How long have you been doing this?
I’ve been modding and repairing retro systems for about 10 years, most of it locally via word of mouth advertising. When COVID hit in late 2019 and I went fully remote, I found myself with a lot more free time outside of work given most things were closed down. That’s when I started to get into social media like Twitter and started this website just as a fun personal writing blog/exercise initially but realized there was the potential for bigger reach in the mod/repair services field. It just went from there and allowed me the opportunity to work on many more systems and meet new customers and people in the retro community.
Do you offer a warranty on your mods / repair services?
I obviously cannot offer a warranty on any hardware itself (systems you send in for work or mod components) but I will provide support for the actual installation and repair work itself for 90 days after its completed. This also includes any failed capacitors or components that I include in my service fees from Console5. If you have any problems within that window, please reach out to me via the custom form on this website or email and I will work it out with you. If it requires shipping back the console, I will pay for shipment to me and free diagnosis. If no issues can be found or the issue is unrelated to the work completed prior I will charge you for any additional work/services and shipping both ways to recoup my costs. You need to keep in mind a lot of the systems I offer services for are 20+ years old and while some work I offer is great as preventative maintenance, it’s impossible to guarantee no future issues on these electronics.
What is the turn-around time on mod / repair services?
I do my absolute best to keep the “Shop Status” section on my home page as up to date as possible. The approximate backlog time is my estimation from when I would receive your system and be able to start actually working on it. Unless I’m on a lengthy vacation I typically leave orders open at all times so when returning there is work that can begin immediately, cutting down on delays. If I’m not going to be unavailable for longer than a week I typically shut orders down as I prefer not to have customer equipment sitting in my PO Box. Of course this is all an estimate and the scope of some projects change and this number could be off by as much as 1 additional week but likely no more than that. If your desired service has an urgent need please reach out to me via custom form request and I will provide you with a better answer on ETA and anything else that could impact my delivery of service.
How should my console and mod parts be shipped?
PLEASE take the little bit of extra time and money to ensure your items are packaged securely in a cardboard box that is in decent shape and with proper packing materials. When I ship a console back to you it gets wrapped in a plastic bag to prevent any possible rain or moisture damage if the delivery person leaves it outside your residence or shipping destination. Its then securely placed in the center of the box and surrounded by several layers of bubble wrap and the remaining void is filled with shipping peanuts or foam blocking so the items wont take any hard shocks or bumps in transit and risk damaging internal components or breaking plastic shells. My recommendation when shipping to me is follow that same guideline. I cannot be responsible for anything that occurs during shipment as that is out of my control but I have not had a single issue in the process of returning to the customer with the precautions I take. I have however had items arrive damaged due to poor packing and I don’t like having to deliver that news to anyone.
Where are my item(s) delivered?
I have a PO Box registered for this business that I use for receiving all shipments as I feel this is the safest method, for the sake of your item(s). Due to a busy schedule with both work and family commitments I am not always at my workshop to receive items and do not want anyone’s package being left outside in inclement weather or at risk of theft. The PO Box allows your item(s) to be securely stored until I can retrieve them and bring to the workshop myself.
Do you offer local/in-person services to avoid shipping?
If you are local to Seacoast NH and would like to arrange to have work done and avoid the cost and risk associated with shipping, I do provide services for local clients. At least 50% of the work I get is from local customers or retro shops in the area. If you have my email from a business card or via custom form response, you can reach out to me there or just enter a custom request via this website.
Will I get updates throughout the process?
Yes, not only will you receive emails during each stage of the service and ordering process, but I will personally send you emails to keep you up to date on where in the queue your item(s) are. Once actually on the bench and being worked on, I actively take pictures throughout the process including the systems disassembled, being cleaned and all replacement parts being installed. These pictures will be shared with you during the process so you can feel comfortable the work is being done as advertised and also kept in the loop on how far along the process is coming. While I try and be as communicative as possible when really busy there might be lapses, but if you reach out for an update I will respond ASAP.
Do you offer pre-modded handheld and console systems?
I do occasionally list systems that have already been modded or restored to various degrees. If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram I will post them there first to gauge interest and then add to the services page as a temporary listing, which will get removed once sold. To avoid them being confused for my send-in services I’m planning on building out a “SHOP” section to the site to specifically group these in, but waiting until I have a bigger inventory to do so. Hoping to have that up by early 2024. I have a lot of systems to work on and always have a backlog of customer requests so its perpetually getting delayed.