Mobile/Laptop repair shop scams

*Are all mobile/laptop service centers in Kerala this bad? My experience in EKM, Kollam, Tvm, kottayam*

I’m really frustrated and honestly ashamed to admit I’ve been scammed multiple times by mobile/laptop repair shops across Kerala.

This isn’t just me being unlucky. People I know have faced the exact same in Kottayam, Ernakulam, Kollam, and Trivandrum. So I don’t think this is a one-off.

My latest experience was with my Poco M3 in Vyttila/Ponnurunni, EKM. I gave it to a shop with above-average Google reviews for a screen replacement and got it back by 1 PM. It looked fine at first. But when I started using it at home with a white background, I noticed white LED light leaking from the back of the display. I went back within an hour and told him about it. He said "no issue, it’s fine." I was too confused to argue. I went back two days later and this time he opened it and said "battery is bulging, that’s why white spots." I accepted it. But when I got home I found the volume down button was stuck and not working. That flex strip was perfectly fine before. I had a similar fight in Kottayam earlier where they first charged me ₹1000 saying "power IC damaged". The phone died again the next day. Then they changed the volume strip and asked for ₹600. I made a scene and they finally gave it for free. Anyone who did real hard work wouldn’t just give up for free, right? Fed up, I went to another shop in EKM and they made it worse. Now both volume up/down and power buttons are messed up.

The same thing happened with my friend’s HP laptop at HP World, Kadavanthra. His issue was the laptop screen randomly going off. What they did was tell us it was the lid close sensor, and their "fix" was to just disconnect the sensor wire so the issue won’t happen again. They charged ₹1500 for that. So they didn’t fix anything, they just created a workaround and charged full. When I questioned it, the guy acted all sympathetic like "we put effort to find the root cause." Finding the root cause for ₹300 is fine, but what exactly was fixed?

Both cases follow the same pattern. If the customer doesn’t have technical knowledge, they’ll just pay and leave. A previous roommate who was a mobile technician once told me that the volume strip they charged me ₹600 for actually costs only ₹30. I asked him to come with me to the shop so they won’t scam me. He refused and said "I can’t do that to another technician."

Is this some unwritten rule among technicians? Do you guys not care about customers at all?

PSA: Please be careful. Almost 90% of these shops seem to be looking for ways to scam you, even with good Google reviews. Always test your phone thoroughly for every button, screen, camera, speaker before leaving the store.

My question: Is there ANY genuine mobile/laptop repair shop in Ernakulam that you personally trust? I’m scared to give my devices to anyone now. Would also love to hear thoughts from technicians too. Why does this happen?