I hate leaving a negative review that deals with another person's livelihood, but the operator at Phone Medics basically tried to steal $274 from me.
I have an Ultra 22 and the screen was cracked. I called for a quote on Tuesday night, Dec. 26. He offered me an "after market" screen for $250 and a Samsung official screen for $359. I went with the after-market to save money. He didn't have it in stock and needed me to pay before he ordered it. That should have been a red flag. He told me he'd call Wednesday (the next day) when the part came in and gave me the impression this would be "early."
Wednesday- Around 4 p.m., I hadn't heard anything so I went to the store. He claims he "tried to call me" but Maury proved that was a lie. (No record of a missed call.)
Him- "The piece just came in. Give me 45 minutes to install it."
I always assume things will take longer so I killed about 1.25 hours walking around and shopping at Dollar Tree. (Got some great finds btw.)
Get back to the shop and he's not done. I come back after killing more time and the screen isn't responding. He said this was the first time out of 60 prior fixes that this has happened.
Options- Order another after-market or an official Samsung screen but for $75 more than what he quoted me the night before. (Umm, why was the price different?) I was desperate for a functional phone so I stuck with him and ordered another after-market.
Thursday- It's 4 p.m. and I hear nothing so I call him. He tells me the same thing happened and the screen won't respond. Same options- Try a different vendor and get another after-market or pay $440ish for an official screen. (Now it's $81 more.)
Friday- 3rd attempt and once again, he doesn't call to update me. When my wife called around 4, he told her it would be done in 20 minutes. I get there over an hour later and to no surprise, he's not done. When he does finish.... of course... it's not working.
Me- "I just want my phone back and my refund."
Him- "It's going to take a few days for my credit to come back to, especially with the holiday." (It was Dec 29.)
What business owner doesn't have the capital to refund a customer before he gets a credit? I give him the benefit of the doubt and assume it's because of Christmas and also, what local business owner would cheat a customer in a business where reviews and word-of-mouth are paramount?
From here I take my phone to Quick Phone Fix on Hall, east of Hayes. Daniel has everything in stock and had it fixed within an hour. He also noticed the Phone Medic forgot to put the ear piece back in along with 11 screws. Daniel even overnighted an ear piece and put it in for free the next morning. Please go here.
Back to my refund- I check my credit card every day and on January 9 there is still no refund so I call.
Him, "That service credit should be here any day. To be honest, it might be today." (He uses the phrase "To be an honest" a lot btw. Sweet irony.)
I called back Friday, January 12... No answer.
Call again on Wednesday the 17th- No answer but I get his voicemail... and it was full! Go figure!
I disputed the charge on my credit card and he failed to respond to Citi so after a month, I "won" the dispute.
I'm stunned he has a 4.7 rating. I think his favorable reviews are fake and I don't feel his responses to the one-star reviews are genuine.
If you value your phone's health, your mental health, and your pocketbook's wealth, don't go to this "medic." read more
