How do you deal with laptop/phone repairs?

Asking for a friend… 😅

Let’s say your important doomscroll device breaks — if you’re smart you probably have a backup device, but even then you still probably want a way to fix the damn thing.

Going through this exact issue right now trying to find a certified repair shop in southern Spain. Even with AppleCare+ I have to:

• Find a certified repair place that’s close enough to where I’ll be in next couple weeks, because there’s usually no Apple Store
• Sift through the reviews for each place
• Figure out if they have space for appointments in the next couple days
• Try to make an appointment through the language barrier (esp. because a lot of these places don’t take emails)
• Figure out how fast the turnaround time for a repair is and whether you’ll get it back in a reasonable timeframe
• etc etc.

How do you deal with unplanned repairs (because let’s face it, most repairs are unplanned) without being forced to stay put for 1-2+ weeks?