The Cell Phone Guy — Local services in Sioux Falls Township

😮This is my first time writing a review but I thought necessary as I had come across Tyler the owner of the cell phone guy on Facebook who had posted a thing saying watch out for scammers✨️

A few days later my son dropped his PS5 so I thought it would be a good place to trust as not many places fixed them in town and I was grateful to be able to find Somebody who would💕

BUT THEY SCAMMED ME!!!!

Tyler the owner also owns Laurel Ridge Barn This is why he's so busy and doesn't have time to pay attention to his business the cell phone guy this is what I've heard from the employees..

When I brought it in I had to pay $70 for them to look at it and then they told me that they would contact me and let me know the repairs and cost

A few days later a nice man called me and told me that it would need a new fan that they'd have to order it for 120$ and around $70 worth a labor and then I wouldn't be set and good to go

I was thankful told him okay great appreciate your knowledge to fix it for my son

Few days later go to pick it up he gave me a total of $325 that's with tax give or take

He handed me a receipt that was written in permanent marker $300 and circled

I asked him why the price was SO high I was told a $120 on the phone I already paid $70 and then there was gonna be labor around $70

There were 3 employees there including a manager they all tried to help but everybody said that was Tyler the owner who wrote that and he does it often everybody seemed flustered and like it something that happens often there was nothing on the computer for then to see why and no one knew why

I would've been willing to pay the 300 that day but there was not an itemized list of what the repairs were and this felt very icky to me it should be pretty normal as a normal business when you do repairs to have an itemized list for your your customer to see what their paying

The employee agreed but said that Tyler does this all the time and he was confused too because I told them no other phone calls were made to me about any other repairs

And I already waited a while before the repair and then they told me that i'd have to wait because Tyler the owner was unavailable

When Tyler the owner finally did call me he had all these excuses and I guess an apology but not a friendly at all He said how 1 employee had started the work then didn't write down the repairs or communicate to the other employees there was really actually 3 functions that were repaired that need to be repaired but no phone calls were sent to me like the originally had promised

When I went in to pick up my son's PS5 I was super grateful it was fixed and that they had the knowledge to do so but wow Tyler the owner was unbelievably rude he didn't have any compassion obviously he's a human but he has no clue how to use that heart!!!! Yet post about scammers on FB??

When I asked for a discount he thought I was ridiculous I wasn't the one that was miscommunicating and not handling my employees correctly the way that it should have been done in the way that I told it was gonna be done

Tyler thought it was weird that I even asked for an Itemized list and Tyler said that most customers just wanna have the product fixed quickly in and out

I told him that I just wanted to have done what I was told when I brought my PS5 in that you would call me about the repairs they did not follow through on their end

Also Tyler claims he gave me a discount before I even came in but how would I even know he had 300 a permanent marker circle so he could have said anything Why don't they put anything into their computers? this is pretty normal every other repair shop I've gone to that way if somebody's not around they can look in the computer to tell the customer

But again all this is seemed way to ridiculous to Tyler and all of it fell on me the customer instead of him realizing that sometimes employees and businesses can make mistakes too and it shouldn't always land on the customer thank you for your time appreciate you for reading this have a...

If I could rate this a negative I would. Long story short I pay for a phone that my brother has been using but everything is in my name and I'm making the payments on the phone through my cell phone carrier. My brother pawned the phone without my knowledge. When I found out that it was at The Cell Phone guy and my brother pawned it for $50 I offered him $50 so that I could buy back my property that was pawned to him. In my mind it was a win win because then the owner wouldn't lose anything and I still get my phone. He wanted me to pay more than double to get the phone back even after I told him the phone was stolen because I legally own the phone and didn't make a transaction with him. When he said that he would not do this I told him that I would just report it stolen because it was and it would be a paper weight. The owner named Tyler then said not true I can make money by using it for parts. He even tried to tell me the best thing to do was to keep making payments on the phone through my carrier and not report it. He said that I would be the one commiting fraud and I was screwing him over and just a terrible person. He had no sympathy for my situation and was more concerned that I wouldn't pay over $100 for my stolen property.

Keeping a phone that was pawned to him by a person that doesn't own it and using the parts is just wild to me.

When I walked in I was calm and he kept cutting me off. I said that I listened to him so it was my turn and he said he didn't have to. By the end of the conversation I wasn't calm but I didn't trespass or make threats like he claims. Looking at reviews it's not the first nor will it be the last time he knowingly does things with stolen devices.

In the end I called my carrier and explained the situation and they said that I wasn't committing fraud. I didn't want the device replaced I just wanted it to not be able to be used and would continue the last payment on the phone and drop the line.

Just to be clear I called the cops as well.

Edit per response to owner: The police were called by me and I waited over an hour for them to come and they didn't because I wasn't in the wrong. They disregarded your call and said that I was of no harm to you. I got a call from the police department later that night stating that I wasn't in any trouble nor in the wrong. Also, that they get many calls similar to this about your establishment.

What was told to my phone carrier was that my brother had the device that I have been paying on and he sold it to a shady place called the cell phone guy. The owner refused to give me the device. The phone was suspended and I'm making the final payment on the phone. I in no way have nothing to gain by still paying for a phone that is mine and can't use. No fraud was commited. Also, no harm was done in any sense because you were not attacked and hey you still have free parts, right? Even with a cracked screen my carrier was willing to do a $800 trade in. So, I would say you came out ahead for your $50. Even this review did no harm because it was just what happened.

Also, funny that you said I asked you to break the law by paying $50 for my device but you were willing to sell it to me for double. You kept saying you didn't make a deal with me but yet was willing to do that so you made more money. So, if it benefits you it's not breaking the law? According to you a verbal contract between you and my brother was okay. If I paid the amount that was almost triple of pawned amount you could disregard your so called contract with him? How is that legal? In the end it was your greed that cost you. I came to you with a soultion and more than level headed. In no way was I mad or frustrated about the device. The real problem was the way you treated me was less than inhumane and tried to paint me as the problem.

I DON'T RECOMMEND THAT ANYONE...

Brought my mom phone to get battery changed due to overheating. They changed the battery and it still had overheating issue. Was told to bring in again to change battery, while doing so they end up breaking the power button. The battery didn't solve the overheating problem and they apologized for breaking the power button which they said they bought the piece and will let me know when it comes. I had to reach out about the power button since their communication is terrible which was in, so my mom brought her phone in that morning. Over 5 hours had pass and no-one called. I reached out and he said he can't find no phone and will call me back. Never called back an hour later so I reached out again. He said yeah, they can't fix the overheating phone it's something else and they'll mail it out. Confused as to why they would try to mail it out without permission being that my mom needs her phone and I was told that would be a two week process and would cost more. Anyways, the battery changing was a 50/50 chance which I knew and accepted...Anyways, when I mentioned about my mom needing her phone and I don't want it to be shipped, I asked if the power button works. He clarified and said that yes the power button works but the overheating wasn't solved. So I told him I'll come to pick it up. When I got there, I was helped right away BUT he couldn't find the phone. I had waited 40 minutes and took all three guys to find the phone which was under someone else's name. I find out immediately that NO, the power button still did not work. They tried to blame the phone saying that its the phone fault that it broke because it was overheating.. It's been overheating for a year and NEVER caused any other problem besides the overheating. but as soon as THEY had it to change the battery, that's when it broke. When they had it to change a battery. Yet he still wouldn't accept the responsibility. Based on other reviews, seems like a common issue. Bring a phone in for a problem, they won't solve the problem and would break something else in the process and won't accept responsibility. Be Aware of this and all the other bad reviews. They wound't give a refund unless you want to use it to buy a phone from them. What's the coincidence? Which also seems like a common issue based on other reviews I read from this company... With that, how am I suppose to know that they actually tried to fixed the correct issue since they had my mom phone under someone else's name/information?? Which that other person probably brought their phone for something else and they had my mom phone under their name! Clearly they are not professionals and should not be trusted with your valuables that you work hard for to purchase just to have money flush down the toilet and for it to be given back worse and broken then how it was...