What a good repair ticket records, so nobody argues at the counter

1. Identify the device by its IMEI

Don't write "black iPhone". Two customers can leave the same model in the same colour on the same day. Dial *#06# and copy all fifteen digits, or read the IMEI off the SIM tray if the screen is dead. That number proves which phone is whose, and it ties this repair to the phone's history and its warranty. If the phone won't power on, write "not read" and add it once it does. For a laptop, a watch or a console, use the serial number.

2. Write the fault in the customer's words

Don't write "screen". Write "dropped yesterday, cracked top right, touch doesn't respond on the lower half". The customer's own words are what you'll be measured against, and they help the technician too. If the customer isn't sure what's wrong, write that down as well: "won't charge with two different cables; customer wants a diagnosis".

Ask what happened before the fault: a drop, water, a repair somewhere else. A phone that has been opened before or has been wet behaves differently on the bench, and the customer should hear that before you start, not after.

3. Record the condition it arrived in

• Cracks, dents and scratches on the front, the back, the frame and the camera lens. Photograph each one before anyone touches the phone. Four photos (front, back, both sides) take a minute.
• Liquid. Look at the charging port and inside the SIM tray slot. On many phones a small indicator there turns red once it has been wet.
• What works and what doesn't, if it powers on: touch, cameras, speaker, microphone, buttons, fingerprint or face unlock, charging. Two minutes now saves "the camera worked before you opened it".
• Battery health, if the phone shows it.
• If it won't power on, say so in writing: "could not be tested: device does not power on". Then nobody can claim later that everything else worked.

4. Note what came with it

The SIM, the memory card, the case, the screen protector, the charger, the box. The safest habit is to hand the SIM and the memory card back at the counter and write that you did. Whatever you keep, you answer for.

5. Treat the screen lock like a house key

You often need the passcode to test the phone after the repair. Ask for it. Don't guess, because a few wrong tries lock the phone. Then look after it:

• never write it on the customer's copy, on a sticker on the phone, or in a WhatsApp chat;
• let only the people working on the device see it;
• for a pattern, draw it dot by dot instead of describing it ("an L shape" is how phones get locked out);
• delete it when the phone is handed back.

If the customer won't give it, write that down with what can't be tested: "no passcode given: touch and cameras not tested after repair". Say plainly, and print on the ticket, that the customer should back up their data first. Ask before any step that erases the phone, and get that approval in writing.

6. Agree the price before the work, in writing

A verbal "about 150" turns into an argument when the bill says 240. Send an estimate, with the service and the part as separate lines, and get the customer's approval on record before the technician starts. If the work grows, because the screen is fine but the charging port is corroded, send the extra lines as a new estimate and wait for that approval too. Never "just do it, they'll be fine with it".

A customer who approved line by line can't later say they only agreed to half of it, and a customer who declined a line can't say you never told them.

7. Put the warranty terms on the ticket

Tell the customer what your warranty covers before they leave, not when they come back: how many days, counted from the day of hand-over, covering the part you fitted and the work you did, and not a new drop, liquid or a different fault. Print it on the ticket and the invoice. The guide on running a repair warranty goes through the terms.

8. Get a signature, and give a stub

A signature under the IMEI, the fault, the condition and the list of what came with the phone turns your notes into an agreement. On paper, keep the carbon copy. On a screen or a phone, the signature is stored with the repair. Give the customer a stub with the ticket number, and hand the phone back only against it.

9. Hand over with the same care

Tell the customer when the promised time changes: "waiting for the part, tomorrow at 2 instead of today at 5". Most of the anger at hand-over is about surprises, not about time. When they collect, show them the phone working, give back the replaced part if they asked for it, and have them sign the check-out. Then the repair is closed for both of you, and the warranty starts counting.

How SolderDesk does this

A repair in SolderDesk is opened on the customer's device, with the IMEI checked as you type and the common faults one tap away. The screen lock is recorded as a PIN or as a pattern drawn on a nine-dot pad; only staff see it, and it is erased automatically at hand-over. Cracks, dents and liquid are marked on a front and back outline of the device, with photos, the battery health and what came with it. The customer signs the condition report on your screen or on their own phone, at check-in and at check-out.

The printed ticket has a tear-off collection stub and a QR code to follow the repair. The estimate goes out on WhatsApp and is approved from the customer's phone, line by line. The warranty in days is printed on the invoice and the pickup receipt. Try it free with demo data and print a repair ticket.