Would you bring your car to a small engine mechanic? The same person who services lawnmowers may be able to fix your car, but they certainly can’t diagnose and make the repairs at the same level as a dedicated auto mechanic. The same is true of your computer or cell phone. For this reason I turn away anything other than computer and laptop repair. Hopefully if your cell phone repair person has some integrity they will also turn down your computer or laptop repair.

Is there a difference?

Cell phone repair, for the most part, is replacing standard parts that fail. Screen replacement is the bread and butter of the industry and only requires a half dozen screws or so which makes it very lucrative; albeit, without a huge amount of thought. Some shops like to boast about their microsoldering abilities. Basically, microsoldering is a fancy term for soldering small parts which doesn’t have bragging rights for an experienced electronics person because it’s something we do everyday.

Computer repair, on the other hand, involves a lot more technical skills. With Windows and Apple dynamically changing their operating systems and cloud services, there’s a lot more involved with understanding the complexities of the complete computer system. Most repairs are more than removing a few screws to repair a faulty or broken part.

Cell phone repair business is failing

Cell phone manufacturers have upped their game with better quality screens and phones that are more difficult to repair. Most local shops can’t guarantee their repairs will make the phone 100% functional which leaves customers gun shy to have their $1,000.00 phone repaired. More customers are either buying warranties or returning to the manufacturer for repairs – keeping their factory warranty and retaining 100% of the phone’s functionality. Some carriers, like Verizon, are currently offering trade-ins for any phone in any condition. And unlike traditional “free” phones, the new plans only require purchasing a warranty.

Cell phone repair businesses are trying to bolster sales by differentiating their offerings. It’s kind of like casting out a huge fishing net and hoping they catch something. I can’t say I blame them. But, the truth of the matter is they simply don’t have experience fixing computers so the end result will be frustrated customers who don’t return. Last week a customer came to one of my stores complaining he had to go back to my competitor several times and the issue still wasn’t resolved.

More times than not a new repair store opens and the technician has maybe a year or two experience in the industry. The person has no experience in the day-to-day operations though. Because of this the person running the business becomes overwhelmed with cell phone repairs, employees, managing their location and trying to keep inventory. Now add to that repairs that are outside their bailiwick. I wouldn’t want that person fixing my computer and would think twice about having them fix my cell phone.

My experience with cell phone repair

Years ago I was expanding into a new market and hired a tech with an excellent resume. His experience was cell phones, but I figured with a little training he’d transition into computer repair. After several months of training I came to the conclusion that the two industries were far enough apart and were entirely different skill sets. I found another lead tech for the store and decided it was also time I ventured into cell phones.

I rented a small 300 square foot space (anymore is grossly overkill) and opened a dedicated phone repair shop. I kept the shop open for a number of years under a separate business name and referred cell customers to that location as he referred computer customers to me. Three to four years in I realized I didn’t want to be in the cell repair business and gave him the business. He now has four locations in high traffic areas with the secret of his success being focused on cell phones only.

Conclusion

Sure, you can bring your car to a small engine place and it may be fixed correctly. Just the same, you can bring your computer to a cell phone place and it may get fixed correctly. Why chance it? Many pros I talk with in the break-fix industry agree to leave repairs to the professionals who know and focus only on their industry. Generalists rely on YouTube and websites like iFixit which leads to improper work and trips back and forth. Specialists and professionals use experience to make sure the job is done correctly, the first time.

Jeromy Patriquin is the President of Laptop & Computer Repair, Inc. located in Gardner and Greenfield MA. You can find our more information on LocalComputerWiz.com