BBB warns Washington consumers to vet phone repair shops, prioritize data privacy
BBB warns Washington consumers to vet phone repair shops, prioritize data privacy
Publish Date: 2026-05-01 10:19:00
Source Domain: komonews.com
SEATTLE — Handing over a smartphone for repairs or an unlock can feel routine, but the Better Business Bureau says complaints show it can also be a high-risk decision for consumers’ devices, data and money.
Cameron Nakashima of the Better Business Bureau said the BBB continues to see a gap between what customers expect and what they say they receive from some cellphone repair and unlock services.
“This is a high-trust transaction, but complaints show a gap between expectation and reality,” Nakashima said.
In Washington alone, he said, “1,148 complaints and 471 negative reviews point to consistent issues.”
Nakashima said consumers typically expect a company to do the work promised, within the promised timeline, without anything “shady or nefarious.” But he said many reviews and complaints describe the opposite experience.
“Unfortunately, the majority of reviews we receive point to a widespread disconnect between this expectation of service and what is actually received,” he said. “And when things go wrong, people are explaining to us that the companies they were trying to get these services from didn’t deliver and didn’t treat them right.”
One common pattern the BBB sees, Nakashima said, begins with a simple phone unlock request. Customers pay an upfront fee, the company takes the phone and starts work, then the customer is told they must pay more for additional “premium” or “final” steps — sometimes totaling “$100, $150, or more,” he said.
Nakashima said some consumers report the unlock never works even after multiple payments, and some say their phones remain locked while the company stops responding or provides vague updates without resolving the issue. He pointed to ExpressUnlocks as an example, the BBB is currently investigating, saying the company claims a 100% success rate and a money-back guarantee, but “dozens of their customers have come to us saying that the services failed, and they did not get their money…
