A TON of sad, broken iPhones end up at ALB Tech every week.  Here’s a list of the ten most common customer gaffes that ended up hurting the one they love most – their iPhone!  I even trolled our @albtechrva Instagram account for evidence.

10.) A local Mechanicsville farmer dropped his phone climbing onto a giant tractor and then RAN IT OVER! This was without a doubt the most destroyed iPhone we have ever seen. D:

9.) Even a lock screen can’t hide a cheating heart.  We’ve had a handful of iPhones tossed out windows and into walls by enraged soon-to-be-ex lovers.

8.) In this fast-paced world of digital interconnectedness and rampant social media, it can be hard to wait until the bike commute ends to like a picture of Lil Bub on Instagram.  Woe is the cyclist who hits a small bump – or worse – and sends an iPhone soaring into Fail Town.

7.) While anyone can appreciate a nice rooftop chillax session, your iPhone doesn’t have feelings and never likes being left on your car as you speed off towards destiny.  Poor little guy.  It probably held on for the first few blocks.

6.) Believe it or not, we regularly see phones that have been run over by cars.  This usually involves the aforementioned “rooftop chillax session”, but not always.  Highway wind gusts, failed side mirror selfies and – believe it or not – “ghost riding the whip” are hazardous to your iPhone’s health.

5.) Every once in a while broken phones are blamed on household pets.  A hungry cat shoves a phone off the counter in protest, or an excited golden retriever tail-whips it off the coffee table.  It happens, or our customers may be scapegoating pets in shame.

4.) In the hustle and bustle of laundry time, it can be hard to remember that your iPhone is in your hoodie, jean, or cardigan pocket until it’s too late (HINT: the rinse cycle is WAY too late). We’ve heard this a few times. Adam even did that once!

3.) Why swim trunks have pockets at all may be a question for the ages, but it’s definitely NOT for iPhones.  We’ve had several customers drown their poor phones out of commission.

2.) Back pocket potty blues are all too common.  It’s usually late, some drinking has usually gone down.  You rush to drop your pants for sweet release when your poor iPhone slides out of a back pocket and takes a dive in everyone’s least favorite swimming hole – the toilet.  It doesn’t take much imagination from here – water and electronics seldom mix well regardless of whatever else had or hadn’t also joined the pool party at this point.

1.) By far THE most common mistake will have you saying “I do that all the time!”.  Your poor iPhone is sitting in your lap while you drive.  When you hop out of the car, the poor little fella is tossed into the gutter – sometimes in the rain.  Often it was just taken out of the case to accommodate headphone jack access so you could share a nice car dancing session. We hear it ALL the time.  Keep it off your lap, you shouldn’t be using it in the car while you drive, anyway! 😛

This phone swam in the James River. Note the rusty screws near the top.

This phone landed in a toilet. Smell not pictured, thankfully.

See #9 above. Broken hearts not pictured.

Kevin’s phone after being run over by several cars on the interstate. See #6 and #7 above.

This customer isn’t on the list. The ability to “run into a concrete table” is too rare.