Would you take a chance on a laptop repair service if it only had a 50/50 chance of success? Or in the knowledge that you could face a big bill for an unnecessary part?
Well that’s exactly what the high street repair services we looked at in our latest investigation are asking you to do.
None of the well-known high street chains (PC World/Currys, Carphone Warehouse, Comet) or independent repairers we visited successfully fixed all our laptops. In fact, only 13 of the 24 laptops, which our lab experts had given simple faults, were returned in a fixed state.
Failed laptop repairs
And I didn’t just find the poor fixes worrying – the fact we were charged hard cash for the failed repairs was a further insult. Nine of them in total, each costing an average of £86.
In the most expensive case we were charged nearly £200 for an unnecessary hard drive replacement and the labour costs to fit it. To add salt to the wound the files from our old hard drive weren’t copied over either. Being £200 out of pocket for a repair you could do yourself in less than five minutes, especially when they wipe your files, is a kick in the teeth.
It’s not the first time we’ve tested these services and we were so disappointed with the results of our investigation in 2011 that we wanted to give high street stores another chance. Unfortunately, our latest research shows that big name chains still aren’t up to scratch.
It’s time to improve standards
Trust is a big part of the equation here. You’re giving an expensive item, which likely holds many precious documents and photos, over to a complete stranger. I’d like to assume that these companies are treating such items with care and respect, but instead many problems are being left unfixed and data is going missing. These stores need step up to the plate and give their customers a much better repair service.
Why aren’t staff picking up on what should be simple faults and ending up overcharging for unnecessary parts? And how can prices vary widely for the same fault in different branches of the same chain?
What have your experiences of computer repair services been? Do you think local repair services are better than the big high street chains?
Who would you trust most to fix your computer?
Me, myself and I (44%, 287 Votes)
A local independent repair service (36%, 237 Votes)
A family member (7%, 48 Votes)
A friend (6%, 39 Votes)
A big high street chain repair service (4%, 23 Votes)
Your mate's mate that 'knows about computers' (4%, 23 Votes)
Total Voters: 665
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