Finding a competent computer repair technician

London’s full of computer repair companies – which makes it hard to find one you know you can trust. And of course you’ll never know whether your laptop repair or desktop repair has been done properly, or to a standard commensurate with the cost of the service, until after the service has been completed.

First and foremost, then: a piece of advice that applies to computer repairs companies as to any service provider or seller of goods. Don’t take the company’s word for it, and don’t believe everything you read or hear on the service provider’s website. All those customer testimonials may look good – but how can you be sure where they’ve come from? Hint: have a look at the spelling. If the same kind of spelling error keeps cropping up in every testimonial, or if the way each one is phrased sounds very similar, you can assume they’re being written by the same person.

It’s all very well to recommend not trusting the advertising put out by laptop repairs companies, computer repairs companies and desktop or PC technicians – but what about ways to independently verify the quality of the service you’re being offered?

Start with your friends and colleagues

The best recommendations are the ones you get from people you trust. Use your circle of acquaintances as your first port of call for computer repair technician recommendations. The quickest and easiest way to do this is on social media: if you have access to a working computer or smart device, put the word out on your Facebook page (or through whichever social media site you prefer to use!) and wait for answers. The beauty of doing this is that friends of friends can get involved, widening your pool of knowledge before you make a decision.

Ask for credentials

It’s not easy to get credentials from a service provider without crossing the trust boundary we looked at earlier. So don’t ask them – ask people who have used their services. Ask your potential computer repair technician for customer recommendations, and where possible chase up those recommendations yourself. You can also check the financial status of your computer repairs company online, or by contacting your local business bureau.

Don’t ignore the experts

Have a look around relevant forums – for example, forums for owners of your particular brand of laptop or PC. Members will be able to recommend good computer repair technicians of their own – and can certainly let you know if they have had ay dealings with the person or laptop repair company you have been thinking of using.

Get multiple quotes

Again, this technique can be applied to all service providers and companies: not just desktop repair companies. You should look for at least three quotes for the work you need doing. If they’re all in the same ballpark, you can probably assume they’re fair. If there’s a significant drop for one quote, it’s best to assume it really is too good to be true.
Learn some basic laptop and PC maintenance

One of the easiest ways to gauge the quality of your computer repair technician is to have some PC maintenance knowledge of your own. You can learn plenty through online tutorials: certainly enough to be able to tell when your potential laptop repair company is pulling a fast one. If you know what you’re looking at, you should understand if you’re being told things that don’t make sense.