Basic computer repair services are either being charged more than thrice of its actual service rate or being required unnecessary computer parts by high street retailers, ripping off customers of their hard-earned cash, as revealed by an investigation by consumer group Which?.
To conduct the investigation, technology researcher Katie Waller said they initiated a simple error into 24 laptops, which include Macbooks and Windows laptops. They ensured that the laptops won’t start up, before taking them to PC World’s Knowhow service, Apple’s Genius Bars, Geek squads at The Carphone Warehouse as well as to independent PC repair centers from Brigantia network.
Results of the recent investigation indicated that only about half of the laptops were repaired successfully. They contacted the repair companies after a year and a half only to find out that not much changed.
“Only around 40% of our laptops were successfully fixed this time; at costs ranging from free to £170. There were also inconsistencies in how branches of the same chain approached fixes, highlighting just what a lottery you’re entering into when you take your laptop to be repaired,” wrote Waller on July 20.
In an earlier post by senior money researcher Catherine West, the poor fixes by these high street retailers are just part of a bigger problem--that is high charges for simple laptop repairs. Of the 24 test laptops, nine were charged an average of £86 each. The most expensive case was being charged close to an average of £200 for a needless hard-drive replacement and labor costs included.
The good news for this year’s investigation is that Apple was able to freely fix four out of six Macbooks. The remaining two laptops were unfixed, however, for the reason that these laptops were regarded “vintage” and that Apple doesn’t store parts for such laptops. In truth, repairs for these laptops won’t need any kind of new parts.
Aside from that, The Carphone Warehouse also showed two good repairs, with cost less than £50 each—but one repair came at the expense of their data. The Independents and PC World got lower success percentages in their snapshot repair service test.
“The fact of the matter is, when it comes to laptop repair services, a consistent approach is lacking and it seems that you’re reliant on the expertise of the individual behind the counter, or behind the scenes, when you hand over your laptop,” said Waller.
Which? approached the involved high street retailers as an outcome of its investigation. One, Apple failed to reply to their repeated attempts to communicate with the company. Others, meanwhile, expressed willingness to enhance their repair services.
According to Which?, it wants to see enhanced repair procedures and staff trainings, not to forget a consistent and fair pricing for their computer or laptop repair services
