smears off of it. I then put the Otter Box back on the phone and drove home.
When I got home, I pulled up the website for the local store and then I noticed that their website was actually directing me to a store in Kansas and all of the reviews and comments which I had previously read were for that Kansas location, not the store in my area. Interesting.....The same thing still happens today, nearly a month later. I guess that's one way to make a new business appear to have satisfied customers and a loyal following.
I spent a lot of time researching the phone and it's updates and known issues on line and I can tell you there was no software update which caused this change. Also, I then found out that not only does the phone have to be turned off to charge, the wireless charging feature no longer functions. And for whatever reason, now the battery drains almost entirely in about a 12 to 15 hour period when before, it would have used far less of the battery power to operate the phone. I think during the soldering that the battery was either shorted or something happened to dramatically shorten it's prior useful life. I did check to make sure no other programs are running and that's not the case.
There is no way i am going to allow them to work on this phone or anything, ever again. I am not sure exactly what I am going to do and of course, the agreement you have to sign when they work on your phone is on cash register tape and it's almost 18" long. I couldn't even read the print without putting the receipt in our copier and enlarging the print several times so I could actually read the terms and conditions. As one would expect, there is the "Arbitration Agreement" which you must accept if they are going to work on your phone. And the extent of liability waiver contained in the agreement which is unreadable in it's size when presented to you in the store, pretty much indemnifies them against most acts which could occur while they have one's phone.
Bottom Line - Apparently, the two week training course provided to the franchise purchaser didn't cover the extent of repairs which my phone apparently required. Out of curiosity, I read the "pitch" on their website to sell franchises. It seems to me that there would be extensive training required to repair these electronic items, much more than one could obtain in a "franchise training session". What I was seeking to have done is not extensive and in fact, they run a video on their screen in a loop, showing how they rebuild and repair phone's with water damage all of the time and often they can complete these repairs in, YOU GUESSED IT, 2 hours or less.........Hmmm....I am seeing a trend here.
I have spoken with a few people since this incident who had their Apple phone glass replaced by these people and apparently, they don't use authorized parts for the Apple product and the warranties were voided on these new phones because of the work performed by these same people.
Another person I spoke with had a new phone and the online seller of the phone suggested he take the phone to these people because there was some issue with it. He asked why not just return it online and the online retiler said "Oh, this is a simple issue to fix, Just take it to these people and I wil, pay the cost to repair it." Well, when he got the phone back, the case was gouged from opening it and now the retailer won't take the phone back and whatever was wrong with it remains a problem. So he has a $800 phone he can't use and they won't accept as a return where he bought it because it was damaged by this repair location.
So Where do I go from Here?
It looks like I will be forced to purchase a new $720 phone to replace the one I have had just two years. Prior to this incident with the charging cord, there was no reason to make any chages to my phone but now it's got to be turned off to be charged and the wireless charging won't work plus whatever happened to the battery during the "repairs" which has killed it's daily life span.
Be careful if you need to have any repairs made on your phone or anything else......and I hope you end up with better results than I have.
I have written a formal detailed complaint to their corporate headquarters. I will respond and update this post when I hear from them. If they make it right, I will certainly share that. If they fail to adequately resolve my concerns, I will share that result as well. In the meantime, my communication and attempts to resolve the issue with the local franchise location is done and I won't be allowing them to repair anything else.
If someone asks my opinion on smart phone repairs, I will share my experience. In fact, my neighbor just asked me if I knew anything about this location as she needs to have the glass on her new Apple phone replaced as her 2 year old got a hold if it. I did tell her that I thought she should have the Apple store at the mall about 45 minutes away repair her phone so she didn't run into warranty issues in the future.
