UbreakIfix by Asurion, international tech repair service

[bzar]

I want to send a shout out to this service I discovered today. They're called "Ubreakifix" by Asurion - they're a national tech repair service.

They fix broken technology and are honest people. They're a national/international chain of repair shops. They're both "in-person/brick & mortar" or mail-in styles for repair work. We have 2 repair shops on the island.

When I brought my Samsung phone in, the agreement they made with me was that they would replace the switch. After he had studied the inside, he could tell that even if he replaced the button, it wouldn't function. He called me to ask if it was OK for him to do what he had proposed - get the phone to turn on with a paper clip. I approved his plan. He was successful at doing the paper clip solution.

Because they "failed," (i.e., couldn't replace the button) they weren't going to charge me. It sounds non-sensical, but that's how they operate. To me it was a success, so I insisted on paying them their base price of $29.99.

They fix a lot of tech - gaming consoles, TVs, headsets, ring surveillance cameras, tablets, alexa, etc. and all brands.

You can bring in random items to see if they'll fix it or you can sign up for a warranty program. They even have a poster in their shop that says "never sign up for a warranty plan again" with a list and photos of what they can repair.

Asurion is also an authorized repair shop for AT&T cell phones and they can file the repair claim with AT&T. It depends on what your insurance agreement covers, so it's best to check with whoever you purchased the policy from to review the "fine print". I discovered my cell phone insurance with AT&T only covered screen replacement or water damage, and not power button replacement.

All was not lost - Asurion/UbreakIfix said that if the power button was replaced successfully, I would pay anywhere from $29.99 to $59.99.

I discovered UbreakIfix by doing a Google search. Prior to this, I went to an independent cell phone repair shop and Geek Squad at Best Buy. Neither shop would even look at it. Instead, the first shop said my only recourse was to do a data recovery which could cost up to $4,000!! But if all I wanted were certain segments of data (just text messages), it would be less. The service he referred me to did free estimates and you could call beforehand to get an estimate, DriveSavers.com.

My AT&T store agent said if I purchased the button on my own, he would attempt to repair it for me free of charge. I think he would have referred me to Asurion at some point since they have a relationship with AT&T.

I looked online regarding people who successfully "DIY" replaced the power switch for my model, but I was thinking it would be better to just get it done by a professional.