Phone Battery Service Experience
Phone Battery Service Experience - Dr. Smartphone Thailand (ProMobilEZ (Thailand) Co., Ltd) - SHOCKING EXPERIENCE!
I want to share my shocking experience with Dr. Smartphone Thailand and inform you how their unprofessional service destroyed my iPhone and cost me 3 weeks of my life!
I'm doing this to avoid you from potentially suffering damage as well.
I recently visited Dr. Smartphone Thailand for a battery replacement service for my iPhone. The service involved opening the phone, replacing the battery, and sealing it again. While the battery replacement itself was successful, I was not informed that the phone’s Ingress Protection (IP) rating might be affected after the service.
Lacking this critical information, I resumed using my phone as I had before, including occasional underwater filming for short videos—something my phone had previously handled without issue. Unfortunately, during the first use under water after the repair, my phone suffered severe water damage.
I immediately noticed issues with the camera and, upon removing the phone from the water, saw visible signs of internal water penetration. Pressing on the screen caused water to seep out under the screen, indicating that the phone’s ingress protection against water had been compromised. Despite my efforts to power down and dry the device, the phone ceased functioning shortly afterward.
I returned to Dr. Smartphone Thailand to report the incident and have the phone inspected. It was determined that the mainboard was irreparably damaged due to water exposure. When I raised concerns about not being informed that their service could impact the ingress protection, the response I received was disappointing.
The staff pointed out that Apple itself does not recommend submerging iPhones in water, despite their IP68 rating, and neither Apple nor Dr. Smartphone Thailand covers water damage under warranty. While this policy might be standard (for smartphones), I believe service providers have a professional responsibility to inform customers if a repair could alter such a critical feature of the device.
I had some MacBooks repaired before and every time, I had to sign a document indicating potential risks of the repair procedure. This is how companies reduce their risk. Not so Dr. Smartphone Thailand!
As someone with experience in a related field, I pointed out that any service affecting the ingress protection should come with clear communication, especially for devices marketed with specific protection ratings. However, my concerns were dismissed, and the company maintained its position that it is not obligated to provide such warnings.
This lack of transparency and accountability caused me significant inconvenience. My (only) iPhone was my primary device for work and personal security, including eSIM verification and authenticator apps. Losing access to all of that left me locked out 50+ accounts for three weeks, bringing my professional and personal life to a standstill until I could complete account recoveries including various freeze times posed by the account providers for security purposes.
I had to buy a new smartphone and lost 3 weeks of income!
Dr. Smartphone Thailand mentioned they do not have any responsibility whatsoever!
While I leave it to you to decide whether to trust Dr. Smartphone Thailand and use their services, I feel compelled to share my shocking experience.
As a customer, you depend on the professional expertise of a service provider to clearly inform you about any potential risks associated with repair procedures. I’ll leave it to you to decide whether you feel confident entrusting Dr. Smartphone Thailand with your devices and data.