Publish a repair your shop cannot complete (motherboard microsoldering, data recovery) on the Hub, receive offers from other labs in the Fixh network, and hand off the job without losing the customer.
Every smartphone and PC repair shop eventually runs into a repair it cannot finish in-house: a motherboard fault that needs microsoldering, a memory chip that needs advanced data recovery tools, a burnt SMD component no technician on staff can replace with precision. The Fixh IT Repair Hub exists for exactly these cases: it lets a shop publish the repair as a listing visible to other shops in the network, receive offers from specialized labs, and hand the job to the best one, without ever losing contact with the end customer and without having to turn down a repair you cannot finish alone.
Why it matters for a repair shop
Not every repair shop has the same skills or the same equipment: a BGA microsoldering station, a high-resolution microscope for SMD work, an infrared rework oven for power chip replacement are investments only a few specialized labs can afford. When a customer brings in a device with this kind of fault, the risk is having to refuse it, losing both the sale and often the customer's trust for simpler repairs down the line. The Hub turns that limitation into an opportunity: instead of saying no, the shop publishes the repair to the Fixh IT lab network, keeps the direct relationship with the customer, and hands off only the most complex technical part to whoever actually has the skills to solve it. This is built specifically for collaboration between smartphone and PC repair shops, not a generic goods marketplace: what changes hands here is specialized technical work, not merchandise.
How it works
The starting point is always a repair already open in your system, under Laboratory. From there you publish it to the Hub with a detailed description of the reported fault, the tests already run and any attempted fixes: the system requires at least 20 characters precisely to avoid vague listings that discourage serious offers. You can attach photos of the device and the damage, and note the cosmetic condition and the accessories the customer left with you. The listing becomes visible to every lab in the Fixh network (except your own), reachable under Hub > External repairs, where interested labs can submit an offer with a price (net and with VAT calculated automatically from the offering lab's rate), an estimated turnaround and notes.
As the owning shop, you receive offers under Hub > My repairs and compare them: you can see price, timing and notes from each candidate lab before choosing. When you accept an offer, the system automatically clones the repair into the repairing lab's own system, with all the fault details, condition and accessories already filled in and linked back to the original case through the Hub listing reference, so nothing needs to be re-typed by hand, and any other pending offers are automatically rejected. From this point the agreed fee is recorded as an amount owed to the repairing lab.
The next phase is logistics: you ship the device to the repairing lab, entering the carrier and tracking number, and the case moves to "shipped to repairer." Once the external lab confirms delivery, the repair is marked "in repair" on their side; once they finish, they mark it repaired and arrange the return shipment, again tracked with carrier and tracking number in the Hub. You confirm receipt of the return shipment and the case closes as completed. At any point you can check the case's event timeline to see every step: listing created, offers received, acceptance, shipments, deliveries. The final step is settling the fee owed to the repairing lab, recording the payment method used (bank transfer, cash, PayPal or other) and any reference.
Quick guide
- Open the repair to hand off under Laboratory, then go to Hub > My repairs to publish it on the Hub.
- Describe the reported fault in detail (at least 20 characters): symptoms, tests already run, attempted fixes.
- Add photos of the device and the damage, and note cosmetic condition and accessories left by the customer.
- Publish the listing: it becomes visible to external labs in the Fixh network, which can then submit an offer.
- Compare received offers by price, estimated turnaround and notes, then accept the most suitable one.
- Ship the device to the repairing lab, entering the carrier and tracking number.
- Track the case until the repaired device comes back and confirm receipt of the return shipment.
- Mark the fee as paid once you have settled it with the repairing lab, recording the payment method and reference.
Real use cases
Liquid damage on a smartphone motherboard. A customer brings in an iPhone that fell into water and no longer powers on: the shop confirms the fault is on the motherboard, but has no microsoldering station to replace the corroded SMD components. It publishes the repair on the Hub describing the diagnostic tests already run; a lab specialized in motherboard repair in the network submits an offer with a firm turnaround, the shop accepts and ships the device, keeping the customer informed without sending them elsewhere.
Laptop logic board with a burnt power chip. A PC repair shop receives a notebook that no longer charges: diagnosis points to a power component that needs replacing with an infrared rework oven, equipment the shop doesn't own. The case is published on the Hub and handed to a repairer equipped for logic board microsoldering, who completes the job and ships the working laptop back.
Data recovery from a damaged drive. A customer hands over an old SSD that is no longer detected and holds important documents: the shop doesn't do advanced data recovery in-house. Through the Hub it finds a lab in the network specialized in exactly this kind of recovery, which handles the whole case while the original shop stays the customer's only point of contact.
Tips and best practices
The more detailed the fault description (symptoms, tests already run, results), the more precise and reliable the offers you receive will be: a specialized lab prices the job partly on how much it already knows about the problem. Always attach sharp photos of the damage and the device, they help the repairer estimate timing and price more accurately. Don't stop at the cheapest offer: compare estimated turnaround and notes too, especially if the customer is in a hurry. Keep the customer updated about the extra time an external lab adds, so their expectations stay realistic. Check the case's event timeline regularly so you don't miss updates on offers, shipments and deliveries.
Common mistakes to avoid
The first mistake is publishing too generic a fault description: vague listings get fewer and lower-quality offers. Another common one is skipping photos of the damage, making it hard for the external lab to properly assess the work needed. Avoid automatically accepting the cheapest offer without checking the estimated turnaround: a low price with a very long wait can hurt the relationship with your customer. Always remember to enter carrier and tracking when you ship the device, otherwise the case won't advance. Finally, don't forget to mark the fee as paid once you have settled it with the repairing lab: otherwise the case stays visible as outstanding.
Frequently asked questions
Why send a repair to another lab instead of turning it down? Because you can still serve the customer and earn revenue on the repair, handing off only the technical part you can't handle, such as microsoldering or motherboard repair, to a specialized lab.
Do I lose control of the repair once I publish it on the Hub? No: you stay the customer's point of contact and follow every step, from received offers to the repaired device coming back, from Hub > My repairs.
How do I choose which lab gets the repair? You don't pick a lab directly: you publish the listing and interested labs in the Fixh network submit offers with price, turnaround and notes; you choose which one to accept.
What happens to the other offers once I accept one? They are automatically rejected and the labs that submitted them are notified.
Who pays the repairing lab, and when? The owning shop pays the fee agreed in the accepted offer, recording the payment as settled with the method used (bank transfer, cash, PayPal or other) once it has been made.
Can I cancel a listing I published on the Hub? Yes, as long as you haven't accepted an offer yet; any pending offers already submitted are automatically withdrawn.
