Best Buy’s Geek Squad already provided repair services for Apple products as an Authorized Apple Service Provider, but — as customers noted — the service wasn’t always fantastic. Today, Apple announced that Best Buy has expanded its Apple service and repair capabilities, widening the number of locations where customers can receive “expert service and repairs” for Apple products.
According to the companies, nearly 1,000 Best Buy locations in the United States offer repair services as of today. That’s thanks in part to the addition of almost 7,600 newly Apple-certified technicians who are capable of performing same-day iPhone repairs and servicing other Apple devices.
Apple notes that repairs will now be more accessible in locations such as Yuma, Arizona; Sioux City, Iowa; Twin Falls, Idaho; Casper, Wyoming; and Bismarck, North Dakota — areas where the nearest Apple retail store is a long drive away. Best Buy’s plentiful repair locations mean that four-fifths of Apple customers will now be within 20 minutes of an authorized service provider.
While there is no shortage of third-party repair shops across the United States, Apple’s authorized repair centers are backed by the company itself and are guaranteed to use genuine Apple parts. Independent shops may offer lower prices and faster service, but they don’t qualify for in-warranty coverage and sometimes use substitute parts. Best Buy’s locations bring the total number of authorized Apple repair shops to over 1,800 in the U.S. alone, which the companies note is 3 times higher than it was just three years ago.
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It’s worth noting that Best Buy’s repair services came under scrutiny last year after some of its Geek Squad technicians were revealed to be searching customers’ computers as paid FBI informants in what was reportedly a decade-long relationship. Meanwhile, Apple has made user privacy a major focus of its marketing and development efforts, repeatedly warning people of the dangers of letting large companies harvest their data, and even positioning itself as a bulwark against governmental intrusions on privacy.
Today’s news follows Apple’s April addition of Best Buy as an authorized partner for the Apple Trade In program, enabling used devices to be dropped off at Best Buy stores for cash or recycling. Best Buy’s significant U.S. footprint enabled Apple to quadruple the number of receiving locations for its used products.
