Mission Repair: Spring Price Drops!

Good afternoon all!

I know many of you, just as I do, look for a good deal on about anything you purchase these days. I found myself over the past few weeks talking with Groupon about their services and what it could do for Mission Repair. I look for competitive pricing but at the same time refuse to use the bottom of the line parts as the quality just doesn’t hold up. I research my competitors as well and finding some of them offering Groupon deals. Well I will save you the time and effort to buy the groupon.. We already have prices as low as those so called “deals”, simply walk in, or mail in your device and enjoy the Mission Repair difference. Fast friendly service and quality repairs at prices the other guys have to  offer “discounts” to match.

Mission Repair has parts in stock and technicians ready to serve you, simply come in to one of our retail locations and get your device back in working order asap! You can also mail your device to us, or call toll free 844-459-0105 for assistance.  We back all of our parts and labor with a 1 year guarantee and always willing to help out repeat customers. I know the feeling of replacing my windshield on my car and literally within 24 hours have another crack from a rock! We feel your pain and will help you out if you luck just doesn’t go your way and you need a 2nd repair.

We look forward to serving you and helping you get your phone, computer or tablet back in like now condition. Please don’t hesitate to call us (844-459-0105) or email (sales@missionrepair.com) us for any questions you may have!

Have a great day!

 

When is the right time to purchase Applecare?

Good morning everyone!

It’s Friday! Sun is shining and and going to be a beautiful day in here in Kansas City. I know the east and west coast have some formidable weather happening today and this weekend so stay safe for those of you impacted by those conditions.

I know the title may throw you off that Mission Repair is talking about Applecare, but give me a minute to explain. First off, I own an iPhone X, it’s just in my nature to be an early adopter of technology. When looking to buy any new device I am always curious how they can be repaired, or in this case IF they can be repaired. The answer is a bit more complicated than yes or no. The vast majority of past iPhones were a simple repair with a few screws and getting a quality part to replace the broken one. Granted there always seems to be a bit more complicated issue depending on the damage, but in general terms the older iPhones were 100% repairable. With the iPhone’s introduction of the Touch ID on the home button we have seen various issues keeping the Touch ID (fingerprint reader) working if the original one is damaged. Now with the iPhone X it appears that even opening up the device, disables the Face recognition ability of the phone.

So with that being said I do realize these are $1,000 iPhones and you should protect your investment by either having a local shop to handle your repairs, just as Mission Repair has done now for nearly a decade, or Applecare or some sort of insurance policy. This is the unicorn case of a device that currently is not repairable due to Apple’s security measures, or some other reasons I won’t go into, to keep 3rd party repair facilities from doing the repair. New technology brings new challenges, be thinking about your options before the worst may happen and your brand new iPhone X has issues. As a side note, basic Applecare does not cover “accidental damage”, that is drops, or physical damage to the device. You will need Applecare+, while not cheap, it’s currently the only sure way to have an iPhone X repaired from a drop/crack/accident and keep your face id tech working properly.

I hope this helps and possibly prevents an upsetting day if you should need to have an iPhone X repaired. Full disclosure, this is the first and only iPhone I have purchased Applecare+ on for this very reason. I wrote this as there have been a number of customers call in to ask if we can repair the device and then very disappointed that they would lose facial ID. As technology evolves we try to stay at the leading edge, but at this time the manufacturers, in the case Apple, has taken a path that currently prevents anyone outside their own facility to repair the iPhone X. While I love Apple products and will continue to use them, there are some challenges as technology and security evolves.

While I greatly appreciate all the support from the local community and across the country, please make a note if you do own an iPhone X that you may want to look into options for repair if you use the Face ID on a regular basis.

Have a great weekend!

 

Mission Repair Opening an eBay Store!

Hello all!

We have a new partner that is providing Mission Repair with some off lease and refurbished phones, tablets and other gadgets that we will begin selling via our Mission Repair eBay store. We will have some devices available in our retail stores but focus on our broad customer base across the US and beyond. These devices have been fully checked out and in 100% operational condition. Most of them are older devices that our customer is updating so we have some nice Grade A and B devices that our customers will enjoy. These are devices such as iPhone 4, 5 and 6 series, iPads as well as Samsung branded Galaxy line of phones and tablets. We will also have a few smartwatches and other gadgets. We will abide 100% by eBay policy and not pull down auctions with bids, this may upset some local customers, but we must retain our excellent standing with eBay and abide by the rules they set. We will keep some of our stock in our retail stores and if you wish to purchase something you can, of course, purchase it off eBay and then choose to pick up the device locally at one of our retail locations.

We have bought and sold some phones and computers in the past but with the iCloud lock and other issues, we felt it best to have a reliable source that can bring our customers peace of mind that the device has been completely wiped and removed from service. We have received our first shipment and getting them processed to go up on eBay in the coming days!

We will update everyone when the store goes live and hope to have it stocked and ready for purchases by Feb 1st, 2018!

Why you should use MFI certified charging cables!

While everyone loves a bargin.. and a cheap charging cord you grab at the checkout of any number of stores from a gas station to Walmart seems like you just saved big! Well, here at Mission Repair we are seeing more and more damaged iPhones and iPads that I believe the only issues are charging related. The customers claim no drops, liquid or any other situation that would cause damage has occurred yet their device won’t power on, won’t charge etc…

If you see brown spots or deformed wire covering (shown on the right in the picture below) which is likely from the cable producing excess heat… throw it away immediately!! If you’re in doubt about your $.99 cent cable.. toss it.

So what could possibly be the issue? We work with several shops and share information. One, in particular, is highly skilled board specialists that continue to report various electronic components on the logic boards been burned up or “blown” like a fuse in your home or car. The reason would seem to point to faulty or cheap charging cables.

First and foremost I am not saying you must only buy Apple branded cables. Belkin, Griffin and multiple other accessory vendors sell legit cables that are “Apple/MFI certified” and have the proper IC chips in them to regulate voltage and not overcharge or burn out circuitry in your device. Follow this link tell if you have legit cables. This picture shows the chip at the end of the MFI certified cable, which many legitimate companies pay a fee to Apple to use. That fee alone is (last I heard) in the $5 range plus or minus depending on the volume. That makes a $.99 cable.. well fake. If you’re getting a “deal” on even those $2.99 cables, it’s probably fake as well. Bottom line it must be an MFI certified cable, and legitimate companies will clearly state the information on the outside of the packing. However, in the world of counterfeiting and fakes, even the packaging can be fake. My best advice is stick with name brands you know and trusts over the years. I usually keep Belkin and Griffen cables at my retail locations as they have been very reliable.

Bottom line would you rather pay $9.99 or more for a cable or get the call from your local repair shop that your new iPhone/iPad that you paid well over $500 is now dead. While some of these are repairable, typically this type of repair is $200+. The surge of electricity can literally kill your device and leave you with a $0.99 glittery pink/red/blue charging cable and a $500 paperweight!

I know it’s painful (cost wise) when you need multiple charging cables but based on the past few months/year of repairs it’s not a matter of IF.. but when that day comes you have an issue. The real danger, of course, is not a dead device but the chance the cheap cable starts a fire and puts you and your family at risk of serious injury or loss of something much more valuable than a phone or tablet.

Please be safe and take the time to inspect your cables!

What is an iPhone digitizer?

I know that there are a ton of question about the “digitizer” on your iPhone, or any other touch-screen smartphone these days. We here at Mission Repair are experts and very familiar with iPhone digitizers, glass, and screens. We repair them by the thousands every month. Let’s see if we can demonstrate what the digitizer is here under a glass panel:

This is the digitizer on an iPhone!

The digitizer is fused UNDER the glass cover. It’s the electronic component that senses the touch of a human finger through the glass, and is designed to allow the unit to be controlled by a fingertip. This is the “input” of the device and it’s very thin and transparent.

The point is that you cannot replace the digitizer alone. Since it’s part of the glass, in the event of a touch failure it needs to be replaced with the glass and vice versa. So if you have a cracked iPhone glass, you’re going to get a new digitizer as well. If you have an iPhone that doesn’t respond to touch, you’ll also get a new glass. It’s just the way it’s designed.

You might see these assemblies marketed as:

• iPhone glass
• iPhone digitizer
• iPhone touch screen
• iPhone glass screen
• iPhone screen
• iPhone touch panel

For all intents and purposes, these terms are all interchangeable and are all the same thing. Are you in need of one of these parts? Here’s a list of glass/digitizer repairs that we sell here at Mission Repair:

• iPhone 2G Glass Repair
• iPhone 3G Glass Repair
• iPhone 3GS Glass Repair
• iPhone 4 Glass Repair
• iPhone 4S Glass Repair
• iPhone 5 Glass Repair
• iPhone 5C Glass Repair
• iPhone 5S Glass Repair
• iPhone 6 Glass Repair
• iPhone 6 Plus Glass Repair
• iPhone 6S Glass Repair
• iPhone 6S Plus Glass Repair

Don’t forget our wide selection of iPad Glass Repair options!

Remember, you might see these glass panels for sale cheap – be sure to inquire about the required digitizer that is fused to the glass from the factory – without it, the glass is useless. You cannot replace the glass or “remove” your good digitizer and reinstall it onto your iPhone without advanced equipment and lots of training. It just doesn’t work! These assemblies are built together and must stay together. I hope this information helps!