You dropped your phone. Cracked screen, otherwise fine. You paid a repair kiosk $220 to replace it. You got it back with a new screen, a dead front camera, ghost touches all over the place, and a Face ID that no longer works. The bloke behind the counter shrugs: “That was probably already broken.”
It was not already broken. You know it. He knows it. Here is how to make him pay.
Repair services have a legal standard
Under the Australian Consumer Law, anyone who provides a service for money must meet guarantees they cannot opt out of:
- Section 60 – the service must be done with due care and skill. Killing the camera while replacing a screen is neither.
- Section 61 – the service must be fit for the purpose you asked for. You asked for a working phone with a new screen.
- Section 267 – if the failure can’t be fixed or is a major one, you can cancel, get a refund, and claim compensation for loss they caused.
“Compensation for loss they caused” is the important bit. You are not just owed the $220 back. You are owed the cost of putting your phone back to how it was before they touched it. If that means a $650 repair at an authorised service centre, that is what you demand.
The “it was already broken” line
This is the repair industry’s favourite move. Beat it with evidence:
- Any photos or videos of the phone before the repair (check your camera roll for a selfie from that morning).
- The job sheet or receipt. If it lists only “screen replacement” and no other faults, that is your proof.
- A quote from another repairer describing the current damage and its likely cause.
Ready to put it in writing?
Answer 3 quick questions to check you have the details your document needs, and see your next step.
1. Who owes you?
2. How much?
3. Do you have it in writing?
Your result is ready. Where should we send it?
Their “no refund on repairs” sign
Ignore it. A sign on a wall cannot override the ACL. Neither can the fine print on the receipt. Signs like that are actually a breach in their own right, and Fair Trading loves hearing about them.
Your steps
- Get a written diagnosis from a second repairer ($0 to $50, often free).
- Email the kiosk once with the diagnosis, cite s 60 and s 267, and ask for the refund plus the cost of a proper repair within 7 days.
- When they ghost you, send a Letter of Demand with a 14-day deadline and the tribunal warning.
A formal letter often prompts a response from a small repair shop. A tribunal hearing eats a full day of their trading time, and their franchisor or landlord does not want the attention.
You paid for a fix. You got a brick. That is not something you have to live with.
Claim Done drafts your Letter of Demand for $49. Done in about 5 minutes. You approve it before it is sent.
What happens when you send a Letter of Demand
Same problem. What a prepared case looks like.