We have often spoken about the risk you take when you ask an unauthorised repairer to service your device, be it an iPhone screen repair or fixing up your PC. In this post, we thought we’d list the major risks together so you can get a better idea of why you should always deal with authorised and certified service companies.
- The use of non-genuine parts by unauthorised repairers is a major concern. Not only are they inferior and affect the overall user experience, but they can be dangerous too. For example, non-genuine iPhone replacement screens are not nearly as strong as genuine Apple screens; they can crack and splinter, which can cause shards of glass to become lodged in your fingers.
- Unauthorised repairers do not have access to approved tools and diagnostics to correctly service the device.
- They often provide you with unsafe components of dubious origin and quality, particularly chargers and batteries which pose significant fire and shock risks.
- Many of the parts in modern devices serve multiple purposes. For example, an iPhone screen often includes the display, touch sensor, front-facing camera, speakers, microphone, home button, and fingerprint sensor. When an unauthorised repairer uses non-genuine parts, they often contain functions that don’t work and the device is returned to its owners in an even worse state.
- Disassembling and reassembling devices is a complex operation and most unauthorised repairers do not have the specialist training and skills to carry out this sort of work; this can cause other damage during the repair.
- Security is always an issue when a device is placed in unauthorised hands, with the risk of private data theft and hacking. On the other hand, we always follow strict security protocols while our genuine parts are certified secure.
- They ALL claim to use genuine parts. However, only companies certified by the manufacturers actually use genuine parts. The parts used by unauthorised repairers are generally of very poor quality, and we often see LED displays replaced with LCD or replacement batteries with less battery life.
When looking to have your electronic device repaired, we recommend you contact service companies who are authorised by the brand you own, or who have access to genuine parts. By using unauthorised repairers, you run the risk of having your device serviced by people who employ a long list of dubious practices, and they can do more harm than good. It really is worth doing your research when you need a repair.