Repair or replace?
Answer three to seven questions and this page will tell you whether we think your device is worth repairing, and why. It will often tell you not to spend anything with us. That is the point of it, not a flaw in it. It is a guide, not a quote, and it cannot diagnose anything — it only knows what you tell it.
- Worked out on your own device — nothing is sent to us
- It will tell you not to spend money when that is the answer
- Shows the figure it used, and the point the answer would change
We tell you what is worth fixing — even when the answer is do not.
What this answer rests on
This answer is based only on what you told us, which is exactly as good as the information you had. We have not seen the device and we have not diagnosed anything — what you described is a symptom, and symptoms have more than one cause. Our published figures are starting points, not prices. Any actual price comes to you in writing after we have looked.
Everything on this page is worked out in your browser. Nothing you type is sent anywhere and nothing is saved, until you choose to click through to the booking form, which carries your device and your fault with it. We never ask for your email or your phone number to show you the answer.
Common questions
Is this a real answer, or is it just going to tell me to bring it in?
It is a real answer, and quite often it is one we earn nothing from. The tool will tell you to leave a slow computer alone, to change your passwords rather than pay us, to check a power lead before you spend anything, and to let a device go when the sums say so. Every answer it can give is printed on this page, so you can read them all before you start.
How can you price a repair without seeing the device?
We do not. The tool never gives you a price and never pretends to. What it works with is the starting figure for that kind of job, widened to a realistic range, and compared against the figure you told us a replacement would cost. What it shows you is the point at which the answer would change — a limit on your spending, not a price for the work.
What does it actually know about my device?
Only what you tell it on this page, and nothing leaves your browser. It has never seen your device, it does not know the make or the model, and it cannot diagnose anything. That is why the result always says what it rested on, and why several answers are "we would have to look at it" rather than a confident verdict.
Do I have to pay the £30 to find out?
Usually not. If the problem is a named part on a known model — a screen, a battery, a charging socket, a keyboard, a disc drive, a controller stick — there is nothing to diagnose and we will give you the figure for nothing. The deposit is for finding out what is wrong when nobody can tell from the outside, and it comes off the final cost if you go ahead.
The answer was "replace it". Do you want to sell me a new one?
We do not sell devices. If the answer is to replace it, that is the end of our involvement unless you want it recycled, which we do free with a certificate of data destruction and no obligation. You are welcome to sell it yourself or take it anywhere else.
Where do the numbers come from?
The starting figures are our own published prices, which are on the pricing page. How much of a replacement it is sensible to spend is our judgement, printed with the rules so you can disagree with it. Nothing about your answers is stored or sent anywhere, so the tool learns nothing from you and neither do we.
Want a second opinion from a person?
This page works from what you have told us, and it has never seen your device. If you would rather someone looked at it, bring it in or send us a message — we will tell you what we think, and we will tell you when the answer is not worth spending money on.