You take for granted your electronics and tech gadgets when you don't have children. But, then when children arrive, you sometimes find yourself forgetting how clumsy children can be and let them play with your prized possessions like iPhones, iPads, iPods, etc. And, when you least expect it, they return it to you in a less than stellar condition. Well, that is what happened to me this past Thanksgiving. I was busy getting the meal ready for 15 people and was looking for quick distraction for the girls. So, without thinking I handed them my husband's iPad to play with. Usually, I would slide it into a kid-proof protective case to prevent the from dropping and breaking it, or scratching the screen with their toys. But, trying to do too many things at once, and needing the girls to be entertained, as the guys were busy watching football on television and the woman were helping get the Christmas tree up so that we could decorate it after dinner. All was well until I heard the girls get quiet. You know it is not a good sign when you hear quietness in a house full of kids.
At first, the girls didn't notice the hair line crack on the iPad screen, but they did notice that one corner of the iPad was chipped. They handed me the iPad and told me they were done with out, without telling me that they had dropped it and broke it. It wasn't until I reached for the iPad to check on a new recipe I was making and needed the ingredient measurement that I noticed the cracked corner. And, as I took a closer look at the iPad, low and behold I saw the hairline crack. I quickly called in the girls and my husband to ask what had happened. Finally, the girls came clean, after trying to blame one another, and said that they had dropped it, while dancing around to a music video with it in their hands. Maybe my husband was too into the football, or maybe he didn't notice the crack on the screen, as he brushed it off that it was a minor imperfection and was just glad the iPad was still working. Yes, it was working, but as you stare at the screen long enough, your eyes can't help but stare at the hairline crack. Ugh. What to do. We had the 3rd generation iPad air, which we had bought for $300+ when it came out. And, there was no way that I was going to buy a new iPad. But, as I started to do research online, I found that iPad repairs no matter the model ranged from $200+.
After a few uses, my husband began getting aggravated with the cracked screen and knew we needed to repair it. He attempted to buy a DIY repair kit, but after reading the instructions and seeing that he would need quiet time without the girls around to concentrate and fix -- time which we don't have with two active toddlers -- we knew we had to send it off to be repaired, or buy a new one. A few days later, I received an email from the folks at iHeartRepair.com. They were looking for bloggers to review their services, which included iPad screen repairs, along with repairs to your iPhones and iPods. Call it fate or what you may...but, I quickly hit the reply button and responded back, sharing my story and how I would love to have our iPad fixed. They quickly responded back with a pre-paid shipping label, and told me to mail the damaged iPad to them. Usually, they would repair the device within 24-48 hrs., but due to the holidays and shipping delays, it would take about a week or so to receive, fix and sent back. I was in no rush to receive, as I was starting to go through iPad withdrawal, not wanting to look at the cracked screen.
A few days after Christmas, the doorbell rang and the mail carrier was at our door needing a signature. With the craziness of the holidays, I totally forget about the iPad being sent out for repair, so I wasn't expecting it. As I unpacked the box and removed the iPad Air from the bubble wrap, I thought I was looking at a brand new iPad. I have to admit, I had to ask my husband who was home on vacation if he ended up buying a new one, as it looked in pristine condition, with the plastic protective film over the screen. He said, "No," and quickly came to look at it.
We stood in the kitchen and couldn't help but admire the wonderful job the folks at iHeartRepair.com did in making our iPad Air look new again. The corner, which had been chipped, and my husband ended up putting tape to cover the rough edge, ended up being sanded down and smoothed out. Instead of the corner crack, now it just looked like a little blemish -- nothing that would draw attention to it. The screen, once we peeled off the protective film was replaced with a new screen, without scratches. I turned to my husband and said how grateful I was to be a blogger and be able to try out services like this, as I knew that the DIY kit would never produce the same results. Sorry, honey, but I didn't marry you for your DIY or handyman skills. :-)
My husband and I are more conscious now about letting the girls play with our priced possessions, including Daddy's iPad. Now, when it is is iPad time in the house, the girls are sitting with my husband or I on the couch, and the iPad is in its kid-proof protective case. The girls have been told that unless we give them permission or are sitting with them, that the iPad is off limits. While they were disappointed with these new restrictions, it was made a little easy to deal, as Santa brought them their own LeapPad's, pre-loaded with games and videos. They are learning about responsibility and taking care of a prized possession with their new tablets -- and, my husband and I are reminded again that we have children and can no longer leave our tech gadgets or electronics around, or hand the off to little hands, as they will come back sticky and maybe worse...broken. Hopefully, you will never have to have your iPad screen replaced due to it being dropped, etc. But, if you do, rest assured that the folks at iHeartRepair.com are here to help and will have you device fixed and back to you in record time...and, you will not break the bank with repair costs. For only $169.95, they will send you a pre-paid label to send in your broken device, fix it, and mail it back to you (prices vary on device you send it, and if you choose to use your own shipping label -- but expect to pay between $125-$165). And, you also get a 2-year warranty on their service (Our warranty covers the parts we install, & our craftsmanship in installing those parts for (2) two years after the date of purchase.. What more could you ask for? :-)
If you are need of iHeartRepair.com's service, or know someone who is, click here now -- http://www.iheartrepair.com/.
Stay up-to-date on special offers, news and more by following iHeartRepair.com on Facebook and Twitter.
Disclosure: I was provided repair services free of charge from the vendor in order to write up an honest review. All views shared are mine and mine alone.
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