How do I find a good technician/repairer?

This is a great question, and one I’m asked often.

Keep in mind that I don’t keep a list of repairers in your area, good or bad, and it’s unlikely that anyone else outside your city/country does either. That said, I’ve been alerting the public about the worst repairers in Australia for years, and logically, it’s worth avoiding any of these guys!

Above all, try to find technically focused professionals who provide evidence of their work, solve problems, and have overwhelmingly positive feedback. Avoid anyone who rants at customers in review responses, for example. You’ll never find me ranting at a customer, no matter the circumstances.

Some other considerations when selecting a technician:

• Find out who’s busy and recommended by reliable sources such as the best retailers
• Look for the best technicians rather than the lowest rates – you get what you pay for
• Avoid sight-unseen quotes; nobody can know what your equipment needs without seeing it
• Look at reviews, good and bad, and the business owner’s responses to them
• Avoid recappers and parts replacers; good technicians know that recapping won’t fix the vast majority of faults
• Remember, there are no miracles, no ‘gurus‘, only skilled individuals doing technically sound work, so if it sounds too good to be true – eg, hundreds of years’ experience, super low price, super good work, AVOID!!!

Ask Retailers

An excellent tip is to find the best hi-fi store/s in the largest city near you and ask an experienced staff member who they use/recommend for servicing and repairing the type of equipment you own.

Good retailers rely on technicians they can trust, so experienced staff will be able to recommend someone who can assist you or perhaps even arrange the repair for you. Keep in mind that retailers add a charge for arranging such work. This is perfectly reasonable, as it takes someone time to arrange and book a repair job, handle and store your equipment, etc.

Other Considerations

Good technicians inspire confidence and won’t try to quote on a job before inspecting and testing the equipment. It may be tempting to go with a blind quote or the lowest quote, but ask yourself two very important questions before parting with your money:

1. How can a technician can know which of the many possible problems your equipment has without inspecting, testing and determining its condition and service history…?
2. When did you ever buy the cheapest possible good or service and it was any good, long-term?

Recapping is a fad typically carried out by unskilled repairers, hoping that shotgun parts replacement will solve a problem. The problem is that many or even most faults are not capacitor-related. Replacing lots of old parts might sound like a good idea, but it is time- and parts-intensive and therefore expensive. That means it is best done after figuring out and fixing what is wrong with a piece of equipment, and when a piece of equipment needs it.

Tracing and resolving electronic faults is challenging; that’s why few are really good at it. Look for someone who understands this and expresses it, and who is interested in finding the real cause of a problem and resolving it.