Rice...is not the final answer

Our First Class Cellular Repair stores in Little Rock, Conway and North Little Rock see about 10 water/liquid damaged phones per day during the Summer months. We have a success rate of around 80% on liquid damage when we get them within a few days of the initial damage. But, we don't get all of the phones right after they have sustained damaged. Often, the customer has already tried to place the phone in a bag of rice first. This delay in time is very dangerous because the phone is undergoing corrosion. And rice does nothing to fix corrosion.

Let's assume for a moment that rice will suck the moisture out of phone (and this is a big assumption). It will definitely not suck corrosion out of the device. We're talking about the kind of corrosion you see on top of a car battery when acid has formed on it. Drying corrosion will not solve the issue. And, it's possible that the rice will introduce dust inside the phone for the first time.

Why I am writing about this today? Because a close friend tried using rice as a solution about two weeks ago and it did nothing to save their phone. By the time we got the device the corrosion had already eaten away the microprocessor. The phone is now dead and nothing can be done to fix it. If we had received the phone within a couple of days we probably could have fixed the liquid damage.

Rice is not the final answer. Corrosion is the issue. If you feel compelled to treat your water logged phone with rice, please consider letting us look at the device and show you whether there is any corrosion. If there is no corrosion then of course the phone will work when it dries out. But, if there is corrosion it will only get worse. And, we will know within minutes of examining the phone if this is the case.

If you live in Central Arkansas, whether in Jacksonville, Bryant, Cabot or wherever, you are within 30 minutes of one of our stores. Let our professional techs take a look at your water/liquid damaged phone. If there is really no problem (rice or no rice) we won't even charge you for the visit. We just want to help.

Four Wonderful Years

All of the interest surrounding soccer reminded us that it was four years ago this month (during the 2010 World Cup) that we opened First Class Cellular Repair. At that time, we almost exclusively fixed iPhones. Of course, we could repair any type of iPhone issue (e.g. cracked screens, water damage, power buttons, etc.). But, we didn't fix iPads, some Droid phones, Kindles or a host of other items. In other words, we started small.

Four years later, we have three locations in Central Arkansas serving customers from Searcy to Russellville to Malvern to Pine Bluff - and now we can repair any smart device. Yes, replacing the cracked glass on an iPhone is still our bread and butter. But, we do so much more than that now. During the Summer months, we fix around 10 liquid damaged phones each day. We repair all kinds of tablets and even laptop computers. It is this type of comprehensive repair service that has made First Class Cellular Repair the number one option in the Central Arkansas market. It all started in Conway, Arkansas four years ago. We then expanded to West Little Rock in 2012 and North Little Rock in 2013. We are currently looking at additional locations in Arkansas. How many locations will we have the next time the World Cup is played in 2018? There is no way to know right now. But, we are betting it will be another wonderful four years regardless.

Records are Made to be Broken

First Class Cellular Repair would like to say thank you to Central Arkansas! In May 2014, we set a new sales record. Our Conway, North Little Rock and West Little Rock stores repair more cracked phone screens, whether iPhone or Samsung, than any other business each month. Our existing customers have helped us spread the word to their friends that we can fix any issue with their phone, tablet, or computer.

It has been four years since we started our first repair store in Conway next to the University of Central Arkansas. We have given the highest level of customer service to each person that walks through the door. So, thank you Central Arkansas for allowing us to have our single biggest month ever as a business. And, let's break it again this month. After all, records are made to be broken.

Value is More Important than Price

Like any customer, I am always looking for a competitive price. I don't want to pay any more than is necessary for my goods or services. Price, though, has never been as important to me as value. For example, I purchased a new Honda Accord at the price of $28,000 back in 2002. I could have bought vehicles for a lower price but not for a better value. I kept that Accord for 11 years and put 275,000 miles on it before trading it in for another Honda Accord in 2013. Value: something that is worth the money you pay for it.

When we started First Class Cellular Repair in Conway, Arkansas back in 2010 we wanted to give customers great value for their money. That meant using only high quality parts that had a warranty from the manufacturer. That meant great service which explains to the customer how to protect their device and offers classes on the subject - for free. When we grew in 2012 by adding a store on Chenal Parkway in Little Rock we wanted to maintain our value offer. The prices at all our locations are the same. If you go to our store in North Little Rock we charge the same price as our location in Conway. Always have, always will.

We get a lot of phone calls and Facebook messages from potential customers asking for the price of a repair. I completely understand that request. However, I wish all potential customers would consider asking some of our current customers if the price they paid was worth what they got in return - a high quality repair delivered with tremendous service. You see, value incorporates price but it means so much more. It means having a hassle free experience and a repair that is done correctly the first time.

There are businesses that advertise they will beat any price. We don't do that. And, we won't ever do that. The reason is simple. We focus on value. If someone wants to charge $1.00 less in price but do a second rate repair then that is their prerogative. We don't believe in that philosophy and we won't do it. First Class Cellular Repair is similar to Starbucks. We deliver a great service, we pay for health insurance for our staff and we always take care of our customers. While we are always competitive, we are not trying to be the low cost provider in this industry. We are striving to give the greatest value. And that will never change.

We Fix, and We Buy Samsung Phones

We are always blogging about iPhones. And for good reason. Fixing cracked iPhone screens is how we started out in 2010. But, we now can fix any type of phone or tablet and we're seeing more Samsung devices all the time. We can repair the broken glass on almost all Samsung phones at an affordable rate now. Our prices are really competitive.

We also buy Samsung phones. The new Samsung Galaxy S5 is coming out on April 11th. If you are upgrading, give us a chance to quote you a solid price on buying your current device. You might be surprised at what we can offer. Stop by our locations in North Little Rock, Little Rock or Conway any time in April.

Staying Open a Little Late

A customer came in to our North Little Rock location on Saturday afternoon just before 4 p.m. with a broken iPad. Normally, that repair would take about two hours. (Note: Fixing an iPhone is usually less than 30 minutes). In this case, that would mean staying open past regular hours because we close at 5 p.m. on Saturdays. So, I asked the customer where she was from. She responded: "Stuttgart". Well, Stuttgart is a good hour and a half drive from 2607 McCain Blvd. so I told her we would stay late for her and get it done the same day. She then felt bad. I told her not to worry about it. We didn't mind. I didn't want to make her drive back on a different day just to get her iPad fixed. She was happy.

I have never minded staying open a little late to take care of a customer. I always try to put myself in their shoes and consider what it would be like making a drive back and forth between Stuttgart and North Little Rock (or from Searcy, Batesville, or Newport) only to see a closed business. Or worse, a business that says we're still open but we won't help you because it would inconvenience us a little bit. No, I can't do that to someone. We'll just stay open a little bit late.

The best part of the story is that we finished the repair earlier than we thought and it ended up that I have some mutual friends with this customer. (I mean, we do live in Arkansas where everyone knows everyone else). She was very happy. I was very happy. And, we only had to stay a little bit late so no big deal.

South of the River

We have noticed through the years that not everyone wants to do business "south of the Arkansas River". Maybe it is the intimidating river bridge on I-30. Maybe it's that Little Rock is just too big of a city for some folks. For whatever reason, some people do not like to cross the river.

For example, if you live in Jacksonville, Arkansas the river bridge is only 15 miles from your house. On the other hand, McCain Boulevard is 10 miles from your house. Not much difference you say? Well, to some it is all the difference in the world. Either way, we have solved your problem. If you have a cracked iPhone or iPad screen; if you need to get your broken screen fixed quickly; if your iPad glass is cracked and you want fast and affordable service AND you live in Jacksonville - we have a location in North Little Rock just for you. We are ten minutes from your house. We can fix a cracked iPhone 5 screen in less than 30 minutes. We are convenient. We can repair anything. And, you don't have to travel south of the river to get this done.

In summary, Jacksonville is 10 miles from our First Class Cellular Repair location at 2607 McCain Blvd. We can fix your broken phone quickly. So, why are you still reading this? See you in a minute.