When MacMedics performs an Apple Warranty or AppleCare repair for one of our clients, Apple sends a follow up e-mail to ask how we did. These are the responses that came back this week:

#1 The service I received at MacMedics was very good and they always called me and left messages updating the status and progress of my computer.
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#2 I loved being able to walk in talk to a rep and have the work started right away. They have great customer service always keeping me up to date on their progress and explaining their work and my options every step of the way.
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#3 They were awesome. Nuff said. Dana runs a great show there.

These are anonymous comments, so if one of these is yours, thank you!

If you need Apple Macintosh please consider visiting MacMedics in Millersville or Lanham instead of trekking to your local Apple Store. You never need an appointment, we’re 10 steps from your car, We’re cheaper, we’re faster (most warranty repairs are completed in 24 hours), and above all we’re accurate! We only fix what needs fixing. See our previous post with our Top Ten Reasons Not To Sand In Line And Fight The Crowds At The Apple Store.

Don’t forget that MacMedics Millersville also repairs all types of iPods and iPhones. Don’t pay Apple to swap out your iPhone for $199? We can fix your iPhone 3G glass or digitizer for $109 (we repair the iPhone 3G S glass or digitizer for $129). What’s even better, is almost iPhone and iPod service and repairs that come into our shop are fixed the same day. If you’re in by 12:00 Noon, we should have you out the door or in the FedEx truck by 5:00 PM!

Fly-By-Night iPod-iPhone Repair Startups Can’t Keep Their Hands Off Off Our Images

I fancy myself to be a pretty good photographer, but I’m NOT winning any awards or anything like former MacMedic Evan Bishop (If you’re looking for a GREAT Professional Photographer in San Diego, CA, please do look him up). As an amateur photog, I take a fair amount of of the pictures here at MacMedics. One of my images has been repeatedly ripped off for use by other iPhone service firms.

Why do less scrupulous iPhone/iPod service concerns keep ripping this image off? Well, here’s the reason: In order to take a picture of the highly reflective iPhone (shooting directly at the iPhone glass), you have to jump through some hoops to get the cracks to show up in focus. We then “lightly” edited the image of the broken iPhone in Photoshop to show off the cracks and make the image really “ad worthy”. We actually put quite a bit of work into just this one picture!

There’s quite an abundance of these “Fly-By- Night” businesses operating in the dark, murky waters of the Internet. A favorite place to hang up a shingle seems to be on-line classified giant, Craigslist. In most of the postings I’ve seen, there’s no website and no physical address to visit. So in essence, you’re going to hire a guy off Craigslist, who’s not part of a long-term reputable business, and invite him to your house to fix your iPhone? You might as well just wander over to your closest open-air drug market to see if you can find some small electronics repair help. Okay I’m sure that some of these guys are just trying to break into the biz, but really folks, people have been killed by people they have hired from Craigslist (and other on-line classified ads services).

If the repair you have done has a problem, do you really think this guy will come back and re-fix the problem? Where are his parts coming from? Are they real deal or just “high copy” foreign counterfeit replacement parts that came from eBay?

In the long run, do you really want some guy who ripped off his advertising artwork from someone else working on your iPod or iPhone?

In the case mentioned in this Blog post, the Craigslist poster did not even bother to try and crop our logo out! I guess that might be good for us, as it’s advertising for MacMedics. Here’s a link to a large size picture of the Craigslist ad posting so you can get a close look at our logo.

Here’s a link to another instance of the SAME image being ripped off by someone else from a previous post about this topic from the MacMedics Blog.

We’ve blogged about “Do It Yourself” iPhone 3G and 3G S repairs before, but we wanted to post this.

This iPhone 3G S was dropped and it’s top glass is broken. It’s owner bought a new glass/digitizer off the Internet after he watched a DIY video that made the repair look pretty easy to handle. Sadly, in the process of trying to remove the glass from the iPhone he also broke the iPhone’s LCD. So while this well meaning client was trying to save a few dollars, he could have had the unit fixed same day if he had just brought it in to MacMedics.

See large size photo of this iPhone 3G S here.

You can see all of our previous posts about our warning regarding DIY iPhone repairs at this link.

I’ll recap three things here:

1. It only costs about $20 to $30 more to have MacMedics fix your iPhone or iPod. If you figure in ALL the costs: The replacement part, the shipping of that part, is the part you ordered BOTH the correct part and actually genuine?, the special tools needed, the correct adhesives to attach the parts, the fact that MacMedics will warranty our work for one year, and the fact that if you try the repair yourself, you’re taking on a whole bunch of risk. (Trust us folks, the people who sell the parts WANT to make it look easy, it’s not. Plus, many of the bloggers that HAVE done the repair, say if given the choice, they would not do it again!)

2. How fast do you want to have your iPhone fixed? How about same day? If you buy a part on-line, you have to wait for it to arrive, pay for shipping, and then have the time to perform the repair.

3. Are you properly grounded for static? Most likely not! Our techs perform all repairs in a static safe environment and perform the work while they are properly grounded. Our lab facility has been inspected by Apple and meets their requirements for Apple Authorized Service Providers.

MacMedics is well know for our award-winning Macintosh service & consulting, as well as our iPhone & iPod repair. So much so, that other firms offering similar services have ripped off our name, our look, and even our ads.

In the case listed below, the image used in our ad was a photo that we actually took in our office. believe it or not, it’s quite difficult to get a picture of an iPhone facing the camera straight on. The iPhone’s glass or lens reflects right back to the camera so getting a good shot was no easy task. In order to get the shot for this ad, we created our own “white box” to place the iPhone so we could get the best shot possible.

MacMedics holds a U.S. Government Trademark on the name “MacMedics”.

Here’s one of the more recent cases of someone ripping MacMedics off. In order to prevent unintentional promotion for the other business, the names and information have been blurred out to protect the not so innocent.

I did e-mail the firm that posted this ad, and while they offered no apology or explanation, they did change the ad so that our image was no longer in the ad. They also switched up the layout of the ad, so it no longer appears to be a direct rip off. For that, I thank them.

Update: 3/8/10 MacMedics has lowered our iPhone 3G & 3G S glass/digitizer repairs. iPhone 3G is now $89 and iPhone 3G S is now $99. Flat fee FedEx Express shipping anywhere in the USA is only $10!

MacMedics Cyber Monday deals: iPhone glass repair $20 off and MacBook LCD repair $100 off!

So maybe your iPhone had a hard Thanksgiving, if so your friends at MacMedics have you covered with good deals on our iPhone glass/digitizer service.

iPhone 3G glass/digitizer/lens repair only $89 (Regular price $109)

iPhone 3G S glass/digitizer/lens repair only $99 (Regular price $129)

If you MacBook is home from college or just got caught up in some holiday hi-jinx and ended up with a broken LCD, we’ve got that too.

MacBook (Black or White plastic model) parts and labor $249

These special prices are only good Monday and Tuesday (November 30th and December 1st). Must metion “Cyber Monday” to get sale price. If you can’t get you device to us in time, call us to set up your repair, and we’ll hold the price for one week until your unit reaches us.

Return FedEx Ground shipping is included for all three deals. Upgrade to FedEx Express for only $10!

Call 1-866-MAC-MEDICS to set up your repair!

Some of the other Internet based firms that offer iPhone service and repair are now making a big deal out of how they now accept walk-in repairs, and that they also same day iPhone service. MacMedics has always offered same day iPhone and iPod service. Drop your sick iPhone or iPod off in the morning, and we’ll have it done by the end of the day (in almost every case).

Even if you send us your iPhone or iPod, we normally have it fixed and back on the FedEx truck the same day it arrives. If you need us to send you a pre-paid FedEx label, just e-mail us your name, address, and phone number, and we’ll e-mail you back a PDF of a label. We just add $10 onto your repair for this service.

Do you have a 3G iPhone and you’re in an extreme hurry? Well, MacMedics does offer the iPhone 3G “Apple” broken glass or LCD repair solution. We can replace the entire top half of your iPhone 3G while-you-wait in about 5 minutes. Same price as Apple, $199. If you become a MacMedics “fan” on Facebook, and we’ll knock $10 of any iPhone or iPod repair!

I recently updated my Blog post warning against Do-It-Yourself iPhone repairs. I’ve copied-n-pasted a teaser below for your reading enjoyment. If you care to read the updated post, you can find it here!

We are seeing more and more iPhones that have been damaged during do-it-yourself repairs. Folks, the videos you see on-line make it look very easy. There’s a reason for that, the companies that make these step-by-step videos on iPhone and iPod disassembly and repair are the same people that are selling all of the parts, tools, and supplies you need to perform the repairs. They want it to look as easy as possible and they often edit the video in their favor making it look like it’s easier then it really is and that it takes less time then it will take you. I can guarantee you that guy/gal in the video is NOT performing the repair you are watching for the FIRST time.

This blog post is a bit of rant, so if you’re already on the same page as me, and you think paying $20 to $30 plus parts cost, and getting FREE return shipping via FedEx to have my guys fix your iPhone right the first time, and you want to avoid the risk of trying it yourself then, just use this form. If you need us to e-mail you a pre-paid FedEx Express label we can do that too, and we’ll just add $10 onto your total repair. Questions? Just call us 1-866-MAC-MEDICS or Email us. 99% of the iPhones that reach us are fixed the same day the arrive, and we pack them back up and ship them back for next day FedEx delivery. If you’re local to the Baltimore-Washington DC area, then just drop your iPhone off in the morning, and we’ll have it done by the end of the day!

If you need more convincing, then keep reading. I love to talk shop!

Update: 1/5/10

See all of our iPhone “Do-It-Yourself” warnings posts at this link. They have become some of the most popular posts on the MacMedics Blog because they are true. Check’ em out!

So we’ve been over this before, but well meaning folks are still trying the Do-It-Yourself route on iPhones.

By our calculations you might save about $40 by doing the repair on your own, when trying to fix an iPhone 3G. If you make a mistake it’s going to be more. Also, if you’re considering this route, be sure to factor in all the costs.

1. Parts (are they real or copies?)

7. What’s the risk factor of doing a complex iPhone repair you’ve never done before.

The people that sell the parts are often the same people that make the step-by-step videos. Yes! it looks easy on video, because they edit out all the re-tries to remove the broken glass, the part where they get cut, and where they crack the LCD and/or destroy the iPhone’s frame.

When you take apart an iPhone the first few times, you’re going to mess something up. We know because we’ve seen the end results. Even if you bail on your DIY repair and come to us, our service might end up costing more if we have to un-do a previous repair attempt. MacMedics has performed the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3G S screen/lens/glass/digitizer repair hundreds of times, so we know what we’re doing, and we can do it fast!

We had to share this e-mail and photos with you. The names have been removed to protect the innocent.

“Hi, I wanted to contact you to find out if you can help me fix my iPhone 2g.

Thank you.”

See this photo in a large size

Needless to say, this iPhone is likely beyond our help. As this is really bad and it does not appear to be disassembled in a static safe workspace to boot.

Thank you to our loyal MacMedics clients, who keep bringing us more iPhones to fix AND for telling their friends about us.

We’re finding that more and more iPhone users are just super, super dependent on their iPhones. Heavy duty users can’t even stand to leave their iPhone for same-day service (Usually only a few hours). So, to help the people that need a repaired iPhone 3G right now, we now offer Emergency While-You-Wait glass/digitizer service for the iPhone 3G (iPhone 3G S Emergency service is coming soon!)

Just bring your broken iPhone 3G into our Millersville Mac Lab and we’ll just install a new iPhone 3G top glass, digitizer, home button, and frame (all at once) for you in about 5 minutes. Maybe you’re catching a flight out of town (at nearby BWI), or you just need to get back to work right away, we’ll do it on the spot for you.

A nice side benefit, is folks that have both the common broken glass (the iPhone 3G lens) AND a broken LCD (the screen under the glass) and want their iPhone fixed on the spot can also have the repair done in about 5 minutes.

The price for this service is $199. with a 1-year warranty on the new part. Show us that you’re following MacMedics on Twitter or sign up for the MacMedics e-mail newsletter and we’ll knock off $10 this or any other iPhone, iPod, or Macintosh service!

Just give us a call at 1-866-MAC-MEDICS for more details.

We’ve been doing tons of iPhone 3G and 3G S repairs, so a big thank you to all of our new customers for sending units in, and many thanks to old customers for all of the referrals!

Our most popular repair continues to be the iPhone 3G glass/digitizer repair, which we perform with one-way FedEx shipping for $109.99. MacMedics is now also offering the iPhone 3G S glass/digitizer repair as well for $129.99 with one-way FedEx shipping.

We’re also adding a new iPhone 3G repair to our repertoire, as we now offer the iPhone 3G USB dock connector repair for $80 including one-way FedEx shipping.

Another new repair to join our list is the Nano 4th Generation glass lens replacement, which we offer for $69 with one-way FedEx shipping as well.

If you need to send us one (or more) of your sick iPods, iPhones, or Macs for repair, you can use this form to send with your unit. It even has a USPS shipping label you can clip out if you are sending via U.S. Mail.

Don’t forget we’re one of only a few repair firms that take trade ins of ANY iPod or iPhone in ANY condition. Use the value of something that’s just hanging around gathering dust to help defray your repair cost. Just make a note on your repair form, and use a piece of masking tape to label your trade in as “CREDIT”

Thanks, and always feel free to get in touch via e-mail if our service team can be of assistance or if you’d like to request two-way FedEx shipping for any repair. We’ll just e-mail you a PDF of a pre-paid FedEx label for return shipping. For this service we’ll add just $10 to your bill.

Update 12/27/09: Be sure to see our new post with new pictures from next generation “fake” iPhone.

See large size photo here.

As you can see the case back is not fingerprint resistant.

See large size photo here.

The box looks pretty real, but it’s much taller then a real iPhone 3G box.

See large size photo here.

The crew here at MacMedics HQ in our Millersville, MD office often gets to see all kinds of crazy and interesting Macintosh, iPod, and iPhone carnage and unusual service/repair situations. We were all caught off guard on Friday when a new client called to ask if he could bring in a “counterfeit” iPhone 3G for us to examine. We told him to bring it on it anytime. We were not really sure what to expect.

Well, Friday was growing long, and we had visions of the evening’s Orioles vs. National game in Baltimore. Late in the afternoon our fake iPhoner showed up with the device he had bought off of eBay. Turns out, he’s going to try and get his money back and in order to do so PayPal requires that a local expert look at the situation, write a letter, and document the situation. Well, we’re not really experts on counterfeit iPhones, but all that was required was to point out as many differences as we could find, and to explain why we believe it’s not the real McCoy. As sort of a joke we went ahead and filmed the following YouTube video.

Update 7/1/09 – Thanks to Gus Sentementes of the Baltimore Sun’s BaltTech Blog for his post about our fake iPhone adventure! Also, thanks to www.macsurfer.com, www.macrumors.com, www.wired.com, www.boingboing.net, and www.cultofmac.com for the link to this post.

After I shot the below video, I did test some of the other features on the unit. While the icons look very much like the real iPhone 3G, the features were not easy to navigate to. As you can in the video I tried to go back to the “Video” part of the iPod function, and I could not get that navigation link to work in the video. The unit also has a pretty decent FM radio in it. I was fooling around with the different functions and tried the FM radio, and it requested that I plug in headphones. It wanted the headphones in so they could act as the radio’s antenna. The unit was smart enough to know the headphones were not plugged in and it also noticed when I did plug them in to test the radio. I tuned in our local NPR station (so not super high power) WYPR 88.1 FM and it came in great.

The video we took (via a real iPhone 3G S) is available below. So far it’s been viewed over 120,000 times!