Cell Phone Repair, at a Glance

Cell phone repair can be and is a tricky business. From what I have seen it seems that the younger generation of people (ages 15-25) many time will try to tackle their own cell phone repair. There are many videos out that can “teach” one how to do this. The reality is, a hair dryer and the inexpensive tools that come with these parts online make an already difficult task almost impossible for the inexperienced “tech in training”.

The reality surrounding these modern day miracle devices is that they are, not surprisingly, difficult to repair. You are dealing with a computer, camera, AMOLED displays, microphones, speakers, Bluetooth, WIFI and oh ya, cell phone that not 10 years ago would have seemed like science fiction. Not surprisingly there are many small fragile parts that make up today’s cell phones and the misplacement or improper installation of one of these parts can trigger a short circuit of the mother board rendering the device useless (well one can still harvest parts off them I suppose).

Starting in this industry I had little to no experience in cell phone repair, however I thought of myself a pretty handy guy, how hard could it be? We invested in me taking a pricy training course to refine my skills, this course helped exponentially, however the real training came when you start to learn about each cell phone and the repair that is involved with it. Even with months of research, a good understanding of the job at hand and training under my belt, the initial learning curve to repair these devices was steep and long.

There ended up being a couple dead solders along the way, tricks that you learn only through error or being beside someone that has had that same problem in the past. Now of course we looked after those customers and ended up buying them new devices at our expense but the lessons learned were priceless.

The other struggle one runs into is finding a reliable parts supplier. Though you may have done the repair perfectly, the end result can be that the new part you just ordered and waited a week for, simply does not work, or worse, kills the device upon install. Many of these parts suppliers are hard to get a refund from after an inoperable part is found, especially if you fully installed it.

So after 1000’s of dollars invested in learning the trade I still make mistakes, though fewer and further between. Although we now have a great parts supplier, some parts still come in damaged or not working. This is not a trade for the faint of heart. For the amateur trying to save a buck, I hope for the best.

There is a reason and need for cell phone repair techs, we are immersed in trade every day and strive to find better, faster, more reliable ways to do the repair. This knowledge and experience comes at a relatively low cost to the consumer averaging around $60 per hour. My advice, if your device breaks, or stops working and you don’t have the experience, take it to your local cell phone repair professional.