Repair workshop software: job sheets, parts, repair subsidies

The two priced workshop tools are American and ignore France's repair subsidy. Tracking an entrusted device, its awaited part, and reimbursement file happens in France. What can be built your way, and the line till rules prohibit crossing.

Repair workshop software is priced in dollars when prices are shown: RepairDesk charges $79–$99 per shop monthly depending on billing period at entry, up to $149 for Growth, while RepairShopr ranges $59.99–$149.99 monthly by plan with 75 monthly tickets at entry (pricing consulted September 2, 2026). Neither mentions the repair subsidy.

What workshop software costs, in which currency

The only French-language provider displaying prices is Hiboutik: essential till functions are free, including after-sales request tracking, and Premium costs €16.90 monthly per account regardless of users or shops. Often-cited Lightspeed no longer publishes French retail prices; its page errors. RepairDesk and RepairShopr count users and tickets, charge text messages extra, and ignore both the repair subsidy and QualiRépar label.

How many workshops, and why the count is unclear

Neither INSEE nor a federation publishes a figure. The state business directory gives exact active counts on September 2, 2026: 3,654 household-appliance repair entities and 3,205 communications-equipment repairers. Computer repair's regional count stops at 11,298 with six regions missing, a minimum. Bicycle repair lives in a catchall subclass of 25,809 entities including clothing alterations, book and toy repairs, and piano tuning: an envelope rather than workshop count. The only clear reference is Écologic's claim of over 5,800 certified repairers.

What customers report when tracking is missing

Publishers lack usable French reviews, so look at repair chains where customers describe experienced defects. At WeFix, rated 1.5 out of 5 on Trustpilot, a customer writes August 18, 2026: 'Radio silence. No way to reach them, absolutely no follow-up.' Another deposited an iPad June 1, 2026 and still had no answer three months later. A third on July 14, 2026 describes an appointment maintained without the part, then a message just after departure announcing its arrival. At Murfy, despite 4.6 from 30,778 reviews, a customer says August 25, 2026 it took three days to announce a missing part without knowing which. A bicycle mechanic describes the same chain on an English-language repair forum in July 2026: a bicycle arriving for adjustment held three weeks awaiting agreement then a part.

Five functions, one per observed failure

Against silence, use an evidential intake record: identifier per device, tags on object and customer stub, condition photos, accessories left, serial or frame number, fault in the customer's words, and for computers a field for existing data and supplied access code, erased upon return. Against doubled quotes, announce diagnosis cost before disassembly, itemise the quote by part, and send it with timestamped acceptance or refusal. Against appointments without parts, link every part to its job, supplier, reference, order date, promised date, and actual arrival, offering appointments only once available. Against sleeping devices, list ready but uncollected items by age with timestamped archived reminders. Against forgotten reimbursement, prepare the subsidy submission alongside warranty counters on one screen.

Repair subsidy, warranties, and the till nobody rewrites

The subsidy affects documents. Official guidance requires invoices to show total price, subsidy amount, then the customer's total after deduction from the tax-inclusive amount. Certified repairers submit invoice duplicates to their certifying organisation, reimbursed within fifteen days at most, with the subsidy at least 10% of estimated cost. Amounts vary: €50 for laptops above €150, €25 for phones or tablets, €50 for washing machines, €60 for televisions. Circular-economy parts increase the subsidy 20% with written customer agreement, and Écologic pays €5 per approved bicycle file. Track separately the twelve-month statutory conformity-guarantee extension after repair and the three-month commercial warranty every certified repairer owes customers.

One line cannot be crossed. Workshops take consumer payments, falling under Article 286-I-3° bis of the French General Tax Code, and official tax guidance excludes self-development: own-use software proves compliance only through an accredited body's certificate, with €7,500 fines per system. Your tool therefore never records consumer payments; it prepares subsidy lines for the till, just as bakeries retain certified tills alongside their tools. Certification and reimbursement applications remain on eco-organisation platforms, as do manufacturer parts portals. The law on selling uncollected objects could not be verified at source: your tool tracks and alerts rather than decides. Consult your adviser before acting on property you do not own.

The first workshop day

When the tool arrives on the bench, it duplicates rather than replaces the notebook. At nine, the repairer enters a bicycle, prints and sticks the tag, takes two photos, and keeps pencil notes as yesterday. At noon, the first mismatch appears: 'accessories left' lacks locks, of which four models are stocked. They write to the agents, and correction follows the first version's path: reviewed specification, then built and verified step. By day's end, five devices entered the tool, two reminders sent automatically, and the notebook was used once. Judge day two by that count, not a demonstration. The AI budget depends on the assistant, its plan and the work requested. Our measured AI spending covers specific tests and does not set this tool's price. Also budget for your approval time, any hosting, external services and maintenance. Maestro still requires an invitation and is free during beta.

Where to start

Tonight count ready, uncollected devices and the last provable reminder date for each. Review the last three subsidised invoices and check the order: total price, subsidy, remainder. These half-hour counts reveal whether the problem is a notebook or software. Also examine electronic invoicing requirements: receipt mandatory since September 1, 2026, issuance September 1, 2027 for small businesses. Independent garages made the same division between what they retain and buy.