(I do not know why my profile says I am in Sacramento. I live in Brooklyn, NY).
Juan really put me at ease as soon as I walked in the door of iFixScreens in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Gregarious in nature, down to earth, fair, and knowledgeable, Juan is your go-to guy for phone screen repairs.
I dropped my iPhone 11 on concrete on Superbowl Sunday. I was sitting down, and the distance was not far. The phone worked all night, but then after 12 hours it went kaputz--completely inaccessible by touch. Something internal was off. My iPhone 11 is a few years old and I am up for an upgrade in August. Initially, I went to the Apple website and read that it offers a do-it-yourself at-home repair rentals kit service for $49. So, people who have little to no background in the complexities of the technology are to do it at home. Apple rather have inexperienced "technicians" "repair" their broken phones rather than allow third-party skilled technicians do it. My blood boiled.
I figured repairing the screen was a more frugal choice than buying myself out of my contract and getting a new phone. I searched for repair shops in my area and after vetting through reviews, decided on iFixScreens. Located 3 minutes from my apartment, I thought it was too good to be true. But then again, the Apple store is also a short walk from my apartment. Before I went to see Juan, I had brought my phone to Apple and their "genius bar." One of their technicians told me that for $200 they could replace the broken glass and maybe they would be able to salvage my photos (I hadn't backed up my photos in months, had been to Iceland and saw the Northern Lights, my goddaughter was born...I know, I know; I've since learned to constantly back things up). I walked out in tears. Then headed to iFixScreens.
There, Juan informed me that he would be able to not only salvage my photos but also repair my phone for half the price Apple was charging. I also was given a Valentine's Day discount as it was the same week! Within 30 minutes, Juan fixed my phone. My heart rate stabilized, happy that I could communicate with the outside world again (oh, how we have become addicted to our phones), but more importantly, save my Northern Lights photos.
Afterwards, Juan and I got to talking, and I expressed my frustration with the following thought. There is this discrepancy in which we believe that anything non-Apple related is inferior. Sure, we could go to third-party repair shops, but Apple warns us that these businesses use unauthorized parts, and that if we were to use them for services, Apple would no longer touch the product afterwards. The word "unauthorized" is triggering, right? We think of inferiority and the black market and illegal. Sure, Apple is strategic in its use of loaded language, ushering us to think this way, but informed people can make better choices. This is something conditioned in us in America, where we believe shiny, and new, and expensive are the sole ways for the products we buy. We need to change that conversation. Fortunately, there has been some progress in that regard.
Juan turned his computer screen so I could see the page he pulled up off the internet. I read "Right to Repair" on the top of the screen. After years of debate, Apple will finally now provide independent repair shops with access to the same authorized, genuine iPhone parts, tools and manuals that it has formerly kept so out of reach. This law, the Right to Repair movement, supplies authorized parts to third-party shops who become verified service providers, a process that is free to sign up for on Apple's website. This is a huge stride for consumers; it ultimately dismantles the eliteness of Apple and its former mindset, and saves us money. Rest assured both in-warranty out-of warranty consumers; you no longer have to cough over $200+ to Apple to fix that small crack in your screen. Head over to iFixScreens in Williamsburg and let Juan serve your needs. I hope this review helps!
(The following is excerpted from Apple's website:)
"The Apple Authorized Service Provider (AASP) program is designed for companies interested in offering in-warranty and out-of-warranty repair service for any Apple product. Qualifying companies can gain access to genuine Apple parts, tools, training, service guides, diagnostics and resources to perform these repairs." read more