Repair it, don’t replace it: Why UAE residents still visit repair shops around the country

Repair it, don’t replace it: Why UAE residents still visit repair shops around the country

Dubai: When was the last time your phone broke or the blender in the kitchen stopped working, and you immediately thought of buying a new one? While getting a replacement can be quick with online shopping now being the norm, many UAE residents still appear to be keen on getting the original item repaired. Go down a bylane of any popular market in the UAE and you are sure to find small repair shops, where you can get everyday items fixed – phones, laptops, kitchen appliances, shoes and even luxury car keys. “In fact, people prefer to get things repaired instead of replaced. I am a key maker, I programme remotes and smart keys. Customers come to me and ask me to fix their old key,” 34-year-old Irfan Shahid, who works in his uncle’s shop in Dubai, told Gulf News. “I could easily give them a new key, but they want the original one to be fixed. I have been in this field for nearly 10 years, I have seen the demand for repair work increase. Last month, I had a customer bring his luxury car key, I just had to change the case and it cost Dh900. A new