So many aspects of our lives are connected through technology – particularly through our smartphones. They allow us to communicate faster, work from anywhere and capture moments throughout our daily lives. So what happens when something goes wrong? Accidents will happen, and tech can let us down occasionally. People of Shrewsbury have little to fear though – as iRehab will have your precious tech fixed and back in your pocket in no time. We caught up with the company’s founder Ben and his team to find out more about the service they offer…
You’ve been established in Shrewsbury for some years now, but how did iRehab start out?
iRehab started after working as a technician at Techbase at Pride Hill. Having been made redundant I decided to start up a business doing the same thing initially. It was a business and industry that I knew and was confident that I was the best in town at what I did, so it just made sense. With a strong and loyal customer base, a keen passion for problem solving and technology, it seemed like the perfect opportunity.
What has been your greatest success to date in fixing broken tech?
The greatest success so far would probably be surviving Shrewsbury suffering significant flooding, more competition, town disruptions with construction and a global pandemic all within the first year and a half of being open. We’ve seen competition come and go in that short space of time and so it’s good to know that hopefully we’ve weathered the worst of it. Aside from that, when it comes to repairs – one that stands out is a MacBook Air that came in. It had no signs of life and had been looked at by many shops around the country (and by Apple themselves), no one had been able to repair it or bring it back to life. After looking at the MacBook for an hour, it was up and running and ready to be tested for collection the following day. It turned out the be a relatively simple fix but it boiled down to knowing where to look.
What’s your favourite or most satisfying item to repair?
The most satisfying repair would be iPhones because you get the immediate satisfaction of seeing the customer’s face when they come back to pick up the phone and it looks like new again. That, and logic board repairs on MacBooks – because I love to problem solve and there’s nothing better than solving a problem that other people have missed or weren’t able to solve.
Any tips for keeping your mobile phone or tablet in great condition?
Keeping your phone on tablet in great condition starts from the first day you have the handset, the best thing to do is enjoy the handset as it’s meant to be at home but as soon as you can it’s always best to cover it up with a durable drop tested case and a reliable screen guard. This is why we offer Military Drop tested cases and Clear Shield for the screen in store.
What services to do offer for laptops?
With laptops we mainly specialise in Apple MacBooks especially when it comes to advanced troubleshooting of logic board issues. That being said, we also repair Windows based laptops when we can. Be that software solutions and physical repair such as batteries and screens. The common issues tend to be power issues, or problems charging.
What upcoming gadgets are you really excited about?
I am looking forward to the release of the iPhone 13, mainly because not long after they’re released I’ll be able to dig in to one and check out what’s going on the inside. It’s always interesting to see how things are laid out on the inside and looking for potential problems that could occur in the future.
What do you enjoy most about being part of The Collective at The Darwin
The Collective has a real family feel and bond, where tenants help each other and are supportive. The majority have relocated from the Pride Hill Shopping Centre so there’s a real sense of building the small community into something meaningful and competitive with the larger companies.
You can find iRehab at The Collective at Darwin, on the lower ground floor of Shrewsbury Darwin Shopping Centre. Follow them on Facebook https://m.facebook.com/iRehabUK/ and Instagram @irehab_uk.