How are phone repair shops even in business??

[OutHouse]

Are you still trying to tell me it takes more effort to replace a piece of glass on a phone for a technician than it does to change the oil in a car? Because that is simply silly to even think so.

actually, yes, more effort and more skill.

 

[TwiceOver]

My wife dropped a $165 phone while on a vacation. It is now a game of whether the photos that are on there are worth $120. From now on, we have photo sync on and I'll only buy phones with a memory card slot.

I really liked that phone too. MotoX pure just like your wife's. Mine liked it so much she wants another one for xmas, so that is on its way.

 

[Ns1]

why work 3x as much by charging 1/3rd the price when you can work 1/3rd as hard by charging the current price.

 

[skull]

Silly argument is silly. Used to work in repair industry on computers. It is NOT that much overhead once the tools and shop is in place. It's easy to see that. Look at big box car repair places or dealerships for their prices to fix anything. Hell even do an oil change. Now look at the smaller mechanic shops around that can do the same thing for usually less than half the price. Heck, since I mentioned it, why does Jiffy Lube charge $40 for an oil change, GMC dealerships tend to charge $50, and then you got places like Econo Lube or Midas that charge $20? If you really look around you can find places that will change your oil for $10 if you supply the filter.

Are you still trying to tell me it takes more effort to replace a piece of glass on a phone for a technician than it does to change the oil in a car? Because that is simply silly to even think so.

If its so easy and lucrative why don't you have your own business repairing computers and phones?

You ever met the idiots that work at jiffy lube? They don't care which oil goes in, if your car takes 10w-30 they put in 5w -20 because it was easier or they didn't bother to check. They use the cheapest filters money can by. If your lucky they remember to tighten both the filter and the oil plug. I don't let anyone touch my truck. It costs me more to do it myself but atleast I know its done right with the right oil and filter. The dealer while I wouldn't take my vehicles there either is a step above jiffy lube thats why it costs more. Their employees are paid better, have better tools, more training, which costs more but ends with a better job. Oil change doesn't compare to replace phone parts anyway. The difference would be more like a shop verse a craigslist hack. The craigslist guy has no overhead and no responsibility if he breaks your phone worse, oh well sorry bud, on the other hand the guy with a shop is obviously doing this for a living, not just to support his dope habit and will stand by his reputation making it right by paying for another phone.

Are you one of those people that thinks cheaper is always better? I actually make a lot of money off people after the cheap guy makes their furnace or a/c problem worse. In turn costing them not only twice but more on my end because I have to fix the first guys screw ups too.

 

[skull]

For reference, I remember reading an article a long time ago about the prices of computer repairs and computer repair shops. The article basically tried to see how good, or bad some of the shops around a big city were. They had basically taken a computer and cut a single wire on a ribbon cable to the harddrive. Then they put that computer into every repair shop around the city from big box places to little mom and pop. Basically only a couple of the mom and pop shops actually identified the problem correctly and only a single big box store figured it out as the only problem. Everyone else tried to scam the shit out of them basically. Even the big box store still charged $160 bucks to replace the $4 cable. One mom and pop place charged like $10, the other that figured it out charged like $80. Other places did "fix" the cable, but tried to say other things were wrong to justify their ridiculous price charges.

Wish I could remember where I read that article as it was a few years back.

Now that I agree with. Some of these big corporate type heating and cooling companies hire what I call sales techs. They are trained to make sales not repairs. Its the pay structure that does it. They get paid a very low hourly rate but high commissions. So in turn they sell as much as possible to earn a living. They don't have a clue how to fix a furnace but know just how to sell you a new one. Same with them jiffy lube techs, thats why oil changes are so cheap so they can get you in the door and tell you you need a new battery, air filter, windsheild wipers, coolant, tranny flush, etc.

 

[MrSquished]

For reference, I remember reading an article a long time ago about the prices of computer repairs and computer repair shops. The article basically tried to see how good, or bad some of the shops around a big city were. They had basically taken a computer and cut a single wire on a ribbon cable to the harddrive. Then they put that computer into every repair shop around the city from big box places to little mom and pop. Basically only a couple of the mom and pop shops actually identified the problem correctly and only a single big box store figured it out as the only problem. Everyone else tried to scam the shit out of them basically. Even the big box store still charged $160 bucks to replace the $4 cable. One mom and pop place charged like $10, the other that figured it out charged like $80. Other places did "fix" the cable, but tried to say other things were wrong to justify their ridiculous price charges.

Wish I could remember where I read that article as it was a few years back.

That's an interesting story. While I build all my own desktops I never went into a laptop before. Laptop died, diagnostics said hard drive. Took it to a mom & pop and they said the same thing. I figured I could do it and ordered the drive and some small screwdrivers. Saved myself $70 in labor.

I've looked at changing phone glass on certain models of phone and it looks like it can be tricky depending on the model. I'll have to cross that bridge when I get to it if my phone looks easy enough to do.

 

[HumblePie]

If its so easy and lucrative why don't you have your own business repairing computers and phones?

You ever met the idiots that work at jiffy lube? They don't care which oil goes in, if your car takes 10w-30 they put in 5w -20 because it was easier or they didn't bother to check. They use the cheapest filters money can by. If your lucky they remember to tighten both the filter and the oil plug. I don't let anyone touch my truck. It costs me more to do it myself but atleast I know its done right with the right oil and filter. The dealer while I wouldn't take my vehicles there either is a step above jiffy lube thats why it costs more. Their employees are paid better, have better tools, more training, which costs more but ends with a better job. Oil change doesn't compare to replace phone parts anyway. The difference would be more like a shop verse a craigslist hack. The craigslist guy has no overhead and no responsibility if he breaks your phone worse, oh well sorry bud, on the other hand the guy with a shop is obviously doing this for a living, not just to support his dope habit and will stand by his reputation making it right by paying for another phone.

Are you one of those people that thinks cheaper is always better? I actually make a lot of money off people after the cheap guy makes their furnace or a/c problem worse. In turn costing them not only twice but more on my end because I have to fix the first guys screw ups too.

To the bolded, because of two reasons

1) I have integrity and don't like to gouge people
2) While I could certainly make money fixing screens, that isn't the majority of their business. Which is data retrieval + wipe + reinstall. Also sales of accessories. Used to work at firedog, geeksquad, and even compusa repairs. I know how to fix computers, but everything about phones which I would have to learn.

When I speak of oil changes being about as easy skill wise as replacing a glass screen, this isn't me talking out my ass here. I am very mechanically inclined, but just don't always have the time. I helped build cars, rebuild engines, build computers, put together laptops, and build my own devices. I've repaired most of the major appliances in my house including fridge, washer, dryer, lawnmower, and dishwasher. I've worked on small things as well as big things. When looking at screen replacement the only "tricky" part to replacing most of them is making sure not to break the digitizer and that is it. Everything else is just heating up adhesives, prying open the pry points, and unscrewing a few screws. Which is exactly what I plan to do when the replacement parts come in for my wife's phone.

Again, I would normally have no problem tossing $50-$70 for someone else to do it to save me time. I just have a hard time paying price gouging prices.

 

[skull]

To the bolded, because of two reasons

1) I have integrity and don't like to gouge people
2) While I could certainly make money fixing screens, that isn't the majority of their business. Which is data retrieval + wipe + reinstall. Also sales of accessories. Used to work at firedog, geeksquad, and even compusa repairs. I know how to fix computers, but everything about phones which I would have to learn.

When I speak of oil changes being about as easy skill wise as replacing a glass screen, this isn't me talking out my ass here. I am very mechanically inclined, but just don't always have the time. I helped build cars, rebuild engines, build computers, put together laptops, and build my own devices. I've repaired most of the major appliances in my house including fridge, washer, dryer, lawnmower, and dishwasher. I've worked on small things as well as big things. When looking at screen replacement the only "tricky" part to replacing most of them is making sure not to break the digitizer and that is it. Everything else is just heating up adhesives, prying open the pry points, and unscrewing a few screws. Which is exactly what I plan to do when the replacement parts come in for my wife's phone.

Again, I would normally have no problem tossing $50-$70 for someone else to do it to save me time. I just have a hard time paying price gouging prices.

In your first post you said that any good phone guy could drop his price considerably and rake in the dough. Why don't you be that guy?

 

[skull]

Oh and I think your way wrong. Most any idiot can change oil in a car its one plug a filter put em back and fill with the right amount of oil. Prying and heating on electronics with a million screws and such isn't for any idiot, granted I'm sure its easy enough but not an oil change easy.

 

[Ichinisan]

They *reeeeally* do not care one little bit about your non-Apple device. They price it that way because they don't want to be bothered with any of those.

 

[luv2liv]

They sell micro USB cable for $15, while we get for $2

 

[HumblePie]

In your first post you said that any good phone guy could drop his price considerably and rake in the dough. Why don't you be that guy?

Never said that. You got me confused with someone else, AznAnarchy, in this thread that said that on post #10.

 

[HumblePie]

Oh and I think your way wrong. Most any idiot can change oil in a car its one plug a filter put em back and fill with the right amount of oil. Prying and heating on electronics with a million screws and such isn't for any idiot, granted I'm sure its easy enough but not an oil change easy.

For most people they have to figure out how to get at the oil pan. how to get at the filter, how to unscrew the plug, and how to unscrew the filter. Many times they are not in easy to access places. Depends on the car I guess. The drain plug tends to be easier to access though. On some vehicles you have to have to vehicle tilted right to get the oil all out, unless you like leaving a bunch of old oil in there. Have to remember rub the filter connection down in oil, how to even fill up the oil, and then how to check it all once you screw everything back into place. Then what to do with the oil, how to prevent it from spilling when draining.

Is it overall simple? Sure is. Is it harder or easier than heating up some adhesive, prying a couple spots, and dealing with a few (usually about 2-6) screws on a phone to access the glass? Not really. It's about the same level of effort, just different.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Yeah, no idea how they stay in business at all. Their bulbs and batteries are outrageous. Yeah, it is nice to be able to get that odd coin battery without ordering it, but how can they state in business just from selling coin batteries?

One time I went in there and bought some coin batteries for my wife's vibrator and they guy is was like "Oh what does this go into?" I said "Toothbrush" and he is like "Really? I don't think toothbrushes use that size, what is it really for?" Last time I ever went to that shop.

The correct answer is "the sex toy I use on your mom. Now ah heck off."

 

[Raduque]

your high horse is mighty high.

I did two years in wireless CS and TS. I'm tired of the way people don't take care or their things, or respect the fact that cellphones are

I get irrationally angry that in the year 2016 people still post on Facebook asking for people to text them because they got a new phone.

Even 10+ years ago, in the days of flip phones, the carriers would transfer contacts to a new phone for free.

This one REALLY bugs me. use a god damned cloud service! Most phones come with at least 3 of them. Google's, your carrier's and your phone OEM's, and they all bug you when you're setting up the phone.