Try another charger before you bring it in
A good share of Switch consoles that will not charge are not faulty at all — they are attached to a tired USB-C cable or a third-party dock that cannot deliver enough current. That is a free thing to rule out, and worth doing before you spend anything.
- Use the original Nintendo charger and a cable you know works on something else
- Test it handheld with the cable only, then in the dock — the two answer different questions
- A dock that charges a phone can still fail to charge a Switch, because the Switch asks for more
- Pop in and we will test the charger and cable on the counter for nothing
-
3 business days
Typical turnaround
-
Free assessment
Including the port and rail measurements
-
3-month warranty
Parts and labour
-
C$70–C$160
Depending on which part has failed
Three faults, one symptom — priced separately
These are genuinely different repairs, not a range invented to cover uncertainty. The diagnosis says which one you have, and the price follows from it.
| Fault | Fitted price |
|---|---|
| Battery replacement Charges, but will not hold a charge | C$70 |
| Charging port replacement The most common one — a worn or loose USB-C socket | C$90 |
| Charging circuit, board level The port is sound, but the console still will not take a charge | C$160 |
The cheapest row is the one to hope for and the dearest is the one to plan for. You get one fixed price before any work starts, and nothing is charged if we cannot fix it.
How we diagnose it
The order of these steps matters: each one rules out a cheaper cause before we open the console up, so you are not paying for board work when a socket was the problem.
-
Step 1:Measure the draw
The console is put on a meter that reports how much current it is actually taking. A healthy Switch and a dead one draw visibly different amounts, and that single number narrows the fault immediately.
-
Step 2:Inspect the port
The USB-C socket is examined under magnification for bent pins, worn contacts, corrosion and movement in the shell. A socket that wiggles is a socket that has failed.
-
Step 3:Test the battery
The battery is load-tested rather than simply read. A battery can report a healthy voltage and still collapse under the current a console needs.
-
Step 4:Quote before we start
You get one number, covering the repair we are going to do. If the diagnosis turns up something cheaper than expected, the price drops with it.
Liquid changes the answer
If the console was ever spilled on, the corrosion from it rarely stops at the one component that has failed. The charging circuit can test as the fault and then fail again a month later, because the board around it is still compromised. We will tell you when we see that, and when a repair is money you should not spend.
- Corrosion is visible under magnification even when the console looks clean
- We will show you what we found rather than describe it
- A board we think is compromised gets said out loud, before you pay
Not charging questions
How much does it cost to fix a Switch that will not charge?
Between C$70 and C$160, depending on whether the battery, the charging port or the board itself has failed. The assessment identifies which, and you get one fixed price before any work starts.
It charges in the dock but not with a cable. What is that?
Usually the charging port. The dock uses its own connector and can get a good connection where a cable cannot, which is a useful clue — it tells us the battery and the charging circuit are probably fine.
Do I need to bring the charger and dock too?
Bringing the charger is genuinely useful, because we can measure it and rule it out. Leaving the dock at home is fine.
Will my save data survive?
Yes. A charging fault does not touch the internal storage, and nothing about this repair involves it. Your saves are not at risk from the repair itself.
Is a board-level charging repair worth it?
Sometimes, and sometimes not. If the board has failed because of liquid or a surge that damaged more than one thing, the honest answer is often that a replacement console is the better spend. We will give you that answer even though it costs us the job.
Can you fix a bent charging port pin?
Occasionally a pin can be straightened rather than the whole socket replaced, and if that is all it needs you pay the smaller amount. Bent pins usually mean the socket has taken a knock though, so it is not something we would promise before seeing it.
Bring the charger with the console
If you bring the console and its charger, we can usually tell you within a few minutes whether it is the cable, the port or the board — before you have committed to anything.
No Fix, No Fee. Walk in at our Oakville workshop during opening hours, or send it to us.