***UPDATED AT BOTTOM - 30JAN16***
Well it have been awhile since I posted anything of interest, so here it goes…Well the wife’s Iphone 5 took a hard dump these last couple of days and basically became unusable. I am sure it is due to her dropping it numerous times, but who knows. Here is the issues she had and how we got it fixed.
Well it have been awhile since I posted anything of interest, so here it goes…Well the wife’s Iphone 5 took a hard dump these last couple of days and basically became unusable. I am sure it is due to her dropping it numerous times, but who knows. Here is the issues she had and how we got it fixed.
1.
Bad Gyro – I guess this phone had a bad gyro from the get go, but since it was
the wife’s phone, I never noticed. She never used Google maps or anything, so
the issue never really came up, until she couldn’t tilt the phone to change it display
orientation anymore. I also noticed that the compass app would be all over the
place too, so I knew something was really screwy with the phone. I tried to fix
that when she let me know about it, but nothing I could find online would fix
it. She lived with for months, until the phone stop receiving any signal…
2.
No Signal – A couple of days ago the phone just stop receiving a cell signal
and there was nothing I could to get it back. Luckily, the wifi worked still
and she was able to communicate via the data side of things, but obviously the phone’s
primary function of making phone calls was no good. That was the final straw
for me and her, so I went to the AU phone shop at the Kadena BX to see where I can
get it fixed. Luckily, there is an authorized Apple repair shop down Hwy 58 and
it is about 15 mins from base with no traffic.
So
I made my way down there recently and it wasn’t hard to find. It is literally right
off Hwy 58, just look for the building with big “Sharp” billboard on it and you
have found it. However, they have an EXTREMELY small parking area in front of
the building, but I was super lucky and there was a small spot open. Luckily, I
drive a Honda Fit and made it in there no problem, but any bigger car than that
wouldn’t of fit. If when you go there and the parking area is filled up front,
there is a small alley way on the left that takes you to a barely bigger
parking area around the back. Just remember that, so you don’t think you have
to back out onto the Hwy 58 traffic again just to get out of there. Well once
you park, make your way up the stairs and follow the signs they put up to
direct you to the apple service center. Be warned though, if you are expecting
some pristine white Apple service center, think again, it is definitely a small
mom & pop operation that is sandwiched between other electronic repair services
with boxes piled up the ceiling.
When
you walk in, make sure to take a number from the machine up front and sit down
and wait. There were plenty of Americans and locals in there when I went, but I
say I waited about 20 mins before I was seen. The guy I talked to had limited English,
but that is what Google Translate is for. Anyways, I let him know the problems we
had and he got it scheduled in for work, which they start right then and there.
He even popped the phone open right in front of me to look around in it, which
was super easy to do. You just take the two small screws out at the bottom of
the phone and it opens up in half, so if you didn’t know, now you know! Well,
he told me to be back in about 40 mins to pick it up and he then gave a small
card with a number on it to claim my phone. There is a “Staples/Office Max”
like store right next store to the service center, so I killed the time in
there. There are 3 stories in there, so don’t get stuck on the small first
floor, unless of course you love pens of all shapes and colors. Well, after
about 40 mins, I went back and waited for them to call my number. You don’t have
to take a number again, I just made it obvious I was picking up my phone by
sitting right next to the service desks with the number card in plain view.
They gave me back my phone and I noticed that the signal was back, but luckily I
checked if the phone could change its display orientation, which it still couldn’t.
He then took the phone to the back and chatted with the technicians for a bit
and came back out with some dire news…I guess I am getting a new Iphone 5! Yup,
they replaced it free of charge, since it is still under the 1 year warranty. But he told me to come back in an hour, because they needed to activate
the new phone with my AU service. Well fast forward 1 hour and my wife got a
new phone that works great now, but we will see how long that last with it in
her hands now…
I
do want to note that many of the clerks in there have limited English, but they
have a couple that speak good English, so don’t worry about communicating with
them. Of course the service clerks were friendly and it is nice that they start
work on your phone right there and then. Lastly, my phone was still under
warranty, so bring YEN only if your Iphone/Ipad isn’t under warranty to pay for
services rendered. I attached the instructions and contact info for the service
center to this post.
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| Authorized Apple Service Center |
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UPDATED on 30 Jan 16
Long story short, my iPhone 6 took a shit on me last week
and it crashed hardcore. Luckily I was able to update it or something with
iTunes, and got it running without losing my stuff! But the wifi and Bluetooth functions
stopped working. That is no way to live, so I went to the AU shop on Kadena for
information. There is place near Foster and the handout to that place is below, but I didn’t go
there, so I can’t really speak on the service there. However, the place in the
mall was legit and long story short, they ended up replacing my iPhone 6 for
free, since it was still under Apple’s one-year warranty. Score! So, I would try
the place in the mall if it is closer to you and you want to shop around as
they fiddle with your phone. They have English speaking reps there, so you
should be fine on that end. But I am not
sure if they take credit cards or not for non-warranty replacements, since my service
was free, but I imagine they do. Last thing, they do NOT do repairs there for
iPhones. They just restore the software and if that doesn’t work, they will
replace your phone for a fee or free, depending on your situation.
UPDATED on 30 Jan 16
Ok I have an update on the Apple service centers near
Kadena. To be honest I don’t even know if the Service Center originally posted
is still legit now. Either way, I have two places for you to try to get your Apple
devices fixed or have some warranty replacement work done. So the place I went
to is in the new AEON Rycom mall on the second floor and the entrance is
pictured below.
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| Newcom Apple Service Center |
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| Camera Kitamura Apple Service Center |
