Galaxy S8, screen shattered.
Stopped by on a Saturday evening and asked the store manager about the cost of replacing the screen. He was kind enough to call Verizon corporate for me and we found out how much I could get back from Verizon for my damaged S8 with the screen damaged vs the screen intact. It seemed worth it for me to just fix the screen for his discounted price of $250, and it was supposed to take just 30 minutes.
Since they have a CASH ONLY policy, I jogged an avenue down to fulfill my part of the deal. Upon returning, I could see the technician opening up the phone with a heat gun, a blade, and prying it open with an old MetroCard. I saw pieces coming off, and the fix looked much more intense than I had expected. It took a bit longer than 30 minutes, maybe closer to 45 minutes, but I was excited to see the end result.
The screen was put on well, and the phone appears to have been put back together perfectly. They added a screen protector as well.
So why only 2 stars? From my heart, I wanted to give only ONE star, but in fairness, they deserve at least 2 for decent workmanship. However, I never thought for a minute that a screen repair could cause my phone to reset, and this possibility was not brought to my attention.
Yes, MY BAD for not backing up the photos and other data on my phone for the last few months. Either way, all 3 of us (the tech, the manager, and I) were very surprised to find that the phone had completely reset, and all data had been lost. The wedding pics from last weekend, my daughter's graduation from a month ago, photos taken for work purposes... all gone. On top of that, I've got possibly hours of work ahead of me to get the phone settings and apps back the way I need them.
The fact that I don't back up my files as I should is NOT their fault. The fact that I wasn't warned that there's a "1 % possibility that this can happen," as the manager told me afterwards, is a BIG no-no. This was basically surgery performed on a device that's become just about as important as a pacemaker for one's heart.
And granted, these are just "first world problems"... but they're a first-world business. They're right on W. 23rd St in Manhattan. The utmost professionalism is expected. Unfortunately, from the shock of all of this, I offered him $100 max for the whole deal. He pushed my bill away and said they couldn't take any less than the full amount due, and claimed that most of the price of the fix goes to paying for the replacement screen part itself, something like $200. If they use a GENUINE Samsung part, yes, this can be true. It's doubtful that a genuine part was used, but I haven't done enough research to tell.
In my head, if you run a business that promises a finished product and you don't warn of possible data loss or other associated problem, and that problem occurs, a significant portion of your original price should be discarded. In this case, he discounted an extra $50, claiming that the total $200 I paid is his basic cost for the part, and he's made no money whatsoever.
I'm left with a good phone and a new screen protector, but the loss of important data and a bunch of time to set things up again. While they offered to try to restore my data if I returned on Monday, I can't say that really helps me, as I'm not sure when I'll get down there. Plus, the app that they suggested I try for data restoration, Samsung Kies, turns out to have been made for old Samsung operating systems, such as for the S4 or older. No good for me, it seems.
If I'm able to get my data back, I may give them a full 3 stars (which denotes the "A-OK" impression of a business), but if you look around a bit, you may find a store that's more professionally operated. read more