Frequently Asked Questions

What does the $49 diagnostic cover?

An hour or so on the bench finding the actual fault, not just the symptom, followed by a written quote. The $49 is credited in full toward the repair, so if you go ahead it costs you nothing extra. Nothing is charged if we decline the job, refer it out, or cannot recover your data. If you get the quote and decide not to proceed, the $49 covers the bench time.

Do I get a quote before any work is done?

Yes, always. The quote comes by email after the diagnostic and lists the fault, the fix, the labour and the parts. Nothing is done to the device until you say yes. If something else turns up partway through, we stop and ask before anything changes.

How long will it take?

We do not quote turnaround times, because a promised date that slips is worse than no date. Some jobs are done the day they arrive; a board-level repair or a part on order takes longer. What you do get is honest updates as the job moves: the status page shows the stage the repair is at, and the quote and any change of plan come to you by email.

Is there a warranty?

No formal warranty. Every repair is tested before it goes back, and the work is done carefully. If something is not right when you get the device home, tell us straight away and we will look at it. That is a promise to look, not a guarantee of a particular result, and we would rather say that plainly than sell you a warranty with small print.

What payment methods do you take?

Ask when you book and we will tell you what works before you commit to anything. Payment is due when you collect, at the end of a house call, or before a mail-in device is shipped back.

Where do you cover?

The Piedmont Triad: Greensboro, Winston-Salem and High Point, by mail-in, drop-off or house call. Mail-in works from anywhere. House calls cover 25 miles from High Point 27265; past that it is $1 a mile counted both ways, and you get the number before anyone leaves. Outside the usual radius, ask.

Do you do house calls for businesses?

Yes. A small office network that keeps dropping, a desktop that cannot leave the building, a printer that will not stay connected, a batch of laptops that need looking at. Same house call terms as anyone else: $99 for the trip and the first hour on site, then $80 an hour. Shop hours are Mon-Fri, 10am-4pm; outside those is by arrangement for an added fee. Email with what you have and we will work out a sensible plan.

Do you sell refurbished devices?

Yes. The refurbished store lists tested second-hand computers, phones and consoles as they come through the bench. Each listing says what was checked and what condition it is in. Stock changes, so if it is empty today it may not be next week.

How does mail-in work?

Send a repair request first and pick mail-in as the method. You get a ticket number straight away and the mailing address is on that page. Back up your data if you can, pack the device in its original box or plenty of padding, print the request and put it in the box so it can be matched to your ticket, and add tracking and insurance for your own protection. Shipping is covered in the next answer.

Who pays the shipping?

You do, in both directions. Getting the device to us and getting it back to you are both at your cost, and no price on this site includes postage.

If you would rather not stand in a queue at the post office, ask and we will buy a prepaid label and email it to you. That is a convenience rather than a free service: what the label cost us goes on your final invoice as its own line, at cost and with nothing added. Buying your own postage instead is completely fine. Return shipping works the same way, billed at cost on the invoice with the repair, and the device goes back once that invoice is settled. The terms say the same thing in full.

Should I include the charger?

For a laptop, yes, please, especially if the problem is anything to do with power or charging, because the charger is sometimes the fault. For a phone, no need unless the problem is charging. For a console, include the power lead and, if the problem involves a controller, the controller. Label anything you send with your name or ticket number.

Can I just drop it off?

Yes, by arrangement rather than at a walk-in counter. Send the repair request, pick drop-off, and we agree a time inside shop hours and confirm where to meet. There is no waiting room and no while-you-wait service.

Why do you ask for my passcode, and can I say no?

Because a locked device cannot be fully tested. Without getting past the lock screen we cannot check the screen, cameras, speakers or ports, or confirm the fault is really gone. You can absolutely say no: the field is optional. The trade-off is that we test only what is reachable from outside the lock screen, the quote will say so, and a fault that only shows once the device is unlocked may not be caught before it goes back to you. A temporary passcode for the duration of the repair, changed back afterwards, is a good middle ground. How a passcode is stored, who sees it and when it is deleted is in the privacy policy.

Will you look at my files?

No further than the job needs. Testing a machine means opening settings and applications; recovering data means seeing file names and folders. Neither means reading your documents or browsing your photos, and we do not. If a job involves copying your data, you are told what is being copied and where.

Can you recover a dead drive?

It depends what "dead" means. If the drive still spins and is recognised but reads badly, or the files were deleted, the drive was formatted, or the file system is corrupt, that is logical recovery and yes, usually. If the drive is clicking, grinding, or has been dropped or flooded, that is physical damage. We do not open drives and there is no clean room here, so opening it on this bench would lower your odds, not raise them. We will look at it, tell you honestly, and refer you to a lab that can. There is no charge for that. If we take a recovery job on and cannot get your data, you do not pay.

Should I back up before sending it in?

If you can, yes, every time. Repairs and recoveries can cause data loss: a failing drive can fail completely while it is being copied, and a reinstall wipes the disk. If you cannot back up because the device will not turn on, say so on the request and we will talk about getting your data off first as part of the job.

How do I check on a repair?

Use the Check Status page with your six digit ticket number and the email address you used on the request. Both together, or it will not open; that is deliberate, so nobody can look up a repair from the number alone. It shows the stage the job is at and what has happened so far.

I lost my ticket number. What now?

The Check Status page can email your ticket numbers to the address you used on the request. If that address is gone too, email [email protected] with your name and the device and we will find it that way.

What if I decide not to go ahead after the quote?

That is fine and it happens. The $49 diagnostic covers the bench time and the device comes back to you as it came in. If it was mailed in, return shipping is charged at cost. Please do arrange collection or return within a reasonable time: the terms explain what happens to a device that is left uncollected with no reply for 60 days.