Need Something Repaired? Now There’s an App for That

A caller app pinch a straightforward sanction wants to make it easier for group to hole their worldly by helping them find trustworthy repair services adjacent them.

The Repair App launched today, connected a time that’s being celebrated arsenic International Repair Day. The app is presently disposable successful beta shape successful nan US and France, because that’s wherever cofounders Robert Lise and Caleb Faruki reside, respectively. If nan app does well, much countries should beryllium added soon.

The app arrives during a clip of renewed liking successful nan correct to repair movement. Through lobbying efforts and user defense campaigns, correct to repair folks reason that erstwhile personification buys a portion of technology, they should person nan ineligible correct to hole it, switch surgery parts, aliases upgrade it utilizing services, tools, and replacement parts accessed connected nan unfastened market.

“You don't really ain thing if you don't person nan expertise to repair it,” says Lise, nan app’s cofounder.

It sounds for illustration a position that doesn’t request overmuch advocacy, but ample companies for illustration Apple, Samsung, and John Deere, person been resistant to let their customers to tinker pinch their products.

Lise says nan extremity of The Repair App is to level businesses and work providers who screen conscionable astir thing that tin beryllium repaired, from devices for illustration phones and computers to bicycles, clothes, and possibly yet vehicles. To start, they person reached retired to verified repair businesses that they tin vet for inclusion successful nan app.

Matt Zieminski, vice president of Repair.org and VP of partnerships astatine nan repair marketplace iFixit, has worked pinch Lise and nan others connected nan Repair App and says he supports nan project. He says that if nan app is utilized by capable people, it could make uncovering options for fixing your worldly easier than it is now.

For example, if you’re searching for repair options connected Google, Zieminski says, your section organization repair shops mightiness not needfully travel up arsenic 1 of nan apical results. Instead, you’re presented pinch large repair franchises aliases generic work providers.

The Repair App will alternatively show you nan shops closest to you that person been vetted by nan tech repair experts down nan app.

“I deliberation this is really cool,” Zieminski says. ”It is going to level that playing section and let everybody to find nan services they request and past to connection nan services to group that whitethorn not moreover cognize those services exist.”

Linking customers to businesses is surely not a caller service. (Remember phonebooks?) Sites for illustration Thumbtack aliases Angi (formerly Angie’s List) person agelong acted arsenic repositories for uncovering handypeople to prosecute for a assortment of tasks. Places for illustration Upwork and Fiverr put a gig system rotation connected nan aforesaid format. And location are much circumstantial work finder sites for illustration RepairPal, a assets for car repair shops. (RepairPal was bought by Yelp past year.)