Terms and warranty

These are the terms you accept when you leave a machine with Garage 8 bits (8-Bit Garage). They're the same terms printed on the intake form you sign at drop-off. The French version is the default contract; the English version is used at your request.

Diagnostic and estimate

The $40 diagnostic is the estimate fee. It's due whether or not the repair goes ahead, and it's credited toward the repair if it does.
Any repair of $50 or more gets a written estimate: what's wrong, what we'll do, the total price, and how long the estimate is valid.
No repair work starts without your written approval, and the final price won't go over the estimate. If we find more to do, we stop and ask again.
Parts are extra, at cost plus 15%. A deposit may be needed for parts.
Replaced parts are returned to you on request; otherwise they're recycled or kept for testing.

Your spending cap

On the request form you can set a spending cap. We'll contact you before going over it.

If the machine can't be repaired

A machine is "unrepairable" when the fix is impossible (a cracked board, a part that can't be found, severe corrosion), or when it would cost more than your cap or more than a working machine sells for. You choose what happens in advance, on the form:

Get it back as-is. You pay the $40 diagnostic.
Donate it to the parts bin. The diagnostic is waived.
Sell it to us for parts, for cash or store credit based on parts value.
Hear about the options: a refurbished replacement, or a working board moved into your own case so you keep your original machine.

Warranty: 3 months on our parts and our work

The warranty starts the day you get the machine back.

Covered:

Any part we installed that fails: replaced free, parts and labour.
Any fault caused by our work (a cold solder joint, a lifted pad, a connector that comes loose): fixed free.
Return shipping on warranty repairs. You pay to send the machine in.

Not covered:

Original parts we didn't replace. A 40-year-old machine has dozens of original chips, and any of them can fail at any time. A new failure of an original part is a new repair, billed at normal rates less the diagnostic fee.
Damage from drops, spills, shipping by you, opening the case, or using an original power supply after we advised against it.
Saved games. Replacing a cartridge save battery erases the save unless it's backed up first. We back up saves when the cartridge allows it, but can't guarantee them.
Cracks or pressure damage to handheld screens and shells. Defects in the aftermarket IPS screens and shells we install are covered.
Cosmetic work. Whitened plastic can yellow again, especially in sunlight.

Free diagnosis during the warranty. If something else fails during those 3 months, we'll diagnose it free and send you an estimate.

Your rights under Québec's Consumer Protection Act, including the legal warranty, apply in addition to this warranty.

Machines we sell

Refurbished machines come with the same 3-month warranty, in writing. Each listing describes the machine's cosmetic flaws and known quirks.

Pickup and storage

We'll tell you in writing when your machine is ready.
If it isn't collected within 60 days of that notice, storage is $5 a month.
A machine not collected after 90 days and a final written notice may be treated as abandoned, under the rules of the Civil Code of Québec.
We can keep a repaired machine until the bill is paid.

Our responsibility

We take care of your machine, and we're responsible for any loss or damage we cause while it's in our care.

Your information

We use your information only for your repair. See the privacy notice.