How we rank repair shops
Every "Best phone repair" page on Tilow lists the three highest-rated independent repair shops in that suburb. The ranking is worked out by a published formula from Google reviews. Nobody can pay for a place, and Tilow's own partners get no special treatment.
Who can be ranked
- Independent businesses only. Carrier stores, big-box retailers, manufacturer stores and chains are left out.
- A shop front. Mobile repairers who come to you are listed separately on each page, but not ranked.
- At least 25 Google reviews. Below that, a rating says too little about a shop.
- Open for business, and not removed at the owner's request.
The score
We start from each shop's Google rating and weight it by how many reviews it has. A shop with few reviews is pulled towards the average rating of shops in its state; a shop with hundreds of reviews keeps close to its own rating. So 4.9 stars from 400 reviews beats 5.0 stars from 100.
For the curious: score = (v ÷ (v + 150)) × R + (150 ÷ (v + 150)) × C, where R is the shop's Google rating, v its number of reviews, and C the average rating of the qualifying shops in its state.
When two shops score the same, the busier one (more reviews in the last 90 days) goes first, then the one that has been trading longer.
Suburb by suburb
Where a suburb has at least 3 shops that qualify, we rank those. Where it has fewer, we look further out, 2 km at a time up to 10 km from the suburb's centre, and the page says "near" instead of "in". A suburb with fewer than three qualifying shops within 10 km gets no page. Below the top three, each page lists up to five more good shops nearby.
How often it changes
We refresh ratings and review counts and recompute every ranking each month. A shop that earns a top three place keeps that year's badge until 31 December, even if it later slips.
Where the numbers come from
Ratings, review counts, addresses and opening hours come from each business's public Google profile, and the date we checked is shown next to every rating. "Known for" is the words that come up most often in a shop's Google reviews. Tilow is not affiliated with Google or with the shops listed.
Prices on listings
Where a shop publishes its repair prices on its own website, we show them on its listing and let you compare shops for your phone. Each price is shown as the shop lists it, with the day we read it and a link to the page it came from. We read each website about once a week, follow its robots.txt, and drop a price we have not seen for 45 days. Prices change, so check with the shop before you go. The ranking never uses prices. A shop that has claimed its listing shows the prices it keeps in Tilow instead, and any shop can ask us to hide its prices.
Corrections and removal
If something is wrong, or you own a listed shop and want it or its prices removed, tell us. We remove a listing within 5 business days, and no reason is needed.
Common questions
Can a shop pay to rank higher?
No. There is no paid placement of any kind. Tilow partners are ranked exactly like every other shop, and a partner that slips out of the top three drops off the list.
Why is my favourite shop missing?
It may be part of a chain, have fewer than 25 Google reviews, have no shop front, or not be in our list yet. Tell us and we will check it.
How do I get my shop removed?
Use the contact form and choose "My shop's listing". We remove a listing within 5 business days, no reason needed.
How do I correct my details?
Claim your listing, free, from your shop's page, or send us the correction through the contact form.