The new Dish Smart Phone Repair services are available for broken iPhone 5,5c, 5s, 6 and 6 Plus models, wherever its owner is located.
Dish Network is getting into the iPhone repair business with a new on-site mobile phone repair service that will be performed by Dish technicians wherever a phone owner is located, including their home, office, gym or other destination.The Dish Smart Phone Repair offering, which is available immediately, will send a Dish technician who is trained in iPhone repairs to a customer's location for on-site repairs, including screen replacements and battery replacements, according to a May 3 announcement by Dish.Dish repair technicians will be able to fix problems on Apple iPhone 5, 5c, 5s, 6 and 6 Plus models to start, with repairs for additional device brands and models coming in the future, according to the company.The services are available to Dish satellite TV subscribers and to nonsubscribers through the company's network of technicians in all 50 states across the United States. "Fixing your phone shouldn't mean losing your phone for days on end, so we come to you—whether you're at the office, the gym or even the coffee shop," John Swieringa, executive vice president of operations for Dish, said in a statement. "Dish is uniquely positioned with the technical know-how and ability to respond to a customer's needs in every state across the country." The repairs on the devices will be done using high-quality replacement parts from third-party vendors, according to the company. Repair service appointments are offered seven days a week, including same-day and next-day availability, and all work comes with a 60-day warranty.Dish charges a $35 travel fee for their technician to come to a customer's location for the repairs. The travel fee is refundable only if a technician cannot fix a customer's iPhone during the service appointment. Several iPhones can be repaired for the customer on the same service call, all for the same travel fee. Customers can make reservations for repair calls using Dish's online appointment tool, which also allows smartphone repair customers to view their technician's name, photo and a countdown to his or her arrival.The $35 travel fee will not be charged if a Dish technician is already in a customer's home or location while providing TV dish installation or repairs, or other services.Customers are advised to back up the data on their devices before the technician visits to make the needed repairs. The repair visit can be done typically in about 30 to 45 minutes.The company is offering the new smartphone repair services to take advantage of the wide skills of its technician network across the nation. Over the past five years, Dish has been expanding its repair services beyond satellite TV installs with additional services, including audio setup, in-home wireless network setup and more.By bringing smartphone repairs directly to customers in their locations, Dish says it is giving customers more options for getting the repairs done without having to send their phones away for a few days or make a special trip to a repair center.Pricing for an iPhone replacement runs about $40, while a screen repair can range from $100 to $150, plus the service call's $35 travel fee. The technicians cannot repair iPhones that have been damaged by spilled liquids.Earlier this year, Apple announced a new program that allows customers to trade in damaged iPhones toward the purchase of new iPhones, replacing Apple's long-standing policy of not accepting damaged iPhones on trade. Under the rules, Apple accepts late-model broken iPhones that have damaged screens, cameras or buttons and will credit customers $50 for an iPhone 5s, $200 for an iPhone 6 and $250 for an iPhone 6 Plus.Under the previous Apple Store Reuse and Recycle iPhone trade-in program, older iPhones with cracked displays or broken cameras and buttons were not eligible for trade-ins. The updated trade-in program now allows Apple Stores to credit customers for damaged iPhone 5s, iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus handsets.
- eWeek