Wiki

One of the biggest barriers to device owners in seeking commercial repair is lack of trust. Part of feeling confident and able to trust comes from having done some research. Both about what the failure is (would you go to a new car mechanic saying you had NO idea what is wrong with your car?), but also about commercial repairers themselves.

Look for professionals who

• have positive independent ratings or testimonials
• introduce themselves and their work - no stock photos
• have a transparent pricing structure
• inform customers when using non-genuine or used spare parts
• issue receipts
• provide some guarantee on the repair

For some appliances and devices, professionals need to charge a "bench fee" or a diagnosis fee. As a customer, you should consent in writing and in advance to a "bench fee"

London repair businesses

During the autumn of 2016, we ran a pilot in four east London boroughs, mapping repair SMEs. We talked about the ongoing research with Hackney Fixer James Diamond on Restart Radio in October 2016 and we've written up the experience on our blog.

In 2017, we are conducting focus group research with repair SMEs and looking to scale our effort to map repair businesses.

If you would like to get involved, please get in touch.