All right then...I took my Galaxy S8 into Ubreakifix today for a battery swap. They quoted me $100. I think the going rate at batteries plus is $80 and Ubreakifix says they will meet the price, however, I decided not to call them on that because they are an authorized Samsung repair center an assured me that it was an OEM battery and everything would be water proof again, fully tested, etc. etc. etc. Ubreakifix also says that Samsung prohibits them from fixing the battery only if anything else is wrong with the device -- bad headphone jack, bad fast charging, cracked screen, cracked case, etc. and they said that if they find anything else wrong with the phone they aren't allowed to fix the battery without fixing everything else. My phone was working fine, so I said no problem. But I did ask them what happens if they find something else wrong with it and they said they had to stop the battery repair unless I agreed to fix EVERYTHING. So I said if you find anything else wrong just put it back together and give it back to me. And they said no problem, they could do that and if they found anything else wrong they would put it back together and return it to me for no charge. They said it would take 2 hours. I called the location prior to going and they said that it was first come first service meaning no appts.
So I came back 2 hours later, and the repair wasn't done. It took them about 2 and half hours. They said they would take 10% off for the delay,which I said OK. Then the guy says, "Oh by the way, I had a problem with the headphone jack, however, I got it to pass the test." I said, "Come again?". I said the headphone jack was fine when I came. I listened to Spotify this morning and made a call using the headphone jack last night and it was fine. So, I plugged in my headphones, fired up Spotify and the headphone jack didn't work! I am like, Oh ****, as I am going out of town for a week tomorrow.
Well, so the guy told me to come back in half and hour. I came back in half an hour, and the lady apologized and said there is a problem and we admit it was our fault but the guy has to drive to another store and get a part. So come back in a couple of hours. So I am like, hmmm....OK..
I came back in a couple of hours and the phone is returned to me and it appears to be working fine. They apologized again and agreed not to charge me for the battery. I said thanks, I am willing to pay something, as I am not scamming you as my headphone jack worked when I came in...They said the repair was no charge. I thanked them and left.
So, on I go....I will report back once I determine A) if the repair is good and B) If my battery life is improved.
I have come to the conclusion that essentially these super, thin, lightweight phones are just plain and simple NOT DESIGNED to ever be repaired. By ANYONE. That is probably why Apple is fighting Right to Repair. Its plane and simple that these things are designed to last pretty much NO MORE than 24 months...
What can I say. There are many reasons for this. I don't see this changing until CUSTOMERS or REGULATORS demand that these things are DESIGNED to be repaired. Which means they probably have to be a little thicker for starters. But come on folks, would a phone twice as thick that is designed to be repairable really be a deal stopper???? Not for me it wouldn't...
So vote with your dollars folks! If I had to do it all over again, I would have taken the $350 Samsung is offering on a trade in and get an unlocked S10E for $400. I still might....
I will certainly re-evaluate everything before I buy another Flagship phone again. I feel CHEATED for purchasing a phone that is only designed to last 24 months. For the record I have owned my phone 18 months and it has been in a case since day 1 and never dropped in water or had anything spilled on it. What can I say. I don't necessarily feel cheated, just disappointed. More so with the way these things are DESIGNED that with Ubreakifix.
Just my experience....
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