Assessment, cheap spares, tough competition make repair market a challenging place. Here's how?
Day 1: 23rd Dec
The screen of the mobile phone was broken. The impact must have been very high, I could see the inner layers(!). Since we were in Delhi, we head to Nehru Place, known for handling exactly this kind of repair.
The first repairer we speak to has a shop near the exit of the Nehru Enclave metro station. The shop is small-hardly 6’ wide by 5’ deep. But there is a narrow but steep ladder disappearing into the mezzanine above. That is his workspace. He is referred to by others as an Ustad. He trained many boys in this trade of mobile repair.
He advises our repairer to add some glue and fix our phone. In a few minutes, we have the phone back, but the screen is not lighting up by itself. We have to press near the top. The repairer says, let it be for 12 hours, once the glue hardens, it will work just fine.
We leave the shop a bit confused....
There is another repairer we know in Nehru Place. There are many good repairers here. This guy has a counter in one of the big shops on the first floor, rents for these shops touch 7 to 8 lakhs INR a month. At the shop, we are told this guy has moved to another shop in the basement nearby. It's an upgrade from the single counter.
He must be doing well(!).
The screen of the mobile phone was broken. The impact must have been very high, I could see the inner layers(!). Since we were in Delhi, we head to Nehru Place, known for handling exactly this kind of repair.
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| Street vendors and repair shops are concentrated around the central courtyard of Nehru Place, creating a dense, competitive marketplace ecosystem. |
The first repairer we speak to has a shop near the exit of the Nehru Enclave metro station. The shop is small-hardly 6’ wide by 5’ deep. But there is a narrow but steep ladder disappearing into the mezzanine above. That is his workspace. He is referred to by others as an Ustad. He trained many boys in this trade of mobile repair.
He looks at the mobile, the model is Samsung J2 and it is atleast 7 to 8 years old. This model is obsolete, if you took it to any other market. But here he says it can be fixed for 1000/- INR.
We enquire if he can give us another phone in exchange for this old one… He says he doesn't do that, but there is a ‘Cashify’ shop in the market. He asks us to check with them.
The Cashify guys tell us this phone is too old for any kind of exchange. In fact, one of the boys quips, that we will not even find a replacement for the new screen… We tell him we have found a replacement already. But we are looking for an exchange. He wants to know, what was the price for the replacement screen we found? We move on, as telling him the price would undermine our negotiation for an exchange.
We enquire at another shop along the line, he asks us to speak to the Sikh gentleman in the shop across the plaza. He could exchange this for a button phone. Across the plaza, we found a Sikh gentleman sitting in front of a repair shop. It turned out he was just a customer, but the repairer of the shop offers to fix a new screen for 800/- INR! We fall for the price!
The shop was middle-sized with about 6’ wide and 10’/12’ deep-looking onto the main plaza of Nehru Place market. The replacement screen would be golden and not black as the original. We said let's do it.
The Repair takes half an hour. He acquires the screen from another shop, while prying open and cleaning the screen and the components. He says the whole folder has to be replaced. He uses a thin needle-like rotating device to take-out the remaining glue from the old screen. Then he uses a black rubberized adhesive to stick the relacement screen. He uses rubber bands to hold it in place till the glue hardens properly.
All done, we left for home with a gleaming golden screen, and the phone was looking new.
We enquire if he can give us another phone in exchange for this old one… He says he doesn't do that, but there is a ‘Cashify’ shop in the market. He asks us to check with them.
The Cashify guys tell us this phone is too old for any kind of exchange. In fact, one of the boys quips, that we will not even find a replacement for the new screen… We tell him we have found a replacement already. But we are looking for an exchange. He wants to know, what was the price for the replacement screen we found? We move on, as telling him the price would undermine our negotiation for an exchange.
We enquire at another shop along the line, he asks us to speak to the Sikh gentleman in the shop across the plaza. He could exchange this for a button phone. Across the plaza, we found a Sikh gentleman sitting in front of a repair shop. It turned out he was just a customer, but the repairer of the shop offers to fix a new screen for 800/- INR! We fall for the price!
The shop was middle-sized with about 6’ wide and 10’/12’ deep-looking onto the main plaza of Nehru Place market. The replacement screen would be golden and not black as the original. We said let's do it.
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| Photo courtesy: Samsung — Samsung Galaxy J2 (launched September 2015). |
The Repair takes half an hour. He acquires the screen from another shop, while prying open and cleaning the screen and the components. He says the whole folder has to be replaced. He uses a thin needle-like rotating device to take-out the remaining glue from the old screen. Then he uses a black rubberized adhesive to stick the relacement screen. He uses rubber bands to hold it in place till the glue hardens properly.
All done, we left for home with a gleaming golden screen, and the phone was looking new.
Day 2: 4th Jan
The phone screen is flickering. If we held it with a bit of pressure near the top, the screen lights up.
We were back at Nehru Place, tracing the same route.
Firstly, the repairer who had offered 1000/- near the metro exit. The main repairer was not there, the guy at the counter looked at the phone and says: it, looks fine. We move on thinking, how could he fix it, if he didn't think there was a problem?
Then the repairer who had actually fixed the screen. He realizes there was a problem and tries to fix it. When he gives it back to us, the screen would not light up at all.
There is another repairer sitting at the counter today. He says this replacement is a ‘copy screen’. These are TFT screens as compared to the original LED screen. These are thicker than the original, so they end-up touching the light sensor, which is behind. There might be a persistent problem with replacement screens.
The phone screen is flickering. If we held it with a bit of pressure near the top, the screen lights up.
We were back at Nehru Place, tracing the same route.
Firstly, the repairer who had offered 1000/- near the metro exit. The main repairer was not there, the guy at the counter looked at the phone and says: it, looks fine. We move on thinking, how could he fix it, if he didn't think there was a problem?
Then the repairer who had actually fixed the screen. He realizes there was a problem and tries to fix it. When he gives it back to us, the screen would not light up at all.
There is another repairer sitting at the counter today. He says this replacement is a ‘copy screen’. These are TFT screens as compared to the original LED screen. These are thicker than the original, so they end-up touching the light sensor, which is behind. There might be a persistent problem with replacement screens.
Oh!! we realize that, after all, the guy at the Cashify shop was right!
He advises our repairer to add some glue and fix our phone. In a few minutes, we have the phone back, but the screen is not lighting up by itself. We have to press near the top. The repairer says, let it be for 12 hours, once the glue hardens, it will work just fine.
We leave the shop a bit confused....
There is another repairer we know in Nehru Place. There are many good repairers here. This guy has a counter in one of the big shops on the first floor, rents for these shops touch 7 to 8 lakhs INR a month. At the shop, we are told this guy has moved to another shop in the basement nearby. It's an upgrade from the single counter.
He must be doing well(!).
We find a narrow staircase next to a corner shop, off the main plaza. Steps are each 1' high. Once in the basement below, it's a 12’ by 12’ space.
I ask when did they move in here? ‘Just 2 days ago’, the answer came from a young repairer, who is managing while the main guy is not there.
He looks at the mobile carefully and says that the work was not done properly. Take it back to the same repairer, he said, tell him that he could keep the mobile for a day if needed, but fix the screen properly and return it.
Advice taken, we headed back to the repairer of the screen.
As advised, we said he could keep it if needed as long as he opens the whole screen and fits it back again. There is some hesitation. He says the copy screen might get damaged, if opened. We respond, anyway the screen does not work for us without the light.
He asks us to wait a while, we let him be. Today he has the advantage of the other, more experienced repairer along with him… We had the phone back with us in half an hour. Now the screen light was visible. He asks us not to remove the rubber bands for atleast a day.
Post script:
Surprised that the repairer had actually entertained our request to open the screen again, risked damaging it, we wanted to know why he had done it?
My trusted repairer in the basement shop checked the phone and confirmed it was done properly now.
I ask when did they move in here? ‘Just 2 days ago’, the answer came from a young repairer, who is managing while the main guy is not there.
He looks at the mobile carefully and says that the work was not done properly. Take it back to the same repairer, he said, tell him that he could keep the mobile for a day if needed, but fix the screen properly and return it.
Advice taken, we headed back to the repairer of the screen.
As advised, we said he could keep it if needed as long as he opens the whole screen and fits it back again. There is some hesitation. He says the copy screen might get damaged, if opened. We respond, anyway the screen does not work for us without the light.
He asks us to wait a while, we let him be. Today he has the advantage of the other, more experienced repairer along with him… We had the phone back with us in half an hour. Now the screen light was visible. He asks us not to remove the rubber bands for atleast a day.
Post script:
Surprised that the repairer had actually entertained our request to open the screen again, risked damaging it, we wanted to know why he had done it?
My trusted repairer in the basement shop checked the phone and confirmed it was done properly now.
So was it not done properly earlier?...
We went back to the first repairer near the metro exit. He says that fitting copy screens is a hand skill. The adhesive which is used, needs to be optimised. Too much of it, results in hardening unevenly and breakage. Too little, and the screen comes off, particularly so in Samsung phones.
The repairer tries to put as-less adhesive as possible but if it doesn't work more is used.
That's how cheap replacement copy screens work… one had to be careful with the phone, use a full cover. There is a risk of breaking the screen in case of an impact…
We hope it works now — keeping our fingers crossed...
We went back to the first repairer near the metro exit. He says that fitting copy screens is a hand skill. The adhesive which is used, needs to be optimised. Too much of it, results in hardening unevenly and breakage. Too little, and the screen comes off, particularly so in Samsung phones.
The repairer tries to put as-less adhesive as possible but if it doesn't work more is used.
That's how cheap replacement copy screens work… one had to be careful with the phone, use a full cover. There is a risk of breaking the screen in case of an impact…
We hope it works now — keeping our fingers crossed...
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