uBreakiFix

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
UBreakiFix
Company typeSubsidiary
Founded2009; 15 years ago (2009) in Orlando, Florida
FounderDavid Reiff
Eddie Trujillo
Justin Wetherill Edit this on Wikidata
Headquarters,
United States Edit this on Wikidata
Area served
North America
ParentAsurion, LLC

uBreakiFix is an American chain of electronic repair shops, founded in 2009 with over 832 locations in 2016 across the United States, Canada and the Caribbean.[1][2][3] They are most commonly known for repairing all kinds of household electronics.[4] In August 2019, uBreakiFix was acquired by Asurion, LLC, an insurance company.[5] Its Canadian division was sold to Mobile Klinik on January 2023, and all franchises there were rebranded.

History[edit]

Location in Spring Mall Square, Springfield, Virginia

uBreakiFix was established in Orlando, Florida as a single shop.[6][7] It then quickly expanded by offering franchise opportunities.[8][9] Their business model centers around servicing equipment such as smartphones, game consoles, tablets, and computers. In 2016, Google made them the only authorized walk-in repair provider for the Pixel and Pixel XL, providing the company with OEM (original equipment manufacturer) parts for replacements.[10] Industry reports speculated that this choice was made in order for Google to compete with the Apple Genius Bar, which offers in-person iPhone repairs.[11][12][13][14] Samsung formed a similar partnership with uBreakiFix in 2018, naming them as an authorized in-warranty Samsung repair center and providing stores with access to OEM components.[15]

The uBreakiFix franchise was listed eighteenth on Entrepreneur’s 2018 Franchise 500 list. [16][17] The company was also mentioned in the Orlando Business Journal as one of 2019’s “Fast 50,” a list of the top 50 fastest growing private companies in Orlando. Growth for this list is measured by marking percentage growth over a two year time frame, and companies must show consistent growth over a three-year period.[18][19]

Rebranding[edit]

Asurion announced that uBreakiFix will be rebranding as Asurion Tech Repair & Solutions, but has since retracted the plan. The company reverted back to using uBreakiFix by Asurion for all locations by 2024. [20]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Strauss, Karsten. "A Day In The Life Of A Franchisee: Drew Lessaris of uBreakiFix". Forbes.
  2. ^ "Tech repair brand uBreakiFix doubling Canadian presence". BNN Bloomberg Canada.
  3. ^ "uBreakiFix Hits Major Growth Milestone with 500 Stores Sold". finance.yahoo.com.
  4. ^ Adams, Susan. "How A 21-Year-Old Took UBreakiFix From His Bedroom To 262 Stores And A Deal With Google". Forbes.
  5. ^ "Asurion buys national repair chain". Nashville Business Journal. August 26, 2019. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  6. ^ Alsever, Jennifer. "These Inc. 500 CEOs Prove That Not All Entrepreneurs Work Alone". Inc.
  7. ^ Caravalis, Dean (31 July 2018). "Justin Wetherill". Outrageously Remarkable.
  8. ^ "uBreakiFix CEO Justin Wetherill: from UCF College of Business to Successful Tech Entrepreneur". UCF. 8 June 2018.
  9. ^ "Tech retailer pursues 'broken' opportunity with more stores". Chain Store Age. March 14, 2016.
  10. ^ Trends, Digital. "Google plans to offer walk-in repairs for its new Pixel phone". Business Insider.
  11. ^ "uBreakiFix Becomes Exclusive Walk-In Repair Partner Across US and Canada for Recently Launched Google Pixel Phones". finance.yahoo.com.
  12. ^ Arici, Alexandra (October 24, 2016). "Google and uBreakiFix partner up to offer same-day Pixel repairs in US and Canada".
  13. ^ Wang, Jules (October 21, 2016). "uBreakiFix partners with Google for same-day Pixel screen repairs". PocketNow.
  14. ^ Golightly, Daniel (8 May 2019). "uBreakiFix Will Unsurprisingly Provide The Fastest Pixel 3a Fixes". Android Headlines.
  15. ^ Ravenscraft, Eric (September 16, 2019). "How to Make Your Smartphone Last Longer". The New York Times. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  16. ^ "uBreakiFix CEO Justin Wetherill speaks about his Orlando-based business". Orlando Sentinel.
  17. ^ "2018 Franchise 500 Ranking". Entrepreneur.
  18. ^ "Inc 5000 Profile: uBreakiFix". Inc.
  19. ^ Richardson, Matthew (January 12, 2018). "Orlando's uBreakiFix gets $20M Business Loan".
  20. ^ "All Your Technology Repaired By Pros | Asurion Tech Repair". Asurion. Retrieved 2022-12-20.