Who these terms are between
"We" and "us" means NCRepairBench, a one-person electronics repair business in High Point, NC 27265. "You" means the person who booked the work or handed over the device. If the device belongs to someone else, you are confirming that you have their permission to have it repaired.
The $49 diagnostic
Every job starts with a diagnostic. It is $49, and it is credited in full toward any work we do, so if you go ahead with the repair the diagnostic costs you nothing extra.
Nothing at all is charged if:
- we decline the job;
- we refer it out to someone better placed to do it;
- the job was data recovery and we cannot recover your data.
If we send you a quote and you decide not to proceed, the $49 covers the bench time spent finding the fault and the device is returned to you.
Quotes and approval
After the diagnostic you get a written quote by email before any work starts. It says what the fault is, what we propose to do about it, the labour, the parts and the total. Nothing is done to the device until you approve that quote. Approval by email reply is fine. If you do not approve, the device is returned as it came in (see the note on data below) and only the diagnostic applies.
Prices shown on this site are starting prices. The quote is the price.
Payment
Payment is due when you collect the device, at the end of a house call, or before a mail-in device is shipped back. The device is released when the bill is settled. Ask about accepted payment methods when you book; we will tell you what works before you commit to anything.
For a mail-in repair the final invoice includes shipping. See Mail-in: postage in both directions is yours to pay, and any prepaid label we buy for you is itemised on that invoice at what it cost us.
If a second fault turns up
Sometimes a repair uncovers something the diagnostic could not see: a second dead component under the first, corrosion behind a connector, a drive that fails while it is being copied. If that happens we stop and ask you before anything changes. You get an updated quote and the same choice as before: go ahead, or have the device returned with only the approved work done and billed.
What we do and do not promise
We promise to work carefully, to test before handing anything back, and to keep you informed as the job goes along. We do not promise a particular outcome and we do not promise a completion date. Repair is diagnosis and skilled work on a device that has already failed once, and some of them cannot be saved at a sensible cost. If that is where a job ends up, we say so plainly and the diagnostic terms above apply.
There is no formal warranty on repairs. If a repair we did is not right when you get it back, tell us straight away and we will look at it. That is a promise to look, not a guarantee of a fix, but we would far rather see it than leave you stuck.
Your data
- Back up first, wherever you can. Any repair, and especially any recovery, can cause data loss. Boards short, drives that were failing fail completely, and a reinstall wipes the disk. We take care, but we cannot promise your data will survive a repair.
- Data recovery here is logical recovery only. Deleted files, formatted drives, corrupt file systems, drives that still spin but read badly. We do not have a clean room and we do not open drives. A clicking, grinding or physically damaged drive is not opened here; we tell you honestly what we think and point you at a lab that can. There is no charge for that assessment.
- We do not look through your files beyond what the job needs. Testing a machine means opening applications and settings; recovering data means seeing file names and folder structures. Neither means reading your documents or browsing your photos.
Passcodes
The repair form asks for a device passcode and marks it optional. We ask because a locked device cannot be fully tested: without getting past the lock screen there is no way to check the screen, cameras, speakers, ports or whether the fault is actually gone. You can decline. The cost of declining is that we can only test what is reachable from outside the lock screen, the quote will say so, and a fault that only shows up once the device is unlocked may not be caught before it goes back to you.
How a passcode is stored, who can see it and when it is deleted is set out in the privacy policy. A temporary passcode for the duration of the repair, changed back afterwards, is a good compromise.
Mail-in
- You pay the shipping in both directions. Getting the device to us and getting it back to you are both at your cost. We do not pay for either leg, and no repair price on this site includes postage.
- We can send you a prepaid shipping label, and it is not free. If you would rather not arrange postage yourself, ask and we will buy a label and email it to you. What the label cost us is added to your final invoice and shown as its own line. You are just as welcome to buy your own postage instead; either way the cost is yours.
- Packing is yours to do. Use the original box or plenty of padding, and put a printed copy of your repair request in the box so it can be matched to your ticket. Add tracking and insurance for your own protection.
- We are not responsible for loss or damage in transit on the way to us, including on a prepaid label we bought for you. That leg is between you and the carrier. We photograph the condition of anything that arrives damaged and tell you before doing anything else.
- Return shipping is billed to you at what it cost, on the same invoice as the repair. We pack the device carefully and insure it for the quoted repair amount. If you want it insured for more than that, say so when you approve the quote and we will price it.
- The device goes back once the invoice, shipping included, is settled. That applies whether the repair went ahead or you declined the quote.
Parts
We use quality replacement parts. Depending on the device and what is available, a part may be a manufacturer original or a third-party equivalent, and the quote states which. If you have a preference, say so when you approve the quote and we will price the alternative where one exists. If you want the old part back, ask before the work starts.
Uncollected and abandoned devices
Once we tell you a device is ready, or that a quote has been declined and the device can be collected, please arrange to collect it or have it shipped back within a reasonable time. A device that is not collected and where we have had no reply for 60 days after we said it was ready, or after a declined quote, may be treated as abandoned. We will send at least two reminders to the email address on the request before that happens. An abandoned device may be recycled, or sold to cover the outstanding bill and any storage, with anything left over held for you if you get in touch.
House calls
- $99 covers the trip and the first hour on site, then $80 an hour. The radius is 25 miles from High Point 27265, which reaches all of Greensboro, Winston-Salem and High Point. Past 25 miles it is $1 a mile, counted both ways, and we tell you that number before anyone leaves.
- House calls run in shop hours, Mon-Fri, 10am-4pm. Outside those hours is by arrangement for an added fee, quoted before you book.
- A house call can become a bench job. If the fault cannot be sorted on site, we say so, and with your agreement the device comes back to the bench. From that point it is treated like any other job: a quote before further work, and the diagnostic credit applies to the repair.
- Someone over 18 needs to be present for the whole visit.
Refurbished devices
Devices in the refurbished store are second-hand. Each listing says what was tested and what condition the unit is in, and that description is the whole of what is being offered. There is no warranty on them either. Ask any questions before you buy.
Liability
To the extent the law allows, our liability for anything arising from a repair, a recovery or a house call is limited to the amount you paid us for that service. We are not liable for loss of data, loss of use, lost income or any indirect loss. Nothing here limits liability that cannot be limited by law.
Law and contact
These terms are governed by the laws of the State of North Carolina. If this page changes, the date at the top changes with it, and the terms in force are the ones on this page on the day you booked.
Questions about any of this go to [email protected]. NCRepairBench, High Point, NC 27265.