Sour Apple Repair — Local services in College Station

We brought in an iPad that had suddenly stopped working. The staff, while ultimately helpful, appeared not to be very comfortable with customer service. They mentioned that they were having staffing issues, so I guess these things happen. However, I was pretty annoyed that they never called back when they said they would with an update. It took a long time on hold and then several visits to get an idea of the status. Finally, when they gave up two weeks later, they simply handed it back to me, and didn't come forward with an explanation of what the problem might have been until I pressed them on it.

Interestingly as well - when we dropped off the iPad, we did not automatically get a receipt or any kind of claim check. I honestly don't know what kind of security measures they have for watching expensive electronics go in and out of the store, but if there were such controls, it was soon clear I wasn't going to get an explanation from the customer service folks. I ended up asking for a receipt, and after telling me I didn't need one, they printed it out anyway. When I drop off dry cleaning, I get a claim check. I don't know why this seemed to bemuse an establishment that is handling the $800 worth of electronics for which I need repair. It was also interesting that the iPad repair was listed under my wife's name, yet I was able to come in and claim the device without being asked for ID or even presenting the receipt I was given. Again, there might be some kind of controls in place, but other than facial recognition from surreptitious video monitoring or some other kind of covert technology (perhaps thermal imaging for detecting signature baseline levels of annoyance?), it was a mystery to me.

I will grant that they appeared to be diligent with trying to fix the problem - they did try out several batches of batteries - but when it became clear that further fixes were probably untenable, it would have been nice to have received a call telling us so. I am fully aware that not all repairs are within the abilities of any repair service (be it Sour Apple or any other place), and I don't necessarily need smiley happy people present at customer service, but I do expect some follow through on promised callbacks and status updates that I don't have to chase down.

In sum: these are probably just the folks you need to repair a cracked iPhone screen. If you enter the store intending to tremulously hand over a very expensive electronic device that has suddenly and mysteriously stopped working, you might as well put their number on your contacts list because you will be...

I'm sorry it's so long but if you're doubting taking your laptop here, its worth the read!

My Macbook Pro was having some issues where the keys weren't responding when I pressed them including the POWER BUTTON. This became a huge problem when my laptop shut off and I wasn't able to turn it back on... My first instinct was to take it to the Apple store to see if they could fix it... They wanted to charge me +$400 to completely replace my logic board (the "brain" of the computer) because they claimed my laptop had water damage (My laptop has never been openly exposed to any liquid) and it was the only possible fix apart from dropping $1200 for a new macbook. The day before I was about to take it back to the Apple store and pay them $400 I decided to call Best Buy for a second opinion. They recommended I try Sour Apple Repair, and I'm so glad they did! When I called to make an appointment Taylor was extremely welcoming and understanding and offered a 15% discount on a diagnostic check if I checked in online (Do it, people!). I dropped off my laptop that same day and got an update call a few hours later to keep me informed on any new information they gathered examining my laptop. Although they were really backed up, Wilbur (the tech expert) went out of his way to make sure I got my laptop back as soon as possible because he understood I'm a college student and depend on my laptop to complete. schoolwork. It turned out that the reason my laptop was acting up was due to static build-up under the keyboard due to dust as well as a little piece of metal stuck between the keyboard "connectors". Once that was removed my laptop was back to working and good as new! I ended up paying less than a third of what I was going to pay at the Apple store with the added benefit of an attentive and extremely caring staff. Not to mention that Apple wanted to completely remove and replace a (very expensive) part that simply needed a bit of cleaning! I highly recommend this place to anyone with laptop issues! If I ever have any other technology problems this is the first...

If you have an Android, DO NOT GO HERE. CPR is slightly more expensive but actually got the phone in when they said they would (3 days), use original manufacturer parts, and give lifetime guarantees on their work.

If it were possible to give it zero stars I would. At Sour Apple, I took my phone in and got the price of $150 (better than most of the other places I talked to) and gave them my phone. The attendant said it's be 3-5 days to get the part in. I called at 6 days and he told me there had been an oversight and the part was ordered late. I had to be the one to contact them. I decided I could still wait it out at this point so I waited another 5 days for the part and when it arrived the technician said it was on his bench and it'd be resolved soon. Not receiving any call I decided to come in the next afternoon since he indicated it'd definitely be fixed (having to bus myself to get there). He said they were having trouble with the repair and they'd have to order another part. At this point I hadn't had my phone for almost two weeks when he originally said I'd get the phone back in at most 5 days. They were horrible about communication and only reached out to me once during the whole two weeks and that was at the end of it to tell me they'd have to order another part. All other times I had to be the one to call them. Ultimately, I decided to take my phone to CPR and they promptly got the part in and repaired it and I had it back in 3 days. It would have been quicker if I hadn't called on a Friday. And after all of this, Sour Apple still had the audacity to charge me for labor despite the fact they didn't provide the service I had agreed to. This might be a worse case scenario, but if you can afford the extra $50 (which I ended up paying to both Sour Apple and CPR anyways) take your phone to CPR where they use certified parts and certify work.

TLDR: told me 5 days, never contacted me once until the very end, ended up waiting two weeks and having to switch to another place. Still had to pay labor costs despite them not...