Computer repair shop holding computer to ransom!

gordikin

£140/hour?...hey you're wrong on basic maths?

pendulum

patman99 wrote: »

So, the total cost is £90. That's £55 for the part and £35 to fit it. Having done a hinge replacement myself, I know it is a 15 minute job. So, they are charging £150 p/hr. That's steep.

You should see how much solicitors charge.

It may or may not be 15 minutes to fit, but it'll take longer than that to order the part, ring the customer to let them know it's ready, do the paperwork, etc. £35 to fit a part is actually a very reasonable labour fee.

They have the costs of running the shop to cover, and need to earn a living on top.

vax2002

As it is possible to sign a bit of paper and spend the rest of your life in jail until death, it is always a good idea to READ anything you sign and remember anything that come out of peoples mouths is hot air, all that matters is what is on that paper.

OlliesDad

I would imagine the withholding of the laptop is in the form of a lien. In the same way a garage keeps a car until payment is made.

roddydogs

What "Investigation" does a broken hinge need?, surely all that was needed was to ask "How much to fit a hinge?"

scheming_gypsy

roddydogs wrote: »

What "Investigation" does a broken hinge need?, surely all that was needed was to ask "How much to fit a hinge?"

it's a laptop not a cupboard. You can't just go to B&Q and buy a computer hinge,

paddyrg

pendulum wrote: »

It may or may not be 15 minutes to fit, but it'll take longer than that to order the part, ring the customer to let them know it's ready, do the paperwork, etc. £35 to fit a part is actually a very reasonable labour fee.

Plus you're paying for someone to have the tools, knowledge of what part to order and expertise to replace the hinge. And I assume that price includes VAT too, so £90 is really £75+VAT

funkycoldribena

I dont understand the fact that she cant afford the £40,so how much was she expecting the repair to cost in the first place?
Was she expecting a new hinge fitted for £2.99 or something?

Jakg

roddydogs wrote: »

What "Investigation" does a broken hinge need?, surely all that was needed was to ask "How much to fit a hinge?"

I was given a laptop with a "broken hinge". The hinge is fine - it's actually the case that broken (and the repair would be more expensive).


I also agree that you'd be lucky to get any sort of repair for £40, so what was the OP really expecting?

fthl

...and just because it was out of warranty does not mean that the original seller (assuming it was a company) was/is not liable for the repair.