Know a comeback is covered before it becomes a new bill
BenchKey checks the returning customer against your configured warranty window and the last paid invoice. When coverage is active, the original ticket, terms, and days remaining appear directly in check-in—before staff accidentally treat the return like new paid work.
Recorded from the real app: Jeffrey “The Dude” Lebowski is recognized as a returning customer, his active 90-day coverage and prior ticket appear before intake, and a completely documented $0 rework ticket is created.
Coverage comes from a real paid repair
Set the shop’s warranty period once in your legal settings. BenchKey counts that window from the ticket’s latest paid invoice, so active coverage is derived from work that was actually settled rather than a checkbox someone had to remember at pickup. No paid invoice or no configured window means no warranty result.
The warning lands inside ordinary check-in
Select a returning customer and BenchKey quietly checks active coverage using the saved phone number. When there is a match, the form shows the original ticket, the warranty terms, and the days left, with a clear reminder to consider a warranty claim instead of a new paid ticket. Empty and failed lookups stay out of the way.
Repeat hardware carries its own history
Enter a serial number or IMEI and the intake can recognize hardware your shop has seen before. Staff can open the earlier history, see the last reported service, and get an ownership warning when the saved customer differs—useful context before a covered repair or buyback is accepted.
Document the rework without leaving blanks
The same real check-in records the customer, device, category, issue, identifiers, access code, zero-dollar estimate, queue, store, and internal explanation linking back to the original repair. For API-driven workflows, warranty claim records can also move from open to approved or rejected, then resolved, with a linked rework ticket and resolution notes.
FAQ
Warranty coverage & rework questions
How does BenchKey decide whether a repair is still covered?
Coverage is your configured warranty period counted from the ticket’s latest paid invoice. If the shop has no warranty window, the ticket has no paid invoice, or the window expired, BenchKey does not present it as active coverage.
Does the lookup slow down or block check-in?
No. The phone lookup is debounced and the banner is quiet when there is no match or the request fails. Staff can keep working through the same check-in form.
Can I track a formal claim lifecycle?
Yes through the BenchKey API today: open a claim against an actively covered ticket, approve or reject it, link one rework ticket, and resolve it with notes. The counter UI shown here focuses on catching coverage and documenting the rework honestly at intake.
What happens when the same device comes back under another customer?
Serial and IMEI recognition can surface the prior device history and an ownership warning. It does not silently overwrite the earlier record; staff decide how to proceed with that context visible.
Works with
Check-in & kiosk
Run staff-led walk-ins or a customer kiosk, match returning history, take in multiple devices, and create one complete ticket.
Asset & device tracking
Every device your shop has ever touched gets its own page — searchable by serial, IMEI, or asset tag, with the full repair history attached. (Business)
Repair tickets & queue
Every job on one board, status, owner, device, and what happens next. Nothing dies in a drawer.
Put your shop on BenchKey
Set up in an afternoon. Import your customers and tickets, build your check-in flow, and send your first live status link the same day.
Beta launches in ~3 weeks · Beta invites go out in small groups
Founders pricing: the first 50 shops lock Pro at $59/mo for life · see pricing