OPPS-A-DAISY! The Ding is among the top 20 towns and cities in the country for being clumsy when it comes to technology.
A survey by Getac ranked the nation for places most likely to break their phones, laptops and tablets.
Reading popped in at 16th.
And it shouldn’t really comes as a surprise, but the worst time for tech repairs is Easter holidays, with demand soaring 24%, while half-term breaks are not far behind. But there is a 6% drop at Christmas.
The most common breakages are screens, dead batteries, duff chargers and faulty USB ports. Unsurprisngly, it is mobile phones that are most affected, followed by tablets, then PCs.
Getac analysed nationwide Google searches for device repairs to identify any trends – and found that there’s consistently been the biggest increase in tech problems at the start of April, based on a decade of search data.
Of the 62 cities analysed, Norwich saw the highest demand for repairs.
Mobile phones accounted for the majority of the city’s broken handheld tech (60%), followed by laptops (32%) and tablets (3%). These figures are in line with the national trend, as searches around mobile phone repairs consistently topped those made for laptops or tablets.
Which? consumer data reveals that the average phone repair currently stands at £140, laptop repairs come in at £105 each, and each tablet fix amounts to around £135.
Behind Norwich, the city that saw the most broken devices was Lincoln, with phones accounting for 58% of the damaged tech, followed by Wrexham, Inverness and Bath.
Reading was ahead of Newcastle, York, Oxford and Birmingham.
A Getacspokesperson said: “Broken devices can be frustrating and disruptive for many – particularly those who are reliant on their phones or laptops to work and communicate with others, and those who can’t afford to pay for unexpected repairs.
“Although some issues can’t be avoided, it’s good for people to be particularly conscious as to when their devices are most likely to break, as it’ll keep safety and security at the forefront of their minds as they’re out and about – or when planning an Easter weekend break.
“There’s a reason that the first two weeks in April see the most demand for repairs year on year, and ultimately, prevention is cheaper than the cure. For those who are particularly prone to device issues, make sure to be extra vigilant to avoid costly repairs.”
