uBreakiFix - Phone and Computer Repair — Local services in Houston

Friday, my Google Pixel 3 suddenly restarted itself and got stuck in an infinite reboot loop. Saturday, I took my phone to uBreakiFix Heights location for repair. I explain the issue to the person behind the counter (#1) and he says they need 1 to 3 days to diagnose the issue. I leave him my phone and give them my father's number as the contact number. Monday, my dad gets the call and I speak to person behind the counter (#2) saying they are going to try replacing the battery, and I, again, explain to her the issue with the phone and that the battery is fine. She says they will continue to diagnose the issue and will e-mail me back when they figure it out. Tuesday, I don't receive an e-mail, so I call in and speak the person behind the counter (#3). He says, "Oh yeah, we've been meaning to get in contact with you." After their diagnosis, they have determined the issue with the phone to be a faulty motherboard, which they don't replace, so, there's no fixing it. I must replace the entire phone with a new one. I go back to uBreakiFix Heights and person behind the counter (#4) returns my phone. At home, before shopping for a new phone, I decide to give it one last try. I spend 5 minutes googling the issue and learn about how to do a "Factory Reset." So, thinking, what do I have to lose, I perform a "Factory Reset," and guess what, this fixes it. It boots right back up normally. I didn't need a new battery, I didn't need a new motherboard, I didn't need a new phone. As I suspected from the start, it was completely a software issue, something to do with the latest Andriod update apparently.

I chose to bring my phone to this company because they are a "Google Authorized Repair Center," but in my case, I found them to be inept and...

I walked into this store today with an iphone 5 which seemed to have a bad lightning port. Whenever I tried to charge it, the phone acted as if the connector was making intermittent contact. I had to wiggle the charging cable around to get it to start charging but if I moved the phone even a little, it lost connection. If I had bothered to do any real research, I'd have discovered this was a common problem with an easy fix. Instead, I figured I was looking at a port replacement or maybe some solder repair. According to their website, this is a standard $70 repair. I handed the phone over to the person who was working there today (I failed to get his name). He didn't seem to need much explanation, took my phone, came back a few seconds later and told me it was fixed! Apparently the port just needed to be cleaned! I'm not exactly illiterate when it comes to technical trouble shooting (yes I should have figured this out on my own). I was convinced he was wrong and I'd have to explain the problem again. We plugged the phone into a cable. I shook it around, fully expecting the all too familiar buzzing sound the phone would make as it loses and regains contact with the charging cable. Instead, it was fine! It worked perfectly! They could have totally kept my phone a day and charged me the $70. I would have paid it and not given it a second though. Instead, they didn't even charge me at all! Just sent me on my way! This may not have been a heavy technical challenge in the end but it certainly shows uBreakiFix is a reputable business with integrity. They are also obviously familiar with the product they intend to service. Certainly worth...

Called ahead last Saturday evening using a friend's phone. Asked if they repaired Samsung phones, and indicated I had a Samsung J3-6 needing repair. Lady there replied "We are partnered with Samsung, but about to close. We open at 12:00 tomorrow."

On Sunday, I arrived at their shop at noon. There is a large Samsung promotional poster in the shop window that literally says "Samsung same day service". There is a long line outside the door with covid social distancing. They are not letting any customers inside, not even the front-of-line person they are immediately waiting on. They are literally conducting all business on the sidewalk. It is about 90 degrees outside, and the line has no shade.

After baking and dehydrating in line in the sun for about 35 minutes, I finally get my turn to drop off my phone for repair. I explain to the lady checking in the repairs what is wrong with my phone, and tell her I can come back later for it. The lady takes my phone from me, but tells me to wait while she goes inside. About 5 minutes later, she comes back outside. She hands me my phone back, and indicates they can not repair it because they do not stock Samsung phone parts.

This place is a total waste of time and effort to try to do your business with. What a horrible inconvenience when I could have gone to somewhere that does what they say they do, and without giving me...