words Al Woods
Credit: Matthew Henry via Burst
Smartphone repairs can be really expensive, especially when you’re out of warranty. You don’t want to put a big dent in your budget just because you cracked your screen or noticed that something is wrong with the audio output. You’d like to save your money.
So, how can you handle those pricy repairs, and are there ways to avoid them entirely?
How to Cover Repair Costs
You need to get your smartphone repaired ASAP, but you’re worried about the costs. What can you do? First, check if you’re still within warranty and whether the related damages are covered under your plan. If you are, that’s good — the costs will be much more affordable. If you’re not under warranty, you should shop around to find the best deals for smartphone repairs in your area. This could save you a little bit of money.
The next step is figuring out how you’re going to pay. When you have plenty of wiggle room in your monthly budget, use your leftover funds to make the payment in a hurry. When your budget is tight, but you have room on your credit card, put the transaction on that.
When neither of those options is available, the next best step would be to apply for a loan in your state. So, if you live in Detroit or Lansing, you should apply for a personal loan in Michigan[1] to handle the emergency. If you live in Columbus or Cleveland, you should look for options specifically reserved for Ohio. And so on and so forth. After you get the loan, you can pay for the phone repair and get back on track.
You can avoid this entire scenario by making a small emergency fund — this will help you with smartphone repairs, car repairs and other important fixes. Whenever something goes wrong, you don’t have to worry about ruining your budget or taking up more credit. You can just grab your savings from the fund and recover from the problem.
How to Avoid Repair Costs
Get the Protective Gear:
If you really want to avoid repair costs, you have to protect your smartphone. You can’t leave it vulnerable to falls, drops and other types of damage. Get a durable phone case and top-quality screen protector. No part of the phone should be left uncovered.
Luckily if you own a Samsung device, finding the right case isn’t an issue. Just click for Samsung cases here and you find the perfect fit for your phone. From slim and lightweight cases to those that provide heavy-duty protection, you have many options available.
If you’re the type of person that’s always dropping your phone, get yourself a pop-grip, socket or ring for the back of your phone case. The accessory will keep your device firmly in your hand.
Break Your Bad Phone Habits:
How you treat your phone is important. If you want to lower your chances of damaging it, you should break these bad habits:
- Leaving your phone on precarious surfaces, like the edges of tables or shelves.
- Leaving your phone on chairs and couches where someone could sit on it.
- Leaving your phone in extremely hot or cold places (for example, on a car’s dashboard on a sunny day).
- Charging your phone where someone could trip or accidentally yank the charger’s cord.
- Tossing your phone on furniture.
- Sliding your phone across tables.
- Getting it wet. You should know that even water-resistant phones are not impervious to water damage, especially when you submerge them underwater.
Your smartphone is precious to you. So, treat it that way. If you give it all of the TLC it needs, you can avoid emptying your wallet for repairs.
