Terms of service

These terms cover how we work at Buzztime Electronics: what happens when you book a repair, drop off a device, or buy something from us. We’ve kept it plain rather than burying it in fine print. If anything here isn’t clear, ask us. That’s what the phone number’s for.

By booking a repair, leaving a device with us, or buying an item, you’re agreeing to what’s set out below.

Who we are

Buzztime Electronics is a device repair business at 141 Auburn Road, Hawthorn VIC 3122. You can reach us on 03 9822 3481, book online at calendly.com/d/cmwk-w33-pj7, or just drop in.

Getting a quote and the assessment fee

Before we touch anything, we take a proper look at what’s going on. Most jobs carry a $99 assessment fee. That covers a full drive and device health check plus any small tweaks we can sort on the spot. Go ahead with the repair and that $99 comes off the total, so you’re not paying it twice.

Once we’ve had a look, we’ll give you a clear quote before any paid work. Nothing goes ahead until you’ve said yes. If we get into a job and hit something unexpected that changes the cost, we stop and check with you first. No surprise bills when you come to collect.

Quotes are based on what we can see at the time and hold for 72 hours. Parts pricing moves with the market, so beyond that window we may need to re-quote. The cost can also change if the fault turns out to be different once we’re inside the device.

The honest bit — things that can go wrong during a repair

Most repairs go smoothly. Still, we’d sooner be straight about the risks than pretend they aren’t there. When a device is already faulty or damaged, opening it up and working on it can bring other problems to the surface. Some examples:

  • Existing damage showing up. Liquid corrosion, a swollen battery, a hairline crack in a board, or wear that wasn’t visible from the outside can reveal itself once we’re inside. We didn’t cause it — but sometimes a repair is what brings it to light.
  • Devices that don’t survive being powered on. A device that’s already failing can sometimes stop working entirely when tested or restarted, even when handled carefully. This is more common with water-damaged devices and older hardware that’s near the end of its life.
  • Glued and bonded parts. Plenty of modern devices, including MacBooks, iPads and newer phones, have screens, batteries and other parts glued or bonded in rather than screwed. Separating them carries a small risk even with the right tools and a careful hand. We’ll flag this before starting.
  • Devices that can’t go back exactly as they came in. Now and then, once a device is opened, a further fault means it can’t be put back to full working order. If that happens, we’ll talk you through where things stand before going any further.

We take real care with every device, and our work carries a warranty (more on that below). What we can’t do is guarantee a specific outcome on hardware that’s already damaged or failing. All repairs and services carry a risk of damage either being revealed or occurring, and Buzztime cannot be held liable for this. Where we can see a risk before starting, we’ll tell you, and it’s your call whether to go ahead.

Your data — back it up first

Please back up your data before any repair. Repairs can involve wiping, reinstalling or replacing storage, and some faults put your data at risk no matter what we do. We’ll try to protect what’s on your device, and where it makes sense we’ll offer to back it up first. But keeping a copy of your important files is down to you.

Everything on your device stays private. We don’t go poking through your files, and anything we do handle is kept confidential. If a job involves data recovery or transfer, we’ll explain what we’re doing before we start. Our Data Recovery page has more on how that side of things works.

Our 90 day warranty

All our repair work and the parts we supply come with a 90 day Buzztime warranty. If something we repaired stops working the way it should within 90 days, bring it back and we’ll sort it out.

What the warranty covers:

  • The specific repair we carried out
  • The parts we supplied and fitted as part of that repair

What it doesn’t cover:

  • New, unrelated faults that turn up after the repair
  • Fresh physical or liquid damage — a new drop or spill is a new problem
  • Issues caused by software, viruses, or normal wear after the device leaves us
  • Repairs opened up, altered, or worked on by someone else afterwards

Where a part or device also carries a manufacturer’s warranty, that sits on top of ours where it’s available. Manufacturer warranties are run by the manufacturer under their own terms, and we’re glad to point you the right way if that’s the better route for your situation.

Buying refurbished devices from us

We stock refurbished phones and other devices, each one tested, cleaned up and checked over before it goes on the shelf. Every device is graded so you know what you’re getting:

  • Grade A — slight cosmetic wear. Light signs of use, nothing that stands out.
  • Grade B — a slight blemish or a small quirk such as low audio, a bit of screen spotting, weaker wifi, or similar. The phone still works fully, it just isn’t flawless.

A few things to know before you buy:

  • Refurbished devices come with the same 90 day Buzztime warranty as our repair work. If something isn’t right within 90 days, bring it back.
  • The grade describes the cosmetic condition. Past what’s stated for the grade, refurbished items are sold as used devices, not new ones.
  • Refurbished stock usually doesn’t carry a manufacturer’s warranty, since these are pre-owned. If one still applies, we’ll let you know.
  • We can’t offer change-of-mind returns on refurbished devices. Your rights under Australian Consumer Law for faulty goods still apply in full. This only means we can’t take something back purely because you’ve changed your mind.

Buying a refurbished phone? Have a good look and ask us anything before you take it home. We want you leaving with exactly what you wanted.

Uncollected Devices

Life gets busy, and the odd device sits with us longer than planned. That’s fine for a while. We can’t store devices forever though, so here’s how it works.

Once your device is ready and we’ve let you know, please collect it within 60 days. If we haven’t heard from you and it’s still here after 60 days, we’ll treat it as uncollected.

Before we do anything with it, we follow the process set out under Victorian uncollected goods laws. That includes giving you notice at the contact details we have on file. Only after that, and in line with those rules, can we sell or dispose of the device to recover what’s owed, including the original repair cost and any reasonable storage costs. If a device is sold and there’s money left over once those costs are covered, that gets handled according to the rules that apply.

Easiest way to avoid all this: keep your contact details current with us, and give us a call if you’ll be a while collecting. We’re glad to hold onto things. We just need to hear from you.

Payment

Payment is due when you collect your device or buy an item, unless we’ve agreed something different in writing beforehand. For jobs that need a special-order part, we may ask for a deposit upfront to cover it. We’ll always tell you the full cost before starting paid work.

Onsite Repairs

Ed covers onsite repairs across Melbourne’s inner east and north. These terms apply to onsite work the same as in-store work. Some repairs — anything needing specific tools, parts, or bench equipment — are better done in-store, and we’ll let you know if that’s the case for your device.

Our responsibility to you

We carry out every repair with reasonable care and skill, using suitable parts and methods. What we can’t reasonably be held responsible for is loss we couldn’t have prevented with that care, such as a pre-existing fault surfacing during a repair, or data loss where no backup was made beforehand.

None of this limits your rights under Australian Consumer Law (see below). It sets out, fairly, where our responsibility sits for the things that are actually within our control.

Your rights under Australian Consumer Law

Our goods and services come with guarantees that can’t be excluded under the Australian Consumer Law. For major failures you’re entitled to a replacement or refund, and to compensation for other reasonably foreseeable loss or damage. You’re also entitled to have goods repaired or replaced if they aren’t of acceptable quality and the failure doesn’t amount to a major failure.

Nothing in these terms takes away or reduces those rights. Where anything here appears to conflict with the Australian Consumer Law, the law wins.

Changes to these terms

We may update these terms from time to time as things change. The version on our website at the time you book a repair or make a purchase is the one that applies to you.

Questions

If anything here needs explaining, or you want to talk something through before booking, give us a buzz on 03 9822 3481 or drop in to 141 Auburn Road, Hawthorn. Better to sort it out over a chat than leave you guessing.