Is your cell phone screen cracked? Is the battery failing?
Before you decide to replace the phone altogether, call Daniel Cran, owner of Chilliwack Cell Phone Repair on Yale Road.
A franchise of Hightain Electronics, Cran provides repairs for iPhone, Samsung, Android, Sony, Blackberry and other brands, as well as repairs on tablets, iPods, computers and more.
He first experimented with this line of work as a hobby while living in Alberta. He purchased a broken iPhone 3 on Kijiji back in 2011, fixed it, and sold it.
With a $30 profit in his pocket, he decided to pursue the endeavour further.
He printed 500 business cards, handed them out to people in downtown Calgary, and the calls for phone repairs started to roll in. He partnered with Calgary-based Hightain Electronics as a parts supplier, and his hobby quickly turned into a nice little side business.
By September of 2012, Cran's experience and customer base allowed him to become manager of a new Hightain franchise in Red Deer. Then, he ran a location in Edmonton as well.
"The phones are designed to be repaired, but they're not designed to be repaired easily. You have to have the right tools and take the right steps. It's very specific," he said.
Cran learned the ins and outs of the business from both technical and management perspectives, and was confident in his decision to open a store of his own in B.C.
He moved to Chilliwack and opened Chilliwack Cell Phone Repair in February 2016.
There's a huge demand for the business, he says, because while the smartphone is a highly advanced and valued piece of technology, it's very fragile.
"If you drop your phone, you should expect it to be broken. If it's not broken, you got lucky," he explained.
The most common repair that Cran performs is replacing cracked screens, but he can also replace or repair volume control, cameras, buttons, batteries, charge ports, speakers and more.
"But there's a lot of pressure involved when you're working on someone's phone," he said. It's a digital wallet, photo album, GPS, computer, address book and more. It holds conversations that span months, or even years.
One of the reasons why he performs every repair where the customer can watch is because a person's phone contains private and confidential content.
It's also reassuring for Cran and the customer to go through the process together.
"Cell phone repair can be finicky – it's micro-electronics. A lot can go wrong when you drop your phone," he said.
As Cran opens up the device to assess the damage, he can explain how water or a hard fall can impact the parts within. Additionally, as customers observe the complexity of the repair process, they understand that paying a professional to do the repair is worthwhile and important.
Chilliwack Cell Phone Repair (#9-45966 Yale Rd.) is open for walk-ins seven days per week. Call 604-615-7176 or visit chilliwackcellphonerepair.tech for more information.
