Bringing in a device for repair can feel a bit stressful. You’re handing over something important, you’re not sure what’s wrong with it, and you’re hoping it won’t cost a fortune. We get it. So here are a few simple things you can do before you walk through our door that will make the whole process faster, smoother, and cheaper for everyone.
Write Down or Photograph the Error Message
This is the single most useful thing you can do. Error messages are not random gibberish — they are your device’s way of telling us exactly what went wrong. The problem is they tend to disappear at the worst possible moment, right when you need to show someone. Next time you see one, grab your phone and take a photo. Even a slightly blurry photo of the screen is infinitely more useful than “it said something about an error and then went away.” The more information we have before we start, the faster we can find the answer.
Write Down What Happened — And When
Think of it like going to the doctor. “It started hurting three weeks ago after I dropped it” is a lot more useful than “it’s just been a bit weird lately.” Try to remember when the problem started, whether anything changed around that time — a software update, a new app, a bump or drop — and whether it happens all the time or only sometimes. You don’t need a full written report. Even a few notes on your phone will help enormously.
Bring Your Password
We will need access to your device to diagnose and repair it. We know passwords are personal, and we treat them with complete discretion — but without it, there are whole categories of problems we simply cannot investigate. If you use a PIN, a fingerprint, or a written password, bring it. If you’re not sure what your Apple ID password is, now is a great time to check. Many repairs have been delayed by nothing other than a forgotten password.
Bring Your Power Adapter
Please bring the charger that came with your device — or the one you normally use. Batteries behave differently depending on charge state, and some faults only show up when the device is plugged in. It also means we’re not hunting around for a compatible cable when we could be fixing your problem instead.
What You Don’t Need to Bring
Your monitor, if it’s a desktop — we have screens. Your keyboard and mouse — we have those too. Your printer — and here we need to have a small but important conversation.
We do not service printers. We do not sell printers. We do not sell ink. This is not an oversight. Printers are, in our professional opinion, one of the greatest ongoing cons in consumer technology — designed to frustrate, engineered to fail, and guaranteed to make you angry at the worst possible moment. We joke that printers are evil. It is only half a joke. We love our customers too much to attach our name to anything that generates that level of stress, and we have enough integrity to simply opt out of the whole business entirely. If your printer is broken, we are sorry. We genuinely are. But we are not your people for that one.
A Note on Phone Support
We don’t offer phone support, and here’s the honest reason why: the customers standing in front of us always come first. Trying to diagnose a technical problem over the phone without being able to see the device almost always takes longer than it should, and it isn’t fair to the person who made the trip to come and see us. If you have a question, the best thing to do is come in. We promise we won’t bite, and we’re always happy to have a quick chat in person.
The Short Version
Bring the device. Bring the charger. Bring the password. Bring any notes or photos of the problem. Leave the printer at home — and leave the anger that comes with it there too.
We’ll take it from there.
📍 85 Main Street, Lithgow NSW 🕘 Monday–Thursday 9am–5pm | Friday 10am–4pm 🌐 lithgeek.com