Samsung doesn’t have a network of retail stores in the United States to handle device repairs, like Apple does, so repairs for Galaxy phones and tablets have to go through Best Buy, uBreakiFix, and other stores. Unfortunately, getting repairs through Best Buy is now more difficult.
Best Buy is shutting down its Samsung authorized service provider program (ASP), according to several posts from employees on Reddit and an employee who spoke to The Verge. The ASP allowed certain Best Buy stores to repair Galaxy phones with genuine Samsung parts, training, and tools. The page for locating stores that participated in the ASP has also been removed.
Best Buy will now only accept Samsung device repairs for phones purchased at Best Buy, and only for people who have purchased Geek Squad Cell Phone Complete Protection insurance. The replacement might also require a deductible. Before now, anyone could schedule a Samsung device repair at Best Buy.
This isn’t great news for anyone with a Galaxy phone or tablet in the United States, especially as Samsung limits how independent repair shops can access device parts. The company also just ended its relationship with iFixit, which previously allowed people to buy official Samsung parts for select models with Samsung-approved repair manuals. The main authorized repair center options left in the US are uBreakiFix locations, alongside smaller chains like Batteries Plus.
Even for the devices that can still be repaired at Best Buy, it’s not clear how the system will work moving forward. Samsung head of mobile customer care Mario Renato de Castro said in a statement, “We’re in discussions with Best Buy to determine how Samsung can best support our customers moving forward.”
With Best Buy scaling back its Samsung device repairs, and Samsung ending its partnership with iFixit, there are fewer options for fixing a Galaxy phone or tablet in the United States. It’s especially grim when compared to Samsung’s main smartphone competitor in the US, Apple, which offers device repairs at hundreds of Apple Store locations across the country. iPhones can also usually be fixed at the same third-party repair shops that accept Samsung phones, such as uBreakiFix.
