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Every iPhone owner knows the panic that follows the seconds after you drop your phone.

If you’ve dodged the bullet that’s followed by a feeling of immense relief. Alas, there will come a time when your luck runs out and you need to enlist the help of the pros.

I say pros because every time I see somebody asking for advice regarding fixing their Apple goodies there are always a few horror stories mentioned.

Opting for the cheapest possible fix is enticing but “buy cheap, buy twice” and the same goes for repair work. If it’s shoddy, it’s both your time and money wasted and you’re right back where you started.

Digicape, South Africa’s largest independent Apple retailer, doesn’t do things by half-measures. Their promise revolves around three simple words – “Collect, Repair, Return”.

The collection and return of your Mac, iPhone, or iPad is free, provided it’s within a 35-kilometre radius of their service centres.

Roeland Street in Gardens and Raapenberg Road in Pinelands are the two Cape Town-based centres, with Rivonia Road in Sandhurst ticking the Joburg box.

If you live outside of that radius, there’s a flat rate of R75 for the first 25 kilometres and R6,50 per kilometre after that, or you can request a courier service quotation.

To make use of the service, you just have to make a booking via their online form and they’ll contact you to arrange a convenient time and location.

The form itself is really very simple:

Once your device arrives in their service centre, their technicians will carry out a preliminary assessment and give you a quote. If any additional information is required or if the repair may incur additional costs, they’ll also get in contact with you.

As soon as your device has been successfully repaired, they’ll arrange its return to you, safe in the knowledge that authentic parts were used in the process and without the hassle of shuttling around.

Lesson learnt. No more using the phone in the bath. It was an honest mistake.

You can also mail wecare@digicape.co.za to have someone run you through things from start to finish.