Your phone broke… How badly you feel will depend on how long you have had it, how much you’ve liked it, and whether there is a different phone you have wanted for a while. But if you, like us, want to get the most out of your things (see our ode to materialism here), you can find our advice on how to figure out what to do below.
The objective is to salvage the phone in the most cost-effective way, or, if that is not possible, get the most value for it, and finally, create the smallest environmental and the greatest social impact.
Here is how to go about it:
The first step is to determine whether your warranty and/or insurance is still valid. We generally recommend you get additional insurance to minimize the total cost of ownership of your durable goods, and to do so from a third-party provider, as it is likely to be more affordable. Our in-depth discussion of this issue is here. Most things come with a warranty that lasts for the first little while. Reviewing that information and recording it in our Savvee app will save you a headache if something happens: all the information needed to submit a claim will be at your fingertips. For your phone, many of the common brands’ phones come with a twelve-months warranty and cover the manufacturer’s defects. That is true of both Apple and Samsung. So unless you purchased an added protection, if you have had your phone for more than a year, you are on your own.
If your phone is still under warranty or you have insurance: check if the issue would be covered. It may mean calling the insurance company or bringing your phone back to where you bought it. Some detective work will give you an understanding of the options you have and who can fix the problem for you.
If you are out of warranty and insurance options, is spending money on repair worth it? If the damage is something as simple as a broken screen, the repairs are normally pretty straightforward (although not necessarily cheap). Without warranty or insurance coverage, we recommend reaching out to a reputable electronics repair store near you. Apple stores can do repairs as well, but in most cases, you will get a better deal by going to an authorized retailer. Independent stores often have more availability, while getting an appointment at an Apple store usually requires a lengthy wait. Additionally, location matters. Most people are closer to an independent repair specialist than to an Apple store, making a quick trip on the way home from work or running an errand a more convenient option than getting an appointment and then driving to an Apple store. Finally, many independent locations match Apple’s 90-day warranty on repairs, so if you found one that uses good parts and has been around for a while, go for it!
If it turns out that repairing your damaged device would not be worth it, check out whether your phone manufacturer (Apple, Samsung) carrier (ATT, T-Mobile, Verizon, etc.) or an electronics store (BestBuy) offers trade-in options. This way you salvage some of the value and minimize the environmental impact, as these companies are well-positioned to recycle and reuse the materials in your phone. The process itself is normally pretty straightforward: you give back your phone via a prepaid package that you are provided with and get a new one. (In case of a broken phone, it might be worth checking if having it repaired first would increase the trade-in value enough to repair it before trading in.)
And now to the unfortunate possibility when you truly have no options but to get rid of your phone and buy a new one outright. (You can find our guide explaining why you should buy the phone, instead of paying for it through a plan here.) You should still dispose of your old device responsibly (that is true of everything, not just your phone). That means either donating it so that an organization can repair the phone and provide it to those who need it, or recycling it through a specialized location. Phones are full of parts and materials that can be recycled. Moreover, materials that should be recycled!
Although disposing of something you used and loved is oftentimes unpleasant and hard, if you follow the above steps, you get the silver lining of knowing that the job was done well. Moreover, the principle that repairing is better than recycling or donating, which is better than disposing, applies to most broken items in your life.
Have there been things that have been particularly difficult to let go of? Let us know!
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