How to Select the Best Electronics Repair Company Online

Author Image
Tad Vaas18 Apr 2020

Share:

Many people are unaware that they can get their broken electronic equipment fixed online using services like TFix.co.uk.

In the current lockdown, getting your computer, games consoles or phone repaired by going to the local shop isn’t an option, so turning to an online electronics repair service makes sense. It’s a less costly alternative to replacing your kit outright and is more straightforward than you might think.

Here we examine how to choose the best online electronic repair company for you and how to avoid unprofessional companies — or worse, actual scams.

What you should be looking for

To get the right company, it’s important to know that you aren’t just sending your electronics to someone’s bedroom or private property. A professional electronics repair company should have a dedicated lab to work in.

This means it will have ESD (ElectroStatic Discharge) protection in place, equipment such as a rework station, fume extractors and a stable temperature to mitigate against the heat being produced by the repairs. Repairing electronics requires a dedicated, professional space and the right tools for the job — but how can you be sure you are sending your valuable tech to the right place?

Searching in the right way

Your first step will be to go online and type in the right search parameters — the more specific the better. Using a broad term like “repairs” won’t get you very far, so you want to narrow your search term on Google (or your preferred search engine) to be as specific as possible — for example “Playstation Repair Services.”

Google isn’t your only option through — checking local directories like 192.com and Yelp is also worth looking into.

Another good option to go is to go to question-and-answer forums like Reddit and Quora. The advantage of the last two is that no-one there is getting paid to answer the questions posted, so you can be sure you are getting unbiased opinions and suggestions.

Tip: Look out for a Google Business listing
A professional company should be listed on Google for Business. This will give it a little box on the right hand side when you are searching google, with the company’s address, opening hours and other business information.

Check out the reviews, website and social media

After you’ve located an electronic repair service, there are three key things to check for — the reviews of the company’s services, the website and their social media feeds.

Reviews

The first and most obvious is the reviews of the service. Here it is best to look at the reviews online rather than those on the company’s website. A company will only post the best reviews it gets, and they might be fabricated. Instead, look at the reviews on Google, Yelp and Trustpilot. These are all independent so there is a much stronger chance that you’ll get trustworthy reviews and feedback.

Tip: Check for negative reviews.
This might sound counter-intuitive, but the fact is that no company will have a 100% success rate and only 5 star reviews. Any that does could well be suspect. What is helpful to examine with negative reviews is if and how the company responded to them. This will give you a good indicator of their level of professionalism.

Website

The next step is to check the website: A clean, professional and easy to navigate website is a must. There shouldn’t be any broken links and the website should list an address and a VAT number. To get the latter it will need to be registered with Companies House.

Another key indicator on the website is that next to the address there should always be a little black padlock. This shows that the site has an SSL (a Secure Sockets Layer) and that all your data is being encrypted and is therefore safe. Any website without the black padlock will be listed as “Not Secure” — you should avoid the site and the company.

Everything on the website should be straightforward and streamlined, with a process that keeps you up to date on the progress of your order.

Tip: Check the address
You can use google to check if the address is a residential or business address. As we said earlier, a professional business address is a much better option as it shows they are operating a lab and have all the correct equipment, rather than just doing repairs in their living room or bedroom.

Social Media accounts

Finally, check the social media accounts. No company will cover every form of social media, but even with just one or two accounts (for example Facebook and Twitter) you can check if the company is updating regularly.

If they aren’t doing so — or if they have no social media accounts at all — are indications that something may be wrong with the company.

It’s not a Complex Process

One of the concerns that puts many people off having their electronics repaired using an online service is the worry that it is a complex process, when in fact the reverse is true.

At TFix you can quickly get a quote for your repair requirements, and we automate the process with updates on the progress of your repair.

So whether it is computer repairs, game console repairs, drones, phones, smartwatches or audio equipment — all you need to do to start the process is to go online and get a quote.