How to hire
Match the route to the job before you compare firms. A cracked screen or tired battery suits a walk-in counter or a booked slot, with most routine repairs back inside the hour. A dead phone with no obvious cause suits a bench that diagnoses before quoting, while water damage and board faults belong with a micro-soldering workshop rather than a screen-swap counter. When you first enquire, give the exact model, describe the fault and say whether the phone still turns on.
Know that this trade has no Gas Safe-style register, so there is no licence number to look up, and none of the ten firms shows a trade scheme membership. Check the company record instead: search the free Companies House register for the limited-company name and number, and treat a trader with no checkable footprint as a reason to ask more questions [5]. Read the customer reviews on the firm's page beside ours, and treat a thin review base the same way, as a prompt for questions rather than a reason to walk away.
Get the price in writing before the phone is opened. The quote should name your exact model, state whether the part is genuine, OEM or aftermarket, and separate parts, labour and VAT so you can compare like with like. Ask what happens if diagnosis finds a second fault, since a screen price agreed blind can grow on the bench. Most firms in this table publish no prices and quote per job, so the written figure you receive is doing real work.
Check the warranty position at both ends. If the phone is still inside its manufacturer warranty and the fault is not accidental damage, going back to the maker can cost far less than an independent repair, sometimes nothing at all, though makers do not cover cracked screens and other physical damage [1] [2]. Then ask what the shop itself covers: how long its warranty runs, whether it spans parts and labour, and what voids it. A year on a screen repair beats a vague promise, so get the terms printed on the receipt.
Sort your data before you hand the phone over. Back it up to the cloud or a computer and check the backup finished, since even a routine screen repair can go wrong and take your photos with it. Ask whether the repairer needs your lock-screen passcode and why: testing the finished repair usually means unlocking the phone, but nobody doing a screen swap needs your banking passwords. Note anything stored only on the handset before you let go of it.
If you book online or by post, keep the paper trail. Send the phone tracked and insured, keep the proof of postage, and note the promised turnaround in days. Services arranged online or by phone carry a fourteen-day cooling-off period in which you can cancel for a refund, unless you asked for the work to start at once [4]. On collection, test the screen, buttons, cameras and charging before you leave, and take a receipt showing the price paid and the warranty terms. If the repair fails, the law is on your side: services must be carried out with reasonable care and skill, and you can ask for the job to be redone or for a discount [3].
Pricing
As of autumn 2026, rough Telford ranges run like this: a current flagship iPhone screen costs £349–£389 through Apple against around £150 from an independent, while a Samsung Galaxy screen costs around £189 officially against around £150 independently [1]. Batteries run lower: about £59 officially for a Samsung against £40 independently, and about £95 for an iPhone against £70–£100 on the high street [1]. Older and budget models cost less at both ends. The manufacturer-against-independent figures come from a Which? guide with prices correct as of January 2026. Only one firm in this table publishes repair prices online, so treat these figures as context for the quote you receive rather than as a quote.
The model moves the price most: newer flagships with bonded display assemblies cost more than older phones with simpler screens, and genuine parts cost more than aftermarket ones, so ask which part your quote assumes. Faults found at diagnosis can add to the bill, and Samsung notes its recommended prices can change where extra work proves necessary [2]. A counter that diagnoses free and quotes before touching the phone protects you better than one that prices blind. Authorised centres may also charge an inspection fee where no repair follows, with Samsung recommending £30 [2].
Ask whether VAT sits inside or on top of the figure, since a bare number in a message thread often excludes it. Get the scope in writing before work starts: the exact model and repair, the part type, the price including VAT, the warranty length, and what changes the price if the bench finds more damage. Keep the quote, the receipt and any postage proof together until the warranty runs out [3].
Red flags
Quotes a screen price without asking which exact model you own.
Will not say whether the replacement part is genuine, OEM or aftermarket.
Opens the phone before agreeing a written price for the repair.
Hands the phone back with no receipt showing the price paid and the warranty terms.
Shows no business name, address or working phone number on its quote or receipt.
Asks for full payment in cash up front, with nothing put in writing.
Takes a posted phone with no tracking, proof of postage or promised turnaround.