Most teens are encouraged by their parents to get summer jobs, but more of them would probably be excited at the prospect if they knew they could potentially make $20,000 fixing phones.
Teen Fix-Its
According to the Wall Street Journal, Grayson Shaw, a 16-year-old boy, made nearly $24,000 in just the summer of 2016 repairing phones. He said he would repair up to 9 smartphones a day and charge about $189.99 to repair a cracked phone screen for an iPhone 7 Plus. Though he said he did miss spending time with his friends, he appreciated the opportunity to work and, of course, to make money.
“Sometimes when your friends are all out there catching really nice waves; it can be really frustrating.” However, Shaw did state that he “love[s] to work.”
Other teens are able to quit less lucrative positions in order to fix phones for those in need. An 18-year-old said he quit his father’s bowling alley business in order to fix phones because he was making more money doing the latter. It’s almost a guarantee that someone you know knows a teen who has already made a profitable business out of fixing phones.
Is It Worth It?
Unfortunately, though having the relative ease of going to a local teen to get your iPhone fixed does make it seem great, this isn’t always the best idea. Some of these teens admitted to having made mistakes in the past and caused more serious problems to phones, rather than fixing them. While they said they then paid the customer back so they could purchase a new phone, this would just create an unnecessary hassle when all you wanted in the first place was a quick fix.
In addition, a teenager who does cause problems to your phone might refuse to give you your money back or, if it isn’t immediately noticeable, might not even tell you about the mistake. Because these entrepreneurs are not held to any business standards and because they are young, there is a potential—however small—that you could get scammed.
Going to a teen whose parents you are friends with could also cause an issue if they do make a mistake, potentially even leading to a falling out. All in all, it may seem convenient to go this route, but you have more reliability when you choose to have your phone fixed by a licensed professional.