I brought a phone to this guy roughly 2 years ago to repair a cracked screen on a Moto Z3 Play. I was aware he would most likely be installing an overpriced aftermarket screen because Moto was charging the cost of the phone to replace the Corning OEM glass. The phone has been sitting in my room with a screen protector on it installed by him after the repair & with a fitted bumper phone case. I barely use it anymore, & I mainly keep the battery charged & use it as music listening or note device
Today, I realized a fine raised crack from the top speaker hole to the upper right side of the screen, but upon closure inspection, then I realized the shotty installation. It's also sharp enough to shave my fingernail. The entire glue & seal line has failed. I can literally lift the screen out of the chassis with my fingernail. I started using a flashlight to see the point of failure, & it seems like the seal wasn't actually glue at all. It's just double-sided tape. No water seal whatsoever. That wasn't what was agreed upon & discussed with the $160 cash payment for the repair
I'm under the impression of the few times I used the JBL mod for music listening out in the sunroom, which ended up melting the doubled-sided tape. Or I believe the ladder, where the phone's battery heats up during charging, eventually melting the adhesive of the double-sided tape overtime, leading to failure. With all that said. This dude isn't legitimate, & I'm baffled by the number of positive reviews he has online for his business. He did come off as a genuine aftermarket repairman, but like with many others out there cutting corners & getting caught later on...
Well, I'm here to shed some light on the fact. Think twice about going somewhere local for a "cheaper" repair. At this point I believe there's a reason they charge so much for screen repairs. For one they can't get OEM glass because the manufacturer won't provide it to them, & two you can make a lot of money doing phone repairs by sourcing very cheap aftermarket screens, then charging a ton in labor costs. Honestly, I'm here to admit getting scammed by this dude, but I'm providing my experience for others to read up on before going here
Bite the bullet & go the OEM route, or get over the damage to your phone, especially if it still works. Do not go to these places!
Disclaimer: My phone was used at work a lot. I used to work at a mill, & I would drop my phone there quite often. The flying out of my pocket after cutting my finger on a chop saw after I rushed to the first aid box, & then having it sliding across solid concrete several feet without a case or screen protector on it is a real miracle it didn't shatter. The OEM screen never broke, well until I dropped it face flat on concrete at my own place. There are plenty of dings & dents on the phone, so any damage done to the phone was already there before the repair. Otherwise, it has never been dropped since & has been taken much better care of after the repair. The photos might show some of those points of impact, but they were already there prior to the crack forming & alleged glue line / water seal failing
Most of these repaired phones will lead to a crack screen, if they're not properly installed like at the factory. When there's any room for wiggling around in the chassis, then eventually it's going to crack. Idk what exact process is used for aftermarket screens, but it's probably very similar to tempering. The weakest point of the glass will be at the corners & edges, & if it's constantly moving around & rubbing on something, then it's going to crack or shatter eventually
I do vaguely recall the guy warning me that the aftermarket screens crack way easier than OEM screens, but I now believe why he gave me that warning because it was his scapegoat. Do a half-witted repair job, then brazenly inform the person you're ripping off that the screen you just installed isn't as strong as the original one is. Go figure, dude...
