At Cornwall Electronic Repairs, we believe customers should understand how repair charges are calculated before work begins.

Electronic fault diagnosis can vary considerably in complexity. A visible symptom does not always identify the underlying fault, particularly with component-level PCB repairs, intermittent faults, legacy equipment and equipment that has previously been repaired.

For this reason, most equipment is initially assessed before we provide further repair recommendations.

Initial Electronic Assessment – £40

Our standard initial assessment charge is £40.

The assessment may include, where appropriate:

• Visual inspection of the equipment and PCB assemblies
• Initial electrical and electronic testing
• Power supply and voltage checks
• Inspection for damaged or failed components
• Examination for overheating, corrosion or physical PCB damage
• Preliminary fault diagnosis
• Assessment of whether further investigation or repair is practical

The assessment charge applies whether or not the equipment ultimately proves repairable.

Where further investigation or repair is appropriate, we will advise you before carrying out work beyond the authorised amount.

Standard Workshop Labour – £65 per hour

General electronic diagnosis and repair work is charged at:

£65 per hour

Additional labour is normally calculated in 15-minute increments at £16.25 per 15 minutes.

This rate applies to most consumer, domestic and general electronic equipment repaired at our workshop.

Typical work may include:

• Component-level PCB fault finding
• Power supply diagnosis
• Capacitor, diode, transistor, MOSFET and IC fault investigation
• PCB track and pad repairs
• Connector repairs
• Soldering and rework
• Signal tracing
• Oscilloscope-based diagnosis
• Intermittent fault investigation
• Control board diagnosis
• Legacy and obsolete electronic equipment
• Electronic modules
• Computers and peripheral electronics
• Audio and display equipment
• Test and measurement equipment

Commercial and Industrial Electronics – £75 per hour

Commercial, industrial and specialist electronic equipment is normally charged at:

£75 per hour

This rate reflects the additional diagnostic complexity, documentation, test procedures and responsibility that may be involved with commercial and industrial equipment.

A separate quotation may be provided for substantial investigations or ongoing commercial work.

Parts and Components

Replacement components and materials are charged separately from labour.

Where practical, we will advise you of significant component costs before ordering them.

Low-cost consumable components and materials may be incorporated into the repair charge where appropriate.

Special-order, obsolete or non-returnable components may require payment in advance.

Estimates and Quotations

Where the exact repair cost cannot reasonably be established before diagnosis, we may provide an estimate.

An estimate represents our assessment of the likely repair cost but is not a fixed-price quotation.

Where we provide a quotation, the quoted price applies to the work described in that quotation unless additional work is subsequently identified and authorised by the customer.

We will not knowingly carry out significant additional work beyond an agreed quotation or authorised expenditure limit without first seeking customer approval.

Customer Authorisation Limit

Customers may specify a maximum amount that we are authorised to spend on diagnosis and repair without further approval.

For example:

Authorised repair limit: £150

If we determine that completing the repair is likely to exceed that amount, we will contact you before proceeding further.

This can avoid unnecessary delays while still keeping you in control of repair costs.

Equipment That Cannot Be Repaired

Unfortunately, not every item can be economically or technically repaired.

A repair may not be practical because of factors including:

• Extensive PCB damage
• Unavailable or obsolete components
• Custom or proprietary components
• Corrosion or liquid damage
• Previous unsuccessful repairs
• Missing circuit information
• Safety concerns
• Multiple unrelated faults
• Damage discovered during investigation
• Repair costs exceeding the value of the equipment

Diagnostic and assessment charges remain payable for work already undertaken even where a successful repair is not possible.

Previously Repaired or Modified Equipment

We are happy to consider equipment that has previously been investigated, repaired or modified.

However, previous work can make diagnosis more difficult and may increase the amount of diagnostic time required.

Please tell us about any previous repair attempts when submitting your equipment.

Testing Following Repair

Where practical, repaired equipment will be tested before being returned.

The extent of testing depends on the type of equipment, available accessories, operating conditions and our ability to reproduce the customer’s reported fault.

Successful workshop testing cannot guarantee that an intermittent fault will never reoccur.

Repair Guarantee

Where a repair guarantee applies, the applicable period will be confirmed when the repair is completed.

The guarantee applies to the specific repair work carried out and components supplied by Cornwall Electronic Repairs.

It does not normally cover unrelated subsequent faults, accidental damage, misuse, external causes or faults elsewhere within the equipment.

Your statutory consumer rights are not affected.

Collection, Delivery and Postage

Customers are responsible for ensuring that equipment sent to us is adequately packaged for transport.

Postage, courier charges and specialist packaging are additional to diagnostic and repair charges unless specifically included in a quotation.

Return carriage will be agreed before equipment is dispatched.

VAT

All customer pricing will clearly indicate whether VAT is applicable.

Before Work Begins

Before accepting equipment for investigation or repair, we will ask the customer to agree to our Repair Authorisation and Terms of Service

This records the equipment submitted, reported fault, authorised expenditure and permission for us to carry out diagnostic work.

Questions About Repair Costs?

If you are uncertain whether your equipment is suitable for assessment, please contact Cornwall Electronic Repairs before sending or delivering it to us.

We will be pleased to discuss the type of equipment and reported fault before you proceed.