Restart Radio: Revealing our repair economy

Every day we see repair shops and hardware stores closing. For years in London, we’ve watched the vibrant repair economy along Tottenham Court Road decline.

So many Restart Party goers come to us because they simply do not know where else to go for help with broken electronics. But we know all is not lost, just that some kinds of repair businesses are getting harder to find.

We talked to Hackney Fixer James Diamond about mapping he is doing with us for the East London Waste Authority on repair businesses in east London.

Through online and on-the-street research, James has identified over 160 repair businesses which fix battery-powered gadgets and appliances in four boroughs of east London. Half “exist” in some form online, and half survive entirely via word of mouth and passers-by.

While some types of repair businesses are fading, like those for small appliances, others, especially for mobiles and tablets are growing.

We talked about some of the main attributes that we are searching for in reliable businesses, that increase trust with consumers: transparent pricing structures, some form of warranty, issue receipts, among others. It turns out that only some businesses tick all of our boxes.

Links of stuff we discussed:

• The decline of Tottenham Court Road
• Hackney Fixers’ map of repair businesses in Hackney
• Our developing criteria for finding a good professional
• The Guardian: Sweden to give tax breaks for repairs

[Feature image care of Hackney Fixers]

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