Repair agents for Irish customers are few and far between...

At Mac Information we are often asked for advice as to where customers can get their Macs or iPods repaired when calamity strikes. We have found that the options are quite limited and easily accessible only to those who live in or near the major cities.
We have written before about the ambiguity in the AppleCare provision for Irish customers. Those who have purchased AppleCare have, in theory, a number of options should they need repair for a piece of Apple hardware; they can arrange for Apple to pick up the computer/iPod that needs fixing, they can have repairs carried out on-site, or they can use a third party for the repairs and the costs are covered through the AppleCare warranty. Currently in Ireland, the third party option seems to be the only one available, and we are still seeking clarification from Apple on this.
So, if one needs to find one of these third party repair agents - with or without an AppleCare warranty - the Apple website would seem to be the logical place to start! This is not as easy as it sounds, but a search query for repair agents in Ireland eventually brings up a map of the country and the option to enter a city in which the service might be required.
We tried to find Apple-recommended agents in Dublin first. The search results indicated that there were four options available to us, but on closer inspection we found that one of these was in Belfast and the other on the Isle of Man!
The two Dublin-based agents are Typetec Ltd. and Mactivate. Links to each of their websites are provided.
References to Apple or Mac products are not easy to find on the Typetec website, and the telephone number offered for support is that of Apple Ireland itself. Typetec are agents for a number of brands and offer a range of services in addition to sales and repairs.
The Mactivate website displays their repair and service offering from the outset. Based in Dublin 15, they offer to pick up lap-tops needing repair from anywhere in the country, although a fee may apply outside the Dublin area. They also offer battery replacement for iPods, repair of iPods and installation of RAM.
In Cork, the home of Apple in Ireland, there was only one Apple-approved result for our search; Stream Solutions. This company positions itself as providing technology solutions across a range of sectors, including 'smart homes'. They are also an authorised Apple service provider. They will handle any repair issues that arise under warranty or under an AppleCare policy, and can also deal with problems that arise outside a warranty with a per-issue charge. They suggest that two weeks is a typical period to allow for repairs to be completed. They also have an on-site repair option for their contract clients.
Our Cork search did list CompuB as an option for that end of Munster even though they are located in Limerick. They do, however, offer a repair service for Apple customers throughout Ireland. They will arrange for lap-top computers to be couriered to them for a charge, and generally handle most cases in a matter of days. We have said on this site before that we have always found them very helpful and friendly.
The Galway search again provided two options for those in need of Apple authorised repairs in Ireland. Screenway handle issues arising under an AppleCare warranty on behalf of Apple and also mention per-incidence service for those without such cover. They offer a much wider portfolio of IT services, however, and so as in the case of Typetec, the focus is not entirely on Apple products.
Galmac Computers position themselves as Apple suppliers to business, home and education customers, and so can offer a range of service options or solutions for their customers.
It seems that those companies who offer a wider range of IT services are more likely to simply pass the afflicted hardware back to Apple than to handle it in-house, thus involving a longer wait-time for customers. Those agents whose business is based solely on Apple products can offer a range of service options or solutions for their customers.
These five companies represent the entirety of the Apple-authorised options available to Republic of Ireland customers if something happens to a piece of Apple equipment, regardless of whether one lives in Longford or Laois. It is also the case that many of the businesses that sell Macs do not actually provide a repairs or after-sales service.
There is, as yet, no Irish equivalent to the Apple Store and its Genius Bar where a customer in trouble can walk in off the street with their ailing Mac. Most of the solutions we have covered here involve complicated arrangements with couriers or a drive of some distance. The capital city has no city-centre outlets. The two official repair agents mentioned here are located in the outer suburbs.
If Apple intend to increase their profile in Ireland, offering a wider range of repair solutions will be important. First up, we would like to see the AppleCare service applied to its full extent - offering pick-up and on-site repairs in addition to the current referrals to a limited number of repair agents. But secondly, it would be good to see a larger number of these agents coming into the market, so that customers in all areas can feel they have options if the worst happens to their Mac.

Simon Spence/2007