The Important Points

  • If something doesn’t ring true after you’ve had a repair done, it’s a good idea to get a second opinion elsewhere.
  • Though most repair businesses are reputable, some will use excuses to cover damage they caused.
  • Some attempt to shift the blame for the results of using low-quality parts, e.g. unreliable “copy screens”.
  • Such excuses could result in a previously healthy (and still repairable) device being branded a “write-off”.
  • Not all cases of (apparently) unrelated damage are the store’s fault… but that’s why you want a second opinion!

Introduction

If you’ve ever been given an excuse by a company after having your phone, tablet or computer repaired, and it doesn’t ring true, it’s always a good idea to seek out a second opinion. Most repair businesses are broadly reputable, but some aren’t, and there’s always the temptation to cover up problems- particularly if it was their mistake and it’s going to cost them money to put that right!

(Skip here if you’re not interested in the details below).

A Typical Case

We received the following enquiry from a customer:-

“My son’s iPhone SE won’t charge above 1%. The screen’s been replaced, and the shop that did it says the fault isn’t with the battery because they took it out, charged it, put it back in and it was okay. They say it’s the IC chip. Is this something you can fix?“

Surely the battery wouldn’t be affected by a screen replacement? In fact, it’s quite a common problem for technicians working on the iPhone SE. When carrying out a screen replacement, the battery should always be disconnected first, to avoid blowing the backlight circuit. So the shop is trying to do the right thing here.

Unfortunately, the iPhone SE has four components (three capacitors and a filter) right next to the battery connector, and it’s very easy for an unwary technician to knock them off when disconnecting the battery during the screen replacement process.

In particular, if the filter (shown in red on our diagram) is missing, the iPhone won’t be able to properly detect the charge state of the battery. That’s what’s happened here. (In fact, as you can see from our photo, all four components have been knocked off in this case!)

Damage like this is called “pry” damage in the industry- it was very common around the time of the iPhone 5 and iPhone SE, but has not been seen often since. It’s quite possible Apple put the components there to catch people out. (Apple- to put it mildly- does not encourage independent repair of its devices!)

 

Left– Schematic (left) shows the three capacitors (green) and filter (red) right next to the battery connector (blue). Centre– All four(!) components had been inadvertently knocked off by the original repairer. Right– After we’d replaced the missing components, including the all-important filter.


Of course, the customer knew none of this. After she’d collected her phone with the new screen installed, she took it back because it wasn’t charging. Rather than look for any damage they caused, the store automatically assumed the problem was with the battery so charged it in another device to confirm it was working. Once the battery itself was found to be fine, they told her it was an IC on the board. (We’re guessing they meant the Tristar IC).

The customer then emailed us for a second opinion, to see if we could fix it after the store told her they didn’t have the tools to do the job. (If they didn’t have the tools, how do they think they had the knowledge to diagnose the “IC” as the issue?!)

We knew immediately what the problem was because we’ve fixed problems like this on behalf of other stores before. When we told the customer, she was annoyed they’d damaged her phone and were refusing to take responsibility for it. Unfortunately, there was no way to prove it had been working before it went in.

If she hadn’t asked us for a second opinion, they might have refunded her for the screen repair and she’d have written the device off. Or- if pushed- it’s possible they might have outsourced the repair, and charged her for it, even though the damage was their fault. Or possibly had a go at fixing it- without the appropriate tools- and made it worse.

Seek an Independent Opinion

Sometimes It’s Their Fault, Sometimes It Isn’t

In the case above, we believe the correct thing for them to do would have been to take the device back and outsource it at their expense to fix the damage that was their responsibility. At the very least they should have sought an independent opinion to confirm if the issue was caused by them.

Sometimes a device comes in for a specific repair and while it is there something else stops working. This isn’t necessarily that store or technician’s fault; there are cases where investigating or working on one fault can expose another, and other cases where it can be coincidence. (Similarly, some repairs are risky, regardless of how good a technician is. In such cases we’ll notify a customer in advance and make clear what we are and aren’t willing to be responsible for if they choose to go ahead with it).

So, such problems aren’t necessarily the technician’s fault- but if an unbiased and competent independent inspection confirms that it is, it’s safe to say they should be expected to pay up or make good their mistake. On the other hand, if it’s caused by something unrelated, they can get in contact with the customer and take it from there.

Don’t Get Fobbed Off

Regardless, it’s very important to get a second opinion and not be fobbed off with an excuse. There are too many stores damaging devices during repair then passing the blame onto the customer. For instance, the backlight going during screen replacement and telling the customer the device isn’t working (even though they damaged the backlight during repair). Or causing long screw damage then telling them the same thing. When the customer returns they try to intimidate them.

It’s also common for “faults” with the customer’s device to be used as an excuse to avoid covering the warranty on their own low-quality parts. For example, someone came to us last week who’d had his 5S screen changed by another store. He’d taken it back because it was typing random things. The store said they’d tried another screen and it was doing the same so it was an issue with the Touch IC on his motherboard. When he brought it to us, we explained there was nothing wrong with the Touch IC- it was the low-quality copy LCD they’d fitted, and he should take it back and get it changed, or get a refund. He didn’t want to do that, so ended up effectively paying twice for the same repair after we did it again.

Remember that a lot of these stores are operating on a “no fix, no fee” basis, so it’s not in their interest to spend any time trying to diagnose something if it’s not likely to be successful. Particularly if the only likely solution will be to outsource it and pay a lot more than the customer was charged for the original repair. (Their problem- not the customer’s- of course, but since most such businesses are competing on price with razor-thin margins they generally can’t afford to take responsibility for things like this).

Regardless, the conclusion is simple- if you’re suspicious that a company is trying to make their mistakes your problem, or something just doesn’t ring true, don’t get fobbed off- seek a second opinion.