The Short Answer
Yes — any reputable laptop repair shop should offer a warranty on its work. The standard in the independent repair industry is 90 days on parts and labour. Some shops offer longer terms on specific repairs. Any shop offering no warranty, or a warranty of less than 30 days, is one worth avoiding.
That said, not all warranties are equal. Understanding what a repair warranty actually covers — and what it doesn’t — helps you ask the right questions before handing your laptop over.
What a Good Repair Warranty Covers
The same fault recurring. If a screen replacement fails within 90 days due to a panel defect or a connection issue with the repair itself, the shop should fix it at no charge. This covers both the part and the labour to fit it again.
Parts quality issues. A reputable shop uses quality replacement parts and stands behind them. If a replacement battery fails within the warranty period, that’s a parts failure the shop should cover.
Workmanship failures. If a repair fails because it was carried out incorrectly — a connector not fully seated, a screw missing, a cable incorrectly routed — that’s a workmanship issue and should be remedied without charge regardless of how long has passed.
What a Repair Warranty Doesn’t Cover
New damage. If your laptop is dropped after the repair and the screen cracks, that’s a new incident unrelated to the work carried out. The warranty doesn’t cover it.
Unrelated faults. If a screen replacement is carried out and the keyboard then stops working, those two things are unrelated. A warranty covers the specific repair, not the machine as a whole.
Normal wear on other components. A repaired machine will continue to age. A battery replaced six months ago may now be showing reduced capacity — that’s normal cycle degradation, not a warranty failure.
Accidental damage after return. Liquid spills, physical damage, anything that happens to the machine after it left the workshop falls outside the repair warranty.
Questions to Ask Before Choosing a Shop
“How long is your repair warranty?”
The answer tells you a lot. 90 days is the baseline for a shop that’s confident in its parts and work. A shorter answer — 30 days, 14 days — suggests either lower-quality parts or limited confidence in the repair holding. No warranty at all is a serious red flag.
“Does the warranty cover both parts and labour?”
Some shops offer a warranty on parts but charge labour if the part needs replacing. A warranty that covers both parts and labour is what you want — otherwise a warranty claim still costs you money.
“What parts do you use?”
Replacement parts for laptop repairs come in a wide quality range. Original equipment manufacturer (OEM) parts are typically the highest quality. High-quality aftermarket parts from reputable suppliers are acceptable for many repair types. Cheap, unbranded parts — particularly for screens and batteries — fail faster and are the most common reason for warranty claims.
A shop that can’t or won’t tell you what parts it uses for a specific repair is one to be cautious about.
“What’s the process if I need to use the warranty?”
A simple answer — “bring it back and we’ll assess it” — is good. A complicated answer involving posting the machine away, long waits, or proving the fault meets specific criteria is less reassuring.
Red Flags to Watch Out For
No warranty offered. A shop unwilling to stand behind its work for any period should prompt you to ask why. The most common reason: cheap parts that the shop knows have a high failure rate.
Warranty that expires before you’d realistically notice a problem. A 7-day warranty on a screen replacement is essentially no warranty at all — display faults from a poor repair often take weeks to manifest.
Warranty that requires you to pay a claim fee or diagnostic fee. A legitimate warranty claim shouldn’t cost you money. A shop that charges to assess a warranty claim is not offering a genuine warranty.
Verbal-only warranty with nothing in writing. Get the warranty terms confirmed in writing — either on the receipt or in an email. “We’ll sort it if anything goes wrong” without documentation is not a warranty.
Very low prices with no warranty explanation. Cheap repairs can mean cheap parts. If a quote is significantly lower than others you’ve received, ask specifically what parts will be used and what the warranty terms are. The price difference often reflects the parts quality.
The Difference Between a Warranty and a Guarantee
These terms are sometimes used interchangeably, but they have slightly different implications:
A warranty is a formal commitment to repair or replace something that fails due to a defect within a specified period. It’s specific about what it covers and for how long.
A guarantee is often less formal — “we guarantee our work” can mean anything from a genuine warranty to a vague assurance with no practical backing. Ask for specifics rather than accepting a guarantee at face value.
What We Offer at PC Macgicians
Every repair carried out at PC Macgicians comes with a 90-day warranty on parts and labour. If the same fault recurs within that period, we fix it at no additional charge — no diagnostic fees, no quibbling about whether the fault is covered.
We use quality parts sourced from reputable suppliers. For screen replacements and batteries in particular, parts quality is the single biggest factor in whether a repair lasts. We don’t cut costs on parts because the warranty claims from short-lived cheap parts cost us more than the saving.
If you need to use the warranty: bring the machine back in, tell us what’s happened, and we’ll assess and fix it. The process is exactly that simple.
We’ve been operating from Lower Richmond Road in Putney since 2014. Our reputation is built on repairs that hold. Get in touch or call 020 7610 0500.