The Computer Department

Initial Business Response / [redacted] (1000, 5, 2016/06/16) */ Contact Name and Title: Steven E [redacted] , Owner Contact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX Contact Email: ***@thecomputerdept.net To the complainant, I again am sincerely sorry for what you are experiencing, but, I must correct and elaborate on this complex situation The iPhone was repaired here for a camera issue and was repaired successfullyDays later, we were notified of a screen issue that became apparent after our repair, so we offered to take a look and see if we could find the problem, such as a cable being looseA technician ruled that a cable could possibly have been loose so we reseated the screen cables and the issue seemed to have been cleared upDays later we were notified that the screen issues returned and may have been getting progressively worseWe looked at it more in-depth this time with several possible solutions, such as battery replacements, screen replacements, etcWe ultimately ruled that the issues were in no way related to the camera repair, could not be fixed with any component replacement, and seemed to be a logic board issue, which would require replacing the phoneDuring our in-depth diagnostics, I explained to the complainant as best as possible what we were finding as we went along, offering to replace certain parts if they were deemed to be the culprit, at no charge, as a goodwill gesture, but unfortunately it turned out to be a more serious issueOnce a phone leaves our hands, it would be impossible to guarantee what happens to that phone after the fact(There are other details regarding how phones are repaired that can explain better, but it would be difficult to explain fully without writing out several paragraphs, but in short, we are as transparent as possible and would gladly explain any repair to anyone who walks in.) Our disagreement seems to be if we were responsible for this board issueIn the simplest terms, we were in no way responsible for the second issueI offered to physically show inside the phone, explain our repair process, to explain how the repair is performed to possibly make clearer that they are independent of each other and review the board and try to answer any questionsIn the end, again as a goodwill gesture, offered to refund $75, which would cover the original repair plus an extra $to help with the purchase of a replacement phone In general, and our customers will attest to this, we go far beyond any reasonable measure to assist and find solutionsEvery situation is unique and we do our best to accommodate all problems, budgets, and requirementsIn the rare occasion that a device is damaged at our fault, we immediately own to that mistake and correct itThere is no benefit to us to have a customer walk away unhappyWe do take the extra steps, and many times at a cost to us, to correct even a perceived wrongBut, we cannot take responsibility for a problem that we did not createUnfortunately for this case, there was no easy solution Apologies for the long response, but if we did not care, we would simply ignoreWe are a small, local company and we pride ourselves on our service and honestyOur backbone is repeat business and we could not exist without the pride that each of us here brings to the store Good luck to you The following is a follresponse to the complainant on Facebook: From complainant: The Genius Bar at Apple said that changing the camera could most definitely caused the problemIf the wires were not grounded or if the battery had not been taken outNeedless to say I did NOT have this problem before YOU fixed itI don't believe anything was done on purpose but it worked prior to taking it into your businessYou did make several efforts to repair the issue but something inadvertently done wrong caused this problemI feel responsible to let people know because now I'm out of $I feel a replicable company would pay for my replacementAs nice as you have been I'm not happy with the current situation$doesn't come close to $ Our response: I agree, changing the camera could possibly cause the issueJust as inadvertently spilling a drink while performing the repairOr, removing a battery improperly could cause a short or replacing the charging port could damage an antennaMy apologies for being unclear, but my point in explaining how unrelated they are is specifically referring to how they are designed on the boardThis is in comparison to how the LCD is directly related to the digitizerThat being said, even based on their assessment, neither possibility would be applicable because our repairs always begin with removing the battery(As I said, there are details that could be elaborated upon, but would be very lengthy) From our perspective, a similar analogy would be having brakes on a vehicle serviced successfully, but then windshield wipers no longer working days laterSure, the car was serviced there but from the repair shop's perspective, it would be simply be completely unrelatedOf course, there's no way to know if a tech inadvertently ripped a power cable attempting to service the brakes, so I understand your positionIn this case, you would hope the company you are dealing with in being reputable and gave you an honest answer Also, the concession of the $dollars sound strange out of contextDuring the course of the repair, we were awaiting on a screen as a possible fix, and I verbally said if that fixed it, it would be at no costSince our screen part is $75, I felt I should honor and provide that, as little help as it ended up being Again, I understand your position, I would not be happy if I were in your shoes either, but if we were to take responsibility for every issue in which we were not the cause, we could no longer be in businessI welcome you to share your experience, as unpleasant as it has been, and my only purpose in responding is to provide our perspective as the repair shop Again, good luck Final note: Our insurance policies are irrelevant, as the phone was never damaged hereWe take full responsibility of any damage caused to any property while in our possession or done to property while we are on another site Initial Consumer Rebuttal / [redacted] (3000, 7, 2016/06/21) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) This phone worked perfectly with the exception of the camera before being repaired by the Computer DepartmentAfter and only after did the problem ariseThis being said I say inadvertently they caused the problemI did state from the start that he made every effort to fix the problem however, it wasn't a fixable problemReplacement was the only answerI do not live or work in town so it took me a couple days to get back to the store once the problem startedHe should be insured to cover problems that may ariseHe should also state that fixing one issue could cause other issuesI do NOT accept his responseThey damaged my phone and need to pay for the replacement

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2016/06/16) */
Contact Name and Title: Steven E[redacted], Owner
Contact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX
Contact Email: [redacted]@thecomputerdept.net
To the complainant, I again am sincerely sorry for what you are experiencing, but, I must correct and elaborate on this...

complex situation.
The iPhone was repaired here for a camera issue and was repaired successfully. Days later, we were notified of a screen issue that became apparent after our repair, so we offered to take a look and see if we could find the problem, such as a cable being loose. A technician ruled that a cable could possibly have been loose so we reseated the screen cables and the issue seemed to have been cleared up. Days later we were notified that the screen issues returned and may have been getting progressively worse. We looked at it more in-depth this time with several possible solutions, such as battery replacements, screen replacements, etc. We ultimately ruled that the issues were in no way related to the camera repair, could not be fixed with any component replacement, and seemed to be a logic board issue, which would require replacing the phone. During our in-depth diagnostics, I explained to the complainant as best as possible what we were finding as we went along, offering to replace certain parts if they were deemed to be the culprit, at no charge, as a goodwill gesture, but unfortunately it turned out to be a more serious issue. Once a phone leaves our hands, it would be impossible to guarantee what happens to that phone after the fact. (There are other details regarding how phones are repaired that can explain better, but it would be difficult to explain fully without writing out several paragraphs, but in short, we are as transparent as possible and would gladly explain any repair to anyone who walks in.)
Our disagreement seems to be if we were responsible for this board issue. In the simplest terms, we were in no way responsible for the second issue. I offered to physically show inside the phone, explain our repair process, to explain how the repair is performed to possibly make clearer that they are independent of each other and review the board and try to answer any questions. In the end, again as a goodwill gesture, offered to refund $75, which would cover the original repair plus an extra $27 to help with the purchase of a replacement phone.
In general, and our customers will attest to this, we go far beyond any reasonable measure to assist and find solutions. Every situation is unique and we do our best to accommodate all problems, budgets, and requirements. In the rare occasion that a device is damaged at our fault, we immediately own to that mistake and correct it. There is no benefit to us to have a customer walk away unhappy. We do take the extra steps, and many times at a cost to us, to correct even a perceived wrong. But, we cannot take responsibility for a problem that we did not create. Unfortunately for this case, there was no easy solution.
Apologies for the long response, but if we did not care, we would simply ignore. We are a small, local company and we pride ourselves on our service and honesty. Our backbone is repeat business and we could not exist without the pride that each of us here brings to the store.
Good luck to you.
The following is a follow-up response to the complainant on Facebook:
From complainant:
The Genius Bar at Apple said that changing the camera could most definitely caused the problem. If the wires were not grounded or if the battery had not been taken out. Needless to say I did NOT have this problem before YOU fixed it. I don't believe anything was done on purpose but it worked prior to taking it into your business. You did make several efforts to repair the issue but something inadvertently done wrong caused this problem. I feel responsible to let people know because now I'm out of $300. I feel a replicable company would pay for my replacement. As nice as you have been I'm not happy with the current situation. $27 doesn't come close to $300.
Our response:
I agree, changing the camera could possibly cause the issue. Just as inadvertently spilling a drink while performing the repair. Or, removing a battery improperly could cause a short or replacing the charging port could damage an antenna. My apologies for being unclear, but my point in explaining how unrelated they are is specifically referring to how they are designed on the board. This is in comparison to how the LCD is directly related to the digitizer. That being said, even based on their assessment, neither possibility would be applicable because our repairs always begin with removing the battery. (As I said, there are details that could be elaborated upon, but would be very lengthy).
From our perspective, a similar analogy would be having brakes on a vehicle serviced successfully, but then windshield wipers no longer working days later. Sure, the car was serviced there but from the repair shop's perspective, it would be simply be completely unrelated. Of course, there's no way to know if a tech inadvertently ripped a power cable attempting to service the brakes, so I understand your position. In this case, you would hope the company you are dealing with in being reputable and gave you an honest answer.
Also, the concession of the $27 dollars sound strange out of context. During the course of the repair, we were awaiting on a screen as a possible fix, and I verbally said if that fixed it, it would be at no cost. Since our screen part is $75, I felt I should honor and provide that, as little help as it ended up being.
Again, I understand your position, I would not be happy if I were in your shoes either, but if we were to take responsibility for every issue in which we were not the cause, we could no longer be in business. I welcome you to share your experience, as unpleasant as it has been, and my only purpose in responding is to provide our perspective as the repair shop.
Again, good luck.
Final note:
Our insurance policies are irrelevant, as the phone was never damaged here. We take full responsibility of any damage caused to any property while in our possession or done to property while we are on another site.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2016/06/21) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
This phone worked perfectly with the exception of the camera before being repaired by the Computer Department. After and only after did the problem arise. This being said I say inadvertently they caused the problem. I did state from the start that he made every effort to fix the problem however, it wasn't a fixable problem. Replacement was the only answer. I do not live or work in town so it took me a couple days to get back to the store once the problem started. He should be insured to cover problems that may arise. He should also state that fixing one issue could cause other issues. I do NOT accept his response. They damaged my phone and need to pay for the replacement.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2016/06/16) */
Contact Name and Title: Steven E[redacted], Owner
Contact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX
Contact Email: [redacted]@thecomputerdept.net
To the complainant, I again am sincerely sorry for what you are experiencing, but, I must correct and elaborate on...

this complex situation.
The iPhone was repaired here for a camera issue and was repaired successfully. Days later, we were notified of a screen issue that became apparent after our repair, so we offered to take a look and see if we could find the problem, such as a cable being loose. A technician ruled that a cable could possibly have been loose so we reseated the screen cables and the issue seemed to have been cleared up. Days later we were notified that the screen issues returned and may have been getting progressively worse. We looked at it more in-depth this time with several possible solutions, such as battery replacements, screen replacements, etc. We ultimately ruled that the issues were in no way related to the camera repair, could not be fixed with any component replacement, and seemed to be a logic board issue, which would require replacing the phone. During our in-depth diagnostics, I explained to the complainant as best as possible what we were finding as we went along, offering to replace certain parts if they were deemed to be the culprit, at no charge, as a goodwill gesture, but unfortunately it turned out to be a more serious issue. Once a phone leaves our hands, it would be impossible to guarantee what happens to that phone after the fact. (There are other details regarding how phones are repaired that can explain better, but it would be difficult to explain fully without writing out several paragraphs, but in short, we are as transparent as possible and would gladly explain any repair to anyone who walks in.)
Our disagreement seems to be if we were responsible for this board issue. In the simplest terms, we were in no way responsible for the second issue. I offered to physically show inside the phone, explain our repair process, to explain how the repair is performed to possibly make clearer that they are independent of each other and review the board and try to answer any questions. In the end, again as a goodwill gesture, offered to refund $75, which would cover the original repair plus an extra $27 to help with the purchase of a replacement phone.
In general, and our customers will attest to this, we go far beyond any reasonable measure to assist and find solutions. Every situation is unique and we do our best to accommodate all problems, budgets, and requirements. In the rare occasion that a device is damaged at our fault, we immediately own to that mistake and correct it. There is no benefit to us to have a customer walk away unhappy. We do take the extra steps, and many times at a cost to us, to correct even a perceived wrong. But, we cannot take responsibility for a problem that we did not create. Unfortunately for this case, there was no easy solution.
Apologies for the long response, but if we did not care, we would simply ignore. We are a small, local company and we pride ourselves on our service and honesty. Our backbone is repeat business and we could not exist without the pride that each of us here brings to the store.
Good luck to you.
The following is a follow-up response to the complainant on Facebook:
From complainant:
The Genius Bar at Apple said that changing the camera could most definitely caused the problem. If the wires were not grounded or if the battery had not been taken out. Needless to say I did NOT have this problem before YOU fixed it. I don't believe anything was done on purpose but it worked prior to taking it into your business. You did make several efforts to repair the issue but something inadvertently done wrong caused this problem. I feel responsible to let people know because now I'm out of $300. I feel a replicable company would pay for my replacement. As nice as you have been I'm not happy with the current situation. $27 doesn't come close to $300.
Our response:
I agree, changing the camera could possibly cause the issue. Just as inadvertently spilling a drink while performing the repair. Or, removing a battery improperly could cause a short or replacing the charging port could damage an antenna. My apologies for being unclear, but my point in explaining how unrelated they are is specifically referring to how they are designed on the board. This is in comparison to how the LCD is directly related to the digitizer. That being said, even based on their assessment, neither possibility would be applicable because our repairs always begin with removing the battery. (As I said, there are details that could be elaborated upon, but would be very lengthy).
From our perspective, a similar analogy would be having brakes on a vehicle serviced successfully, but then windshield wipers no longer working days later. Sure, the car was serviced there but from the repair shop's perspective, it would be simply be completely unrelated. Of course, there's no way to know if a tech inadvertently ripped a power cable attempting to service the brakes, so I understand your position. In this case, you would hope the company you are dealing with in being reputable and gave you an honest answer.
Also, the concession of the $27 dollars sound strange out of context. During the course of the repair, we were awaiting on a screen as a possible fix, and I verbally said if that fixed it, it would be at no cost. Since our screen part is $75, I felt I should honor and provide that, as little help as it ended up being.
Again, I understand your position, I would not be happy if I were in your shoes either, but if we were to take responsibility for every issue in which we were not the cause, we could no longer be in business. I welcome you to share your experience, as unpleasant as it has been, and my only purpose in responding is to provide our perspective as the repair shop.
Again, good luck.
Final note:
Our insurance policies are irrelevant, as the phone was never damaged here. We take full responsibility of any damage caused to any property while in our possession or done to property while we are on another site.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2016/06/21) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
This phone worked perfectly with the exception of the camera before being repaired by the Computer Department. After and only after did the problem arise. This being said I say inadvertently they caused the problem. I did state from the start that he made every effort to fix the problem however, it wasn't a fixable problem. Replacement was the only answer. I do not live or work in town so it took me a couple days to get back to the store once the problem started. He should be insured to cover problems that may arise. He should also state that fixing one issue could cause other issues. I do NOT accept his response. They damaged my phone and need to pay for the replacement.