What do I do when my tech breaks at school?

If you bought your tech at Best Buy, you might consider purchasing a protection plan or warranty to cover accidental damage, like a cracked screen, to your device.

Best Buy Total Tech Support is a great option for helping you with any basic software fixes, on any of your devices (regardless of when or whether they were purchased at Best Buy). Trickier fixes are often covered at a discounted rate. In addition to helping you out in emergencies, the support plan also offers regular care and cleaning, data backup and more.

“Once your tech stops working, you realize how valuable those protection plans are,” Sharmaine said.
She recommends some basic things you can do that can help you avoid needing to use those plans in the first place:

• Buy protective cases and screen protectors.
• Take your devices out only when you need them
• Keep your tech away from risky locations, like next to your mug of coffee or on the edge of a table.

The first question you’ll want to answer is whether your device is covered under a warranty or protection plan. You might have paid for the protection plan upfront or, for some devices like phones, you might be paying a monthly fee.

“If you’re unsure, you’ll want to contact your provider or the manufacturer. They can guide you through the next steps of fixing the problem,” Sharmaine said. “Alternatively, if you bought the product through Best Buy, we can look up exactly what your options are based on the protection coverage you purchased.”

When in doubt, stop by a Best Buy store or chat with Best Buy support online or over the phone to find out where your protection plan can be used and get all the information you need on your options.

Once you understand your coverage, you can start making plans for repairing your device. A lot of repairs, like screens or software, can be done in-house at Best Buy or local repair shops that specialize in your device’s brand.

“Bigger fixes sometimes require devices being sent to a service center, which takes more time,” Sharmaine said. “But there are some alternatives to waiting. If, for example, you bought a Geek Squad Protection Plan for your phone, we have a rapid exchange program that gives you a loaner phone until your device comes back.”

When your device gets shipped to a service center, it’s assessed by an expert who will then give you a quote for how much additional work and costs might be involved. At that point, you decide whether to continue with the repair process.

With other types of tech (think gaming consoles, audio or wearables), the problem-solving approach might vary. Gaming consoles under warranty are often exchanged.

If you didn’t have a protection plan for your device or the warranty has expired, you will need to work with the manufacturer to figure out the repair cost. Manufacturer defects will normally be covered under manufacturer warranties, which are standard with most devices.