The broken screen
The next day, which was Monday, I went to the Carl Care office in Ilorin, known for their expertise in fixing Tecno and Infinix phones. My hopes for fixing the phone screen were dashed when I was told to pay ₦59,300 ($40.6) to fix the screen. In the current Nigerian economy, this is simply out of the question. Sad but not defeated, I decided to seek a more affordable option within my budget. My search led me to a phone repair shop, where I was fortunate to meet the boss himself. After checking the phone, he asked me to pay ₦22,000 ($15), which was reasonable, and I paid immediately. I was asked to return in the evening to pick up my repaired phone.
However, when I returned, I was told to come back the next day. That was the beginning of my frustration as they kept postponing, which lasted for days. My frustration grew each time I was told to come back until I finally involved my boyfriend. With his help, we discovered that the so-called engineer had damaged my phone's flex, a crucial component for charging. The boss pleaded for three weeks to order a new flex from AliExpress, as it was unavailable in Nigeria, according to them. My boyfriend, not one to be easily swayed, insisted they provide me with a phone to use in the meantime. I was given a smaller, less capable Android phone, but it was better than being phoneless.
A month passed, and I grew impatient since I had given them more than the agreed 3-week grace. I called the repair shop, only to hear more excuses and stories. After threatening them over the phone, the boss offered a phone swap at a much lower price, an offer that seemed too good to pass up given their inability to fix my phone. They asked me to bring the original receipt and phone case.
The receipt of the broken phone.
On Tuesday last week, I left my house in the morning with the receipt and phone pack to go to the shop. The boss immediately accused me of manipulating the receipt, claiming it looked too new and that the year on it, 2023, was altered to look like 2022. Initially, I thought he was joking, but he persisted, calling me a liar and manipulative. This accusation, on top of the frustration they've put me through for weeks, got on my nerves, yet it sounded funny upon hearing it. How could a phone released in 2023 be bought in 2022? I suggested we go to the vendor's shop where the phone was bought, which was nearby, to verify the receipt. The boss refused, insisting it would be a waste of time. Even the Tecno sales representative in his shop confirmed, by checking the IMEI number, that the phone was first used in April last year. Still, the boss was arrogant and full of pride. Faced with his refusal, I had no choice but to involve the police. Reluctantly, he sent a staff member with me to the vendor's shop. To his embarrassment, the vendor had the duplicate receipt and confirmed the error in writing the year. They even apologized for the mistake.
Immediately I returned to the repair shop, and rather than apologize, he diverted the conversation in an attempt to shift our focus from him apologizing for calling me a liar and manipulative. I was no longer interested in doing business with them. I refused the phone swap offer and demanded my phone be fixed immediately. Despite the boss's promise, as of now, my phone remains unfixed, with no call or tangible explanation from him.
The new phone
Frustrated and exhausted from the drama, I decided to buy a new phone from a different shop. The temporary phone they gave me was inadequate for my needs, and I couldn't wait any longer. The entire experience was annoying and funny at the same time. The whole drama from the accusation, to the arrogance of the repair shop boss, and the absurdity of the situation all combined to create a week that I won't forget in a long time.
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