About Xcessoriz

This is Tyler, the owner at Xcessoriz. Almost 3 years ago exactly, a friend and good customer came to our little kiosk with a broken screen on an iPod Touch 3 with a simple request. Can you fix this for me? Took me 2 weeks of research alone, because I couldn't find a single place that really gave ALL the info to get the job done the way I felt it should have been. Once it was done, the look on his face made it all worth it. Here we are, just three years later, and we now average over 25 weekly repairs in our same little kiosk. We've had phones, tablets, and devices ranging from game consoles to key fobs. We now have contracts with schools and companies and long-standing relationships with great customers. At a rough estimate, we have successfully repaired 3600 devices to date, at best guess over 3200 of those have been by my hands. I have always given my gratitude to each customer for trusting us with your devices, but in our 3 year anniversary of professional repairs, we've never taken time to publicly thank our customers. Truly and from the bottom of our hearts thank you. This has, thus far, been an exceptional ride!

In that same reflection I'd like to give our new customers, curious Facebooker's, and anyone looking for a quality repair service a detailed look into Xcessoriz. A look into what we do and what you can expect when you come to us with your device. So here's what and who we really are.

Admittedly, no one is absolutely perfect. We do strive constantly to improve on the quality of the repairs we perform. We also meet or exceed all OEM specifications of the device. Notice from above, if you do the math, we've done roughly 3900 repairs, which gives us about a 7.7% failure rate, or 300 out of 3900. Most of those were water damaged beyond repair. We've had a couple run over by tractors (still waiting for the farmer-friendly titanium phone housings), some found in parking lots, and those that were just mistreated. All in all, we're very proud of that number. Most parts distributors only require a 10% failure rate in the parts themselves. We will continue to give the best quality repair that's available. Here's how we do that for every customer.

The hardest thing in the repair industry is that it can be tough to find GOOD parts. It's like a car. Would you use a cheap, low-grade alternator on a vehicle you depend on like most do their phones? You'd use the best that met your needs. That was the thought process you used when you purchased your phone in the first place, and that's how we look at them. Not all devices are easy to repair, depending on how they're assembled, and how they've been treated before they get to us. If we feel that it would be better to replace the device due to cost effectiveness we'll say so, and even facilitate finding you a new/used device that fits your price budget. Why take all the risks of buying something online yourself? I take the risks of having funds tied up if a return is required, and we also know who and what to look for. It's the same when we buy OEM quality or high quality parts.

In the high-end phone repair market it gets a little trickier. With phones that might cost $200 with an upgrade or new 2 year contract their retail value is quite different. Galaxies and iPhones can cost as high as $500 to even $900 on the retail market. The Galaxy S series, for example, have some of the highest resolution screens on the market. The 3 screens are glued together so separation can degrade performance. They are generally replaced as a unit, meaning you replace the expensive LCD along with the outer glass. There are pictures in our gallery of repairs gone wrong shown to us by customers. Unless you have 20k in equipment to do 'Glass Only' repairs the same factory-original way they were assembled, there's a HUGE margin for error and poor performance. That's why the market is now flooded with pieces of glass at $5-$10 a piece. The repair companies bought them in massive quantities, figured out it wasn't cost-effective, and now they're throwing away their backstock at less than purchase price. At Xcessoriz we make sure you keep that performance and quality you purchased in the first place. If you have a Galaxy S5 that is worth $500 retail we keep it worth that. The repair is done the best that is not only available, but that's recommended by the manufacturer and the repair community as a whole. iPhone screens are much lower definition, and are usually cheaper to replace the full assembly. They also fall in price faster than most, as they produce a lot of screen components that they'll never use. But, it's not just a phone screen or a piece of glass that makes us unique.

We use the proper tools and adhesives to ensure the device doesn't get further damaged by simple carelessness or the repair company trying to save a couple of dollars. This includes making sure EVERY screw makes it back where it was in the first place and if they're missing replace them. I don't just replace the screen on your iPhone 4s. We clean it, replace the speaker screens with new ones, check all the buttons and ribbon cables, and replace adhesive instead of re-using the old so it looks like new, and works like new not just 'for now'. You can find an iPhone 4s screen online for under $20, but if it's going to shatter the first time you play Flappy Bird or if you drop it 6 inches onto carpet, it's a waste of $20. Aside from the repair business, however, we also work hard to protect your investment in your device.

We also carry some of the world's best protective cases and screen protectors for the Galaxies and iPhones to keep them from becoming damaged devices. As many of our customers can attest to, I love to take my good 'ol Galaxy S3 and throw it 5 or 6 feet onto the hard floor. I do this to prove to my customers that I don't buy into brand names, I carry what works the best. I still have to replace a cracked screen on my phone now and again (usually at about 400-600 of those drops, and yes I replace my entire assembly just like I would with any customer's at $130 per), but that's the level of commitment I expect with our business. It's hard for a product or method to earn our trust.

The last thing that really separates us from just any repair business is our ability to not just replace large parts, but solder as well. That's right, we also replace some small board components, dock connectors, charge ports, LCD and digitizer connectors, just to name some of the jobs I've already done. How well they turn out always, of course, depends on the amount of damage the device has. If soldering is required and the device doesn't function properly, we only ask for a small $10-$20 equipment fee to cover parts and materials. There are no hidden fees. We're very up-front about what was seen, and what could be any possible cause for where the damage came from and if it could have been avoided. I spend hours talking to other repair techs from around the world, keeping up-to-date in current techniques and common problems.

All really dedicated repair techs have very common traits we share. We love technology, we're extreme workaholics, and we have unnaturally high goals for ourselves. Our families feel estranged at times, but they also know we can't do anything else. We work long hours and get little sleep. We stand behind our work. If it's not right, let us know and we'll make it right. The only time we give in and say 'Yeah, maybe it's time to get a new one' is when you're ready to. Our job is to make whichever decision you make work for you as best we can.

As for me personally I was born to do this line of work. The last 3 years, all those devices, and all your smiling faces have taught me everything I ever needed to know about that in myself. It's not just what I do, it's now who I am. Infexus Bytez, the guy at the mall, the phone guy, just to name a few of the things people call Xcessoriz, still in that same little kiosk. It's taught me the value of working hard for others, in doing something positive not only for myself but for my community. I look forward to many more years of those faces! Thanks to Norfolk and it's surrounding communities for the 3 best years of my career, and I look forward to so many more!