If you drop your iPhone and it becomes 'iBroken,' don't worry about digging deep into your wallet for a replacement. A couple of local repair shops say they can repair them for half the price.
It wasn't the big break Scott Hartshorn was looking for.
"My wife started backing out and ran over the corner of it and obviously just shattered the whole screen," Hartshorn said.
His $400 iPad was crushed.
When these devices take a hit, so does your pocketbook. But there's help, other than heading to the Apple Store.
"Drop off your phone. Get it repaired. When you're done shopping, pick it up, be on your way," said Milford Stevenson of iRepair'em.
Stevenson's kiosks are located at several malls in the Houston area, including The Galleria. Technicians work strictly on Apple mobile devices and repairs are done on the spot.
"From a cost perspective we offer cost savings, which is much, much less than what Apple charges," Stevenson said.
Stevenson says over at the Apple store, the company doesn't handle personal repairs. Instead, he says if your mobile device is damaged, Apple usually offers you a new or refurbished phone for your trade-in and that cost is at a premium.
"A good example is your iPhone 4. We replace the glass for $89, whereas Apple charges $160 or more for a refurbished one in return," Stevenson said.
That's a similar offer Hartshorn got from Apple.
"Apple said we don't fix stuff like that. We could give you a new one for $300 or $400. But we don't fix anything, we just trade things. So it's just ridiculous, it's just a screen," he said.
He ended up paying $200 to get his iPad screen fixed, half the price Apple was going to charge him for a replacement.
Over at the Onsite Cellular Repair in southwest Houston, technicians here work on several brands of mobile devices, including Samsung, Nokia and Motorola. But a bulk of their business is fixing Apple mobile devices.
At Onsite Cellular Repair, to fix a 3G or 3GS cracked screen, it's $45. An iPhone 4 cracked screen will cost $79.99, and an iPhone4S costs $99.99. To unlock your iPhone, it's $35 and to treat water damaged iPhones, it's $45.
So the bottom line, it's still pricey for the repairs, but still anywhere from 50 to 75 percent cheaper than Apple's alternative trade in program for your damaged phone.
