HOW TO HIRE · MARKETING, DESIGN & TECH

How to hire a phone repair technician in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

No licence applies to phone repairers. Here is what to ask about the screen, the warranty and your data.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a phone repair technician in five steps

  1. Back up your phoneBefore the repair, so nothing is lost if the phone has to be reset.
  2. Ask which screen will be fittedManufacturer or compatible, and the price of each.
  3. Get the price and warranty in writingOn a receipt or message before the phone repair technician starts.
  4. Check your manufacturer warrantyIf the phone is still covered, read its terms before using an independent repairer.
  5. Test everything before you leaveTouch, display, cameras, face or fingerprint unlock, speakers and charging.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No law licenses phone or screen repairers in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. Rely on a written price, a warranty, the type of part and reviews from booked jobs.

Ask for the price, part type and warranty in writing.

Reasonable care and skill (Consumer Rights Act 2015)

A trader repairing your phone must do it with reasonable care and skill. If the new screen fails because the repair was poor, you can ask for it to be put right free, and if that fails, for money off.

Keep the receipt with the date, the repair and the warranty. legislation.gov.uk →

Data on your phone

Your phone holds messages, photos and accounts. Data protection rules require businesses handling personal data to keep it secure, and most must pay the ICO data protection fee.

Ask whether the phone repair technician needs your passcode and why, and remove the SIM and memory card. gov.uk →

Mail-in repairs and cancelling

A repair agreed online or by post is a distance contract, and the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 usually allow 14 days to cancel a service, paying for work you asked to start early.

Read the terms on cancellation and return postage before posting the phone. legislation.gov.uk →

VAT

Phone repair is standard-rated, so a registered phone repair technician adds 20% to the screen and the labour to fit it. Registration becomes compulsory once a phone repair technician has VAT-taxable turnover over £90,000 in any rolling 12 months; from then VAT must be charged and shown as a separate line on the invoice.

Ask the phone repair technician for the VAT number on the ticket and for the screen, labour and VAT listed apart. gov.uk →

“Is the replacement screen from the manufacturer or compatible?”

A good answer: A clear answer, with the difference in price, display quality and warranty.

“How long is the warranty on the phone repair?”

A good answer: A stated period covering the part and the work.

“Do you need my passcode for the screen repair?”

A good answer: Only to test the phone after the repair, with an explanation, or a way to test without it.

“Is it the glass only, or the display underneath?”

A good answer: A phone repair technician who checks before quoting, because glass-only repairs cost less.

“Will this repair affect my phone's other features?”

A good answer: An honest answer about features such as face unlock or water resistance.

“How long will the phone screen repair take?”

A good answer: Often under an hour in a shop; mail-in repairs take days.

“What if you find other damage?”

A good answer: They stop and ask before doing anything extra.

Getting the quote right

  • The phone model and the repair: glass only or full display
  • Who actually attends to the phone: the phone repair technician at the counter, an employed technician, or a mail-in workshop they subcontract
  • Screen type: manufacturer or compatible
  • Total price for the screen and fitting
  • The VAT number, and VAT at 20% on the screen and fitting
  • Warranty period on part and labour
  • Turnaround time, and postage both ways for mail-in
  • Extra work only with your approval

Walk away if

  • Will not say what type of screen is fitted
  • No warranty
  • Asks for your passcode with no reason
  • Price rises once the phone is opened, without asking
  • No receipt
  • Damage to other parts not mentioned before you collect
LOW
£50
TYPICAL
£179
HIGH
£359

What a phone repair technician costs: £50–£359 per repair

Phone screen repairs are quoted per repair from the model and the screen type, usually including fitting and a warranty. Phone & Screen Repair price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Phone repair technicians near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. CheckThe phone tested to confirm only the screen needs replacing.
  2. QuotePrice, part and warranty agreed.
  3. RepairThe screen or glass replaced.
  4. Function testTouch, display, cameras and sensors checked.
  5. HandbackReceipt and warranty given, with the phone tested in front of you.

OLED / LCD
Two kinds of phone display; OLED panels usually cost more.
Glass-only repair
Replacing the outer glass when the display underneath works.
Compatible screen
A screen from another maker designed to fit the phone.
Digitiser
The touch layer that reads your finger.
Calibration
Setting up sensors and colour after a screen change so the phone behaves as before.
Mail-in repair
Posting the phone to a repairer and getting it back by courier.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the receiptIt is your warranty record.
Test again at homeUse the phone normally for a day; report touch or display faults quickly.
Change your passcode if you shared itA simple step once the phone is back.
Rate the workSay what the phone repair technician did well and what could be better, once the work is finished. A problem goes through the make-it-right step first, so they can put it right.

STEP 1Raise it with the phone repair technicianA short, dated message works best: the problem, the proof and the remedy you want from the phone repair technician. Your rights come from the Consumer Rights Act 2015, which requires a trader to use reasonable care and skill and gives you repeat performance or a price cut where they did not.
STEP 2Ask Locufy to help put it rightGive the phone repair technician fewer than four stars and Locufy offers to pass the complaint on first. The make-it-right step is followed through before you publish.
STEP 3Trading Standards, through the helplineNobody licenses phone repair technicians, so the route is consumer advice: Citizens Advice on 0808 223 1133 in England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060, Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 in Northern Ireland. They can refer the phone repair technician to Trading Standards.
STEP 4Small claims courtFor money the phone repair technician owes you, the small claims courts handle claims up to £10,000 in England and Wales, up to £5,000 through simple procedure in Scotland and up to £5,000 in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a phone repair technician: questions people ask

No. The work is unlicensed in every UK nation, with no register and no required qualification.

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 the repair must be done with reasonable care and skill; ask for it to be put right free, or for a price reduction.

Check your manufacturer's warranty terms first; some cover repairs only by authorised repairers.

£50–£359 per repair, with a typical figure of £179. The phone model and whether the screen is the manufacturer's part set most of the price. Read the phone repair technician price guide for the factors, or search your town above for phone repair technicians nearby.

Only if it is needed to test the phone. Back up first and change it afterwards.

Many repairs take under an hour; mail-in repairs take two to five working days.

MORE GUIDES

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Phone repair technicians near you

Phone repair technicians in LondonPhone repair technicians in ManchesterPhone repair technicians in BirminghamPhone repair technicians in GlasgowPhone repair technicians in BelfastAll phone repair technicians on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  2. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 56 — price reduction
  3. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 30 — cancellation period
  4. gov.uk — data protection and your business
  5. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue
  6. gov.uk — make a court claim for money: court fees
  7. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  8. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register