I've never in my life had an experience this shockingly awful before. I'll start from the beginning. I cracked my rear camera lens, and tried to find a repair facility near me to get my phone serviced. I found Helpertech and was happy to see a perfect 5 star rating on Google. Unfortunately, this is just the beginning of the many fraudulent and dishonest practices used by Helpertech in an effort to defraud and deceive their customers. I later found out they pay for 5 star reviews in the form of in store credit to customers that leave one in front of them.
My initial interaction began when I called the number listed on this page, spoke with Cassie, and explained my issue. I was told the part that needed to be replaced was the rear lens and was told when it would be in stock.
I arrived on that date and presented my phone to Scott who opened the camera app, inspected the lens, and gave me a few documents to sign as the repair was completed. After a slight wait, Scott returned with my phone and after I submitted payment I excitedly opened the camera app to make sure everything was in order. It was at this point that I immediately noticed a large black marking overlaying the picture. I tried to clean the lens with a cloth, but realized that the issue was with the camera sensor itself which had been damaged in the repair. I brought this to Scott's attention and was immediately met with a defensive attitude and accusations.
I'd like to make clear that this marking was NOT present before, as evidenced by the MANY photos taken with the old lens I submitted to Scott as evidence, the only issue caused by the old cracked lens was glare when the phone was pointed at direct sunlight. After this, Scott said he would refund me, grabbed my card off the counter, and processed the payment reversal. I was speechless. While I appreciated the refund, I was still left with a very much damaged camera sensor. As I attempted to express this, someone who I presume to be the manager came out from the back and joined Scott.
This was approximately when I began to be verbally accosted by both of them. I was told that this was my fault for "forcing them to only replace the lens" and that "if I expected perfection I should have gone to Apple instead." I was shocked, nervous, and extraordinarily uncomfortable and left the store as quickly as I could as the environment became progressively hostile.
Later that day, I checked the back of my phone, and was mortified to find the camera lens full of water. I immediately called Helpertech, told them what was going on, and was instructed to return to the store. When I did, Scott said this was my fault, as I had rushed him to do the repair, (Again a complete and total lie, I simply sat quietly in the lobby and waited). and that this happened because he didn't allow the phone to "come to temperature and release the pressure" before removing the old lens, resulting in the water intrusion.
At this point I was completely shocked. I tried my best to express my frustration, and was offered a camera sensor replacement for $40, a process that would completely void my Apple warranty. I was not comfortable at all with this solution, as Helpertech proved themselves to be incompetent and careless. If a simple camera lens swap resulted in the damage of the entire camera sensor, I was not about to find out what other components they would damage if I allowed them to fully disassemble my phone.
Scott then implied that I was trying to "defraud them." He continued to say that since he was older than me, he knew that "not everything was perfect in this world", and it was my fault for expecting a flawless repair. I stated that I wasn't appreciative of the way he and his manager had spoke to me, which he responded to by stating that his boss was "kind of a jack***" and that I shouldn't take it personally.
I left the store shortly after with no resolution. I still don't have one.
All of this suffice to say, you've got options when it comes to phone repair. Why not pick one that doesn't pay for reviews and defraud their customers. read more