iPhone, iPad, iPod Forums at iMore.com - iPhone 3GS Forum http://forums.imore.com/ en Tue, 18 Jun 2013 23:03:47 GMT vBulletin 60 http://forums.imore.com/images/misc/rss.png iPhone, iPad, iPod Forums at iMore.com - iPhone 3GS Forum http://forums.imore.com/ Guide To Finding The Best Repair Company For Your IOS Mobile Device http://forums.imore.com/iphone-3gs-forum/257161-guide-finding-best-repair-company-your-ios-mobile-device.html Thu, 06 Jun 2013 20:06:52 GMT _*Guide To Finding The Best Repair Company For Your IOS Mobile Device *_ Attachment 31898...
Guide To Finding The Best Repair Company For Your IOS Mobile Device




Attachment 31898


As a volunteer Ambassador on iMore much like all of the Moderators, The one common job we all have is to read more threads and posts than you can imagine and that we can think about counting on a monthly basis from both established members of the community and new members joining.
Part of being a volunteer is to help and and assist ALL of the members in any way that we can, To make sure there is meaning in you becoming part of the Mobile Nations forums and family and that we are fortunate to have the resources provided to us in order to help assist you.

With that this is why we take the time to write 'How To Guides' that may directly assist you in doing something with your new IOS device be it iPhone, iPad or even iPod. Sometimes these guides will be a step by step guide to help and sometimes these guides may be informational only. Nonetheless they are provided by us to first and foremost help!

With this let's get started in giving you the information on what I have personally been reading more and more about from our members and that is "What happens when my device needs repair"?

Let's get started...

What happens when my device needs repair?

You purchased a new iPhone, iPad or iPod and in doing so you have elected to not purchase Applecare+ or any other 3rd party insurance be it through your carrier or not. Now your factory warranty has run out and you are in need of some kind of repair. It may be something as small as having the sealed battery replaced or you dropped it and are in need of a new screen. What do you do? Well don't panic and hopefully the following info provided by our own iMore writers from the Blog side will give you the help you are looking for.


Getting the correct information:

The hardest part of course is to find these places as there are so many to choose from and you want to know where to start - To begin with do some online research be it Google or any other means of research available to you. More than likely you are going to come up with repair companies that you can mail your device to. One key to considering this option is: Are they listed with Google businesses or even Yelp. If not it may be an indication to you that this would not be the proper means of repair. Don't get me wrong, There are many good mail in repair companies but you have to do the research and call them to ask many questions until you are satisfied with using one over another.

Then of course you have your 'Brick and Mortar' companies in your neighborhood that specialize in these repairs. You can walk right into these establishments and see where and who is going to be repairing your device maybe giving you more peace of mind than sending it off.

Either option don't be afraid to ask questions until you are totally satisfied with their answers. Of course another consideration is the cost of the repair which should be fairly priced. Then and only then armed with this information you should then be able to proceed to allow the repair. Just use common sense and you will be fine.


Using Quality Parts:

In my personal opinion this is the single most important part of allowing anyone to repair your device no matter what the price you find or where you decide to get the repair done.

Sometimes the the old saying 'To good to be true' could certainly apply and so at any price you want to make sure you ask the quality of the parts being used and where they come from? Also of course what is their warranty on repairs performed no matter what the cost. Now armed with this information you can make the right decision to proceed letting someone repair your device.



Your Final Decision:

In the end the final decision has got to be yours and if you have done your homework and voice your concerns to the perspective repair company, You will know if you can trust them to turn over you phone, tablet or iPod. Don't be afraid to also ask them their estimated time of repair from the time you turn it over to them or send it to them and when you should expect to get it back.


Recommendations:

Depending on where you're located geographically, here are some suggestions based on personal experiences and/or customer feedback we have heard over the years.

  • The Pod Drop - over 10 locations throughout the midwest including Indiana, Michigan, and Tennessee, accepts mail-in repairs - Link to site
  • Cracked Mac Screen - Washington DC area, accepts mail-in repairs - Link to site
  • ReTech - Gainesville and Ocala, FL - Link to site
  • Shatter Buggy - services Colorada, Arizona, Nevada, Texas areas - Link to site
  • Mission Repair - Olathe, KS, accepts mail-in repairs - Link to site
  • mendmyi - UK based, offers mail-ins with quick turnaround times to most of Europe - Link to site
  • iPhone repair search - Search for repair companies across the US, call to verify and use your own judgement - Link to site




Summary:

This guide is being provided for use as informational purposes only and in no way, Shape or form is an endorsement from anyone we have mentioned here in the way of companies other than who we have researched ourselves. The ultimate decision should be yours and yours alone. We merely have provided what we feel to be sound advice to lead and help place you in the right direction when the time comes and you are faced with an out of warranty repair that you have to pay for out of pocket. Best of luck and we hope that the information provided has helped you in the way intended.




All Information Was Derived And Provided Via The iMore Blogs Previous Informational Article On Repairing Your IOS Devices.
Attached Images
]]> iPhone 3GS Forum Jaguarr40 http://forums.imore.com/iphone-3gs-forum/257161-guide-finding-best-repair-company-your-ios-mobile-device.html When will updates stop for 3GS? http://forums.imore.com/iphone-3gs-forum/257034-when-will-updates-stop-3gs.html Wed, 05 Jun 2013 15:31:08 GMT How many more system updates do y'all think will still work for the 3GS? At what point will they not handle them anymore?


Sent from my iPhone 4 ]]> iPhone 3GS Forum mrlyons841 http://forums.imore.com/iphone-3gs-forum/257034-when-will-updates-stop-3gs.html When to Restart, Reset and Restore Your i-Device. http://forums.imore.com/iphone-3gs-forum/256879-when-restart-reset-restore-your-i-device.html Tue, 28 May 2013 21:02:41 GMT Many members of the iMore community experience problems with their i-devices and ask for assistance on advice on what to do. I won't get into details or specifics because a lot of those problems are somewhat unique, but I will give my opinion on when you should restore your i-device, including restoring "as new".

From a personal standpoint, I follow the three troubleshooting rules when encountering problems with my i-device, which is rare, by the way:

1. Restart / Reboot
2. Reset
3. Restore


Note: The terminology used in this guide is related to Apple's use of the terms.

Restarting your device means to turn it off, wait a few seconds, and then turn it back on, and to do that, Apple recommends that you, press and hold the sleep/wake button until the red "slide to power off" slider appears, and then slide the slider. After a few seconds, press the sleep/wake button until the Apple logo appears.


A reset, in regard to the device itself, is basically the same as a restart with the exceptions of using a different method. To reset your device, Apple recommends that you simultaneously press and hold the sleep/wake button AND the home button for ten seconds, until the Apple logo appears.


With that in mind, there are times when you may read about one member advising another member to "reset" network settings or reset all settings, etcetera. Using your i-device, go to Settings and then select "reset". You should see five items with the word "reset" preceding them. So that there won't be any confusion, a reset under these circumstances is basically a return to the default setting.


In regard to a "restore", it is used when you want to delete all user data from your device. That includes, video, photos, music and apps. Everything that didn't come pre-installed on the device is deleted. You are basically returning the i-device to its native state. To restore your device, you can simply connect it to your computer using the USB cable that came with your i-device, initiate your computer's iTunes app (it is preferred that you use the latest version) and then when iTunes recognizes your device, select it and then the "summary" tab and then select the "restore" option. Additionally, you can go to Setting-Reset, via your i-device, and then select "Erase All Contents and Settings".


Get into the habit of making a backup of your i-device, especially before and after making changes and especially before restoring it. If not, you run the risk of losing your data.
Having a little bit of knowledge of what restart, reset and restore are, the question becomes, "when do I use them?" The simple answer is this: whenever you're troubleshooting a problem with your device. It has been my experience that a mere restart or reset will remedy a majority of problems experienced by users. Why? I don't know. I simply know that it fixes a majority of issues and therefore, at the first sign of trouble with your device, perform a restart or a reset to see if that fixes the issue. Hopefully, it will, but if not, of course, ask for assistance from a knowledgeable friend, family member, forum members and Apple geniuses, to name a few.
You can also read through the iMore forum and the Apple Support Site for information that might assist you.
When all the aforementioned attempts have failed, a restore may be in order. As previously stated, a restore will remove everything that was not pre-installed on the device when you bought it. It is effective when it is believed that an unknown app or setting may be the culprit for the problem(s) you are experiencing. Earlier, I mentioned that there were five options in the settings menu that were preceded by the word, "reset". Hopefully without confusing you, the term, "reset", in the settings menu is equivalent to a restore but is specific only to those settings. I hope that made sense. Anyway, after restoring your i-device, you can always restore from a backup so that you won't have to re-arrange your home screen the way you had it or miss out on saved game data or reconfigure your mail accounts and other settings.
The risk, however, is that you could be restoring the problem.


That is why I recommend "restoring as new". Since your device is already back to its native state, you might as well reinstall your apps and set everything up as if you were setting it up for the very first time. Still, that is just my opinion, yet, restoring as new can prevent you from restoring a problem that may be included with a previous backup. To restore as new, you follow the exact same steps to restore with the exception of selecting to setup as new when prompted.


My intent was not to go into great detail when I set out to write this guide but to only give an overview and I hope I succeeded.


* This guide was created using information from the Apple Support Website via the links below:

iPhone, iPad, iPod touch: Turning off and on (restarting) and resetting

iTunes: Restoring iOS software

]]> iPhone 3GS Forum http://forums.imore.com/iphone-3gs-forum/256879-when-restart-reset-restore-your-i-device.html