iPad Mini 4 Repairs coming soon!

Hello there,

We’ve got a long list of repairs at Mission Repair, and we strive to add new services as new products are released.  Very soon, the iPad Mini 4 Repairs will hit our service lineup.

We’ve had a few requests for this service already; however I’d like to make you aware that these screens are “fused” unlike most of the other iPad screens that we are currently repairing…therefore the price for repair will be higher than it’s older counterparts.  This can make the decision for some people to NOT BUY the iPad Mini 4;

Additionally, we get asked all the time: “Is it a good idea to spend the extra $100 for AppleCare+ if you’re going to be spending $600 dollars anyway on one of these new iPads?”  What’s another $100 at that point?  Well, it’s a lot…and if you break the screen even under AppleCare+ you’ll pay Apple another deductible to Apple as well to have it repaired.

It’s clear in this industry that Apple is making a move to make their devices less economically repairable…so as consumers we need to be aware of these things before we make purchases.  At this point, it’s a tough call…does a customer pay the extra $100 for “insurance” from Apple?  What if it’s never used?  You got it, you’d just lose that $100. 

I personally have stopped buying all kinds of different “extended service plans” if I know where to get something repaired or can do it myself.  Chances are you’ll never need it.  If you do, you’ll have to pay for it at that point…but if you don’t, you pay nothing.

It’s how and why Mission Repair is in business.  We are here for those customers that are out-of-warranty, don’t have AppleCare+, or don’t want to pay Apple more deductibles.  We have our business anniversary in April of this year and will be moving into our 9th year of business, it must be working for some of you!

Take care, Ryan

In case you missed our past Super Bowl commercials:

Hello there!  There’s a lot of hype coming up to Super Bowl 50.  It’s right around the corner and that’s all ESPN is talking about right now.

4 teams remain in what might prove to be a fantastic match up on the big day…however this weekend may be an even better entertaining football weekend in itself.  The last two teams in each division will face off and the winner of each game heads to the 2016 Super Bowl 50 extravaganza.  I’m really excited to see who has the best team after all.

In fact, did you know that Mission Repair has advertised in a few Super Bowls at halftime as well?  The commercials of the Super Bowl are always talked about, and we have been in the half-time show for a few years and our commercials have been seen by millions.  You might remember this two part commercial from 2013.

Part one:

and Part two:

Our commercials page has received a lot of attention over the years for our creative and “shocking” commercials that won the hearts of millions.  Of course, we had our critics.  One thing that I’ve learned is that you can’t please everyone, and the only way to stay our of the cross-hairs is not run commercials at all.  The votes were overwhelmingly positive in our favor, but we will let time tell on whether or not you’ll see us in Super Bowl 50.  Will you be watching?

I know that I will be there, eating chips an hot wings and rooting on my favorite team for sure…we are down to 4 teams to battle it out and I’m getting excited!

Take care, Ryan

 

 

Droid Turbo 2 by Motorola with a Shatterproof Screen!

Hello! I’ve seen this commercial on TV a few times, and it’s got me thinking about the repair business and the direction of the technology these days…

I snapped this picture of the TV last night to get a better glimpse of the fine print today.

Motorola has developed a new product called “ShatterShield” and guarantees that the screen on your Droid Turbo 2 won’t shatter or crack for 4 years from the original date of purchase. Sounds awesome to me, and many people have made YouTube videos already showing how they are dropping them and how they are not cracking.

Be careful though, the fine print on http://www.motorola.com/shattershield states:

“…scratches and other cosmetic damage, intentional damage or abuse, normal wear and tear and other limitations apply.”

is it possible that dropping your phone and cracking the screen be deemed “abuse?” or even “normal wear and tear”? <— I know it would for my daughter 😉

I'm very curious to see if there is a limit to how many times Motorola will replace a damaged screen, or if they will end up instituting a deductible. This phone does cost over $600 to buy, so maybe they've just built in some extra fluff when it comes to repairing for their customers.

In any case, I applaud Motorola for going the extra mile. Let's see if the other manufacturers jump on the bandwagon and make "breakproof" devices. My gut feeling is that it goes against the basic business model for some of these manufacturing giants…of course they want to sell you a new device when you break yours. Just make sure that you break it and don't abuse it, right?

Hey, have a good evening, Ryan

Where are the minutes going? Sprint!

Hello friends-

I’ve been an iPhone user for years. In fact I actually use two cell phones, one is an iPhone and I also use a Samsung Galaxy SIII (yes, there are specific reasons for this)…but I recently changed my carrier to Sprint from AT&T. Since I switched, I noticed something interesting:

When I was on AT&T and when I made a call, the second counter would only begin when a call was connected. I would dial; wait a bit and if the call went through, then the counter started.

This is NOT the case with my Sprint service. Interesting. So the time counter starts immediately upon dialing my office number and you can hear in my video, my automated message “connects” at about 9 seconds on the counter. This could be a sticky situation. I haven’t actually compared my invoice from Sprint to the number of calls that are placed but I wonder if this is an issue of “fractions of a minute” that add up on one’s bill.

Remember the movie “Office Space”? “Fractions of a penny” being diverted and over time add up to a couple hundred thousand dollars? What could “fractions of a minute” add up to over millions of customers?

Well in Sprint’s defense, I have not yet verified if I am being charged for minutes that never connect or if these fractions are rounding my connected calls to an additional minute…but since my phone is recording these seconds differently than my AT&T phone, I just find it interesting that this is different per carrier. Give it a try and let me know what you think!

If you’ve got my cell phone number, give me a call 😉

Take care, Ryan

St. Patrick’s Day…it’s not easy bein’ green.

Sound familiar?

A quote from the great – Kermit the Frog – “it’s not easy bein’ green” has been a theme over at our new location that is due to open on 4/1/14. Why is that catchy Sesame Street song “sticking” do you ask?

We added some “Mission Repair Green” tint to the front glass at Mission Repair Express and when the sun hits the window just right…well…the picture tells a lot below:

It’s not easy being green.

So it’s a bit TOO green. Like emerald green. Everywhere! It feels like you’re swimming in a Shamrock Shake (a McDonalds treat if you didn’t know). The bottom line: Our excitement to add a little color took our “company colors” to a whole new level. We have a solution to fix this “St. Patrick’s Day” hue – so don’t worry. I promise you won’t get queasy if you stop by our new site at our grand opening!

Speaking of grand opening – it’s set for April, 1st, 2014. However we are running a bit AHEAD of schedule and you heard it here first; I am now shooting to be open starting on St. Patrick’s day 2014. A fitting day to commence the GRAND OPENING OF MISSION REPAIR EXPRESS!

So, this is aggressive for us and we’re on the right track. Flooring is going to be installed this weekend then it’s just the final touches that need to be completed. Will it be done? Will we have the luck of the Irish? Irish I was complete with project 😉 A silly pun is all the motivation that I need!

Thanks for all of the interest and calls about our new Mission Repair Express location – the press release will hit soon for the masses to read. But you heard it here first, another reason that check in with us here on the blog.

Thanks friends,
Ryan