Gadget Rehab — Local services in Seattle

I bought the new Apple Watch Series 10 but because I have an old iPhone 8 I wasn't able to set it up. I didn't want to buy a new iPhone because I already spent hundreds getting the watch and the reason I bought the watch was to get rid of my iPhone because the YouTube app and Reddit app are quite distracting and I end up wasting a lot of time. But given that Apple required me to pair my Apple Watch to a newer iPhone, I had no choice but to get one. The cheapest option was just to get an iPhone SE 2nd gen, and so I Googled iPhone repair shops that sell used iPhone and I came across Gadget Rehab. I called them and a technician answered and I asked him if they were selling an iPhone SE 2nd gen but unfortunately they only got an iPhone 12 for a price above my budget. I explained the technician my situation, and he thought for a moment for possible solutions and then he kindly offered to try and set it up with one of their iPhones and once my Apple Watch was set up he would reset the iPhone to erase all my personal data from that iPhone. That way I didn't have to buy an iPhone and my Apple Watch would be set up. I didn't think about this possibility so I was very thankful for the suggestion. It was a Sat afternoon, and I called him at around 3pm and he said that they close at 4:30pm so if I wanted I could stop by right then. So I got my stuff and got an Uber to go there, but because there was a football game going on the traffic was quite bad and I made it there at around 4pm which is only 30min before they close. There was a customer before me so I waited in line for about 10min and I was worried I wouldn't be able to get it set up that day, but the guy at the front desk asked me what I needed and the technician came and we tried to set it up. Since the Apple Watch came out the day before, it required the iPhone used to set the Apple Watch to have the latest iOS which was 18 and the iPhone at the store had iOS 17 and he kindly updated his iPhone to the latest iOS 18 so that I can set up my Apple Watch, even though by then it would be after business hours, and then I was able to set up my Apple Watch. Then after my Apple Watch was set up, I try to also set up cellular for another 10 min, but there were some issues with my phone carrier and I wasn't able to make cellular work on my Apple Watch. All of this was experimental since we didn't if it would work, but I appreciate the willingness to try new things with the hopes of solving my problem. At the end of the day I was only able to set my Apple Watch partially because Apple's software requires me to have my Apple Watch paired to an iPhone for some Health app features like the ECG feature or to install new apps, but at the very least I was able to make my Apple Watch partially functional until I get a cheap phone. All in all, I had a great experience there with their friendly customer service and willingness to go above and beyond to find a solution to my problem. Will definitely go back next time I...

Worst service and customer service experience!!!!

I recently had my ipad stop charging (probably b/c I was using a bootleg charger) and I went to apple store to get it checked out. They said I most likely need to get my charging portal changed because the ipad was charging with their wireless charger. But they said the wireless charger was over $300 and getting the portal changed was a cheaper option.

I come to this place letting them know the issue and how urgently I need the ipad for an exam I have coming up. The guy says we will open it up, diagnose it for FREE and then call and tell you what the problem is and how much it would cost by today or tomorrow.

Three days go by and I still don’t hear from them. I called a couple times and it went straight to voicemail. When I finally get the owner on the phone, he lets me know that it's not a charging issue and that they may need a few weeks to diagnose it. I said I need it sooner than that so I will just come pick it up today or tomorrow and he says okay. I come within 15-30 minutes to pick it up and he says “did you want it the way it is?” (meaning not put together). I said no, I want it the way I gave to you and he says well that will take a few hours. I said why I wouldn't communicate that on the ipad when I said I was coming in and instead of apologizing, he said I didn’t think you would come in right this second.

I come the next morning to get it and there is another person. He says I owe $38 for the diagnosis (which was supposed to be “free”) and that they didn’t even figure out. I ask him what it was and he doesn’t know so he goes in the back to call the tech. I can clearly hear them on the phone and he is confused about what the diagnosis was because they are going back and forth. He comes back out and says the issue was with the “motherboard” and wants me to pay for that “diagnosis”. He basically is now saying I am crazy to assume the diagnosis was actually free if I didn’t accept their service when they don’t actually know what is wrong or how to fix it. I was clear I needed the ipad within days and if was going to take weeks, they should assume I would rather buy a wireless charger. Anyways, the bottom line is, no one knows how to communicate clearly with you, nor take any responsibility for their actions. They probably only have good reviews for basic work like...

I would not recommend, my ps5 was in the shop since 06/25 up until a few days ago, with little to no communication and I literally had to call the police on this shop to get my game back, Josh has the most horrible customer service I’ve ever seen, very rude, very short tempered and flat out disgusting. I called frequently to get updated and every week I was told it would be done in a week but the game was never fixed, I came by to pick it up randomly because it seemed they were not working on it only to find out it was at another shop and it was being worked on there because they couldn’t fix it at Gadget. Long story short it still wasn’t getting worked on or fixed, I had to call the police on Josh to get my game back, he wants respect he doesn’t give, I am a young minority woman and I was treated horrible I do not appreciate it and I would never give this shop business again.

*this is very much so accurate, I was never verbally abusive, I’m very reasonable, hints the fact I gave them MONTHS TO FIX MY GAME, 5 months my game sat there, not being worked on, I called a million times, I eventually asked for my game back because it had been too long !! I waited patiently, was very respectful but Josh is very rude! I asked for my game and was met with a very nasty attitude, he told me he would not give me my game and that I could leave and return back with a better attitude when I didn’t have an attitude, he was the one with a nasty attitude! He told me I could wait for my game in the mail ???? So in return I called the police ! Do I need to post the police report ? I definitely will, this is a complete lie and Josh is unhinged and treated me poorly and I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THIS SHOP TO ANYONE! You don’t treat your customers that way and expect them to not tell their story. I would never lie on a business, this is my truth and you will not silence me with a false narrative ! My son wanted to leave because he got scared that Josh was going to harm me ! He was starting me down with a demonic look trying to intimate me and my SON BECAME VERY UNCOMFORTABLE! I will be posting the police report and you can post the video it won’t show anything but me standing there sticking up for my self and I had to call my boyfriend because I was given no respect as a woman, let that be clear and I had to call...