Smartphones are expensive – or at least my bills are, with a family of four and more than a handful of electronic devices. So when I accidentally cracked my iPhone screen, I decided to skip the pricey Apple Store repair and opt for the mall “we fix it” screen repair kiosk. The price was nearly half  and guaranteed! What could go wrong?

When a “bargain” is actually a rip-off.

When my iPhone cracked… and the crack grew to the point I knew I couldn’t ignore it anymore… I headed to the Apple Store. I was told the repair price was $129. There were no genius bar appointments for several hours. Hoping to get a better deal (and not wait around half the day), I decided to check out one of the nearby mall kiosks that repairs cracked smartphone screens. I was told that my repair would cost me $85 and they could do it immediately. And, best of all, their work was guaranteed for 6 months. Woo-hoo!

The phone was repaired quickly and (relatively) inexpensively. I was thrilled to have gotten such a deal! Nearly half price! But remember that old saying, “When something seems too good to be true…”

Two weeks later, the screen that I had replaced started to become detached from the phone. I was annoyed, but luckily I still had the receipt and remembering the 6 month guarantee, I went back to the kiosk, hoping the screen could be fixed in a timely manner.

Guarantee? What guarantee?

The man behind the kiosk told me that their work wasn’t guaranteed “if someone drops their phone and cracks it.” I assured him that I did not drop my phone – the screen had become detached on its own. He did not believe me. What about the customer always being right?! I was given one lame excuse after another and quickly realized that these charlatans were not going to fix my phone.

Off to the Apple Store…

So now, in addition to being out the $85 for the kiosk screen repair, I went to Apple and had to pay an additional $129 for the screen to be fixed. Luckily, they were able to take me at the genius bar. The Apple employee showed me how the kiosk had used inferior (i.e., cheap) materials to repair my phone. The glue they used did not hold, which is why the screen became detached from the phone. Apple fixed my phone with their products.

Back to the kiosk.

I went back to the man who refused to honor their guarantee and told them how the Apple Store said the kiosk’s inexpensive glue was the reason my phone screen detached from my phone. Of course I was told I was wrong and they would not give me my money back. (Saw that one coming, didn’t you?)

Moral of the story: sometimes a bargain costs you more.

The good news is that this happened a year ago and my phone screen, fixed by the Apple Store employee, is still as good as new. Lesson learned.

Has a so-called bargain ever cost you more?