Before you drop off
A few minutes of preparation makes your repair quicker and keeps your data safe.
When you book a drop-off, run through this list. If anything doesn’t apply to your device, just skip it.
1. Back up your device
Repairs rarely affect your data, but a backup means you lose nothing if something unexpected happens. Here’s how to back up your phone. On a laptop, copy anything important to a USB drive or cloud storage.
If the device won’t switch on, don’t worry. Bring it in and tell me what’s on it that matters.
2. Have your passcode or password ready
For most repairs I need to test the device afterwards to make sure everything works. I’ll ask for your passcode when you drop off, or you can be there while I test it. You’re welcome to change it once you have the device back.
On a Windows laptop, I may also need its BitLocker recovery key after some repairs. If the device was set up with a Microsoft account, you can find the key at aka.ms/myrecoverykey. It’s worth checking before you drop off.
3. Know your Apple or Google account password
You may need it to sign back in after a repair, or to turn off Find My. I’ll tell you when you book if your repair needs Find My turned off.
4. Remove the extras
- Take off the case
- Take out any memory card you want to keep
- Remove the SIM card, unless I ask you to leave it in for testing
5. Bring the charger
Especially for laptops, so I can test charging and battery problems properly.
6. Tell me what happened
When did the problem start? Was the device dropped or wet? Are there any error messages? A photo of an error message on screen is really useful.
When you drop off
I’ll fill in a check-in form with you, noting the device’s condition and the fault, and give you a job reference. You can use it on my check your repair page at any time. I’ll confirm the price before doing any work.
Useful links
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