Recently, one of our older tablets (a 2012 nexus 7) started having charging issues. We've been discussing the merits of repairing it vs finding a used but better condition replacement vs buying new. It probably needs a new charging port and maybe a new battery, costing $15-$20 each. They're fairly quick and easy to repair but I think if bits are starting to die, it will just be the start and something else will need fixing on it soon too. I think it's old enough that we should just be done with it and replace it with new even though when my daughter shattered her tablet screen a few months after buying it, we just bought a replacement screen. In my mind, replacing a screen on an otherwise new device is a lot different than throwing money into repairs on an older piece of technology. What are your thoughts on this? Where do you draw the line between repair and replacement?
I agree that sometimes it makes more sense to just replace an item rather than repair it. In the first two instances where my television broke down I paid to repair it thinking that it would save me the hassle and expense of buying a new one. But in the end it would have just made more sense and been less expensive to replace it rather than repairing it. Now if I buy an expensive electronic item I think it is worth taking out insurance so that if anything does happen I don't have to have the worry of either.
It is hard to know what is the best thing to do when it comes to electronics. I am in the same place, I need to decide if I am goind to fix the laptop I dropped, the screen is broken or replace it. Electronics become old and outdated so quickly. Ny tablet is not supported any more, I decided to just use it as long as I can, when it dies a natural death I will replace it.
Just in the past week I had to make the same sort of judgment call at work. My Gateway PC shut down while I was working. No problems I thought, I must have just backed into the surge protector, so I went to re-start it and it looked like it was going to boot and immediately shut down. So I called the repair place and they came out. It turned out to be the on-off switch and because of the way it was built it was not easy to get to. I had to decided repair or replace. This is what I did- I had the guy bring me a replacement computer anyway, he was able to copy my hard drive on the spot and I was up and working in a very short time. The new computer was $569. I would have paid a minimum of $75 for the visit, more for the Geek squad had I called them. I told them to take and repair the other computer and I would pick it up, that cost me $100, while they were setting up the new computer they also upgraded the majority of the programs I use, this was huge and saved me so much time and money. When all was said and done I got a new computer with upgraded programs and running and still had my old computer that I will let a co-worker use all for the cost that was less then if I just bought a new computer from the store. My advice is find a reputable computer repair and ask them outright, power plant repairs are usually worth the repair cost if the laptop itself has what you need for how you use it. that is the real determiner- what do you need and how long can you be down? Make your decision from that.
If the device is working fine and needs but a minor repair or replacement of some part to get it "back in the game" then I'd have it repaired. However if the device is old and I have a hunch that soon after a repair I may have to start thinking about something else which might need to be replaced then since that device is probably well past its prime, getting a new one would end up saving me money in the long run.
It's only two years old, so you're PROBABLY better off getting it repaired rather than replacing the device. Those are relatively small problems that you could even repair yourself. Still, there's no telling when the device might finally kick the bucket. It's all a gamble, but repairing it should give it a few months of extra life at the very least. It could even last for another few years, although the hardware will be pretty useless in a couple years compared to what's coming out by then.
We decided that if $30-40 gets us another few months of use out of the device, it's worth it. There's another tablet scheduled to come out late in the spring that my boyfriend is interested in. We'd rather wait for that than get something now and still want that device when it comes out. Then if the repaired nexus 7 is still working when we get the new one, we can always sell it on craigslist and at least get the price of the repairs back, if nothing else. It helps that we only have to buy the parts and are able to make the repairs ourselves.
I will definitely have it repaired as long as the main component of the gadget is intact, like my phone that turned to white screen because of a broken flex cable. I bought the flex cable and I was able to repair my phone. Another one of my phones has a malfunctioning LCD, so I would buy another LCD screen to replace it. I would try to repair easy to repair gadgets, but if the repair would be expensive, then I'd just buy a new one.
I think replacing screens is a lot more practical too. I'd say that if the device is still running smoothly prior to it breaking then it might be worth looking into getting it fixed especially if it won't cost that much. If it has started slowing down then maybe it's much better to just buy a new one. You could also probably still make some money back by selling it as a broken item to offset the cost of the new device even or you could even have it fixed just to sell it at a higher price.
Honestly, repairing would be the better option to go with. You can easily repair it and then sell it off and buy a new one if you wanted to. Though, just simply tossing the phone when it needs a simple fix like you described is just like throwing away hundreds of dollars.
The major issue here is that the cost of reparation is many many times closer to the price of getting a new device and we end up doing that, even if in reality the reparation effective costs are just a few dollars. Smart from the producers eh, but bad for our pockets.
I think it is one of the best way to repair if you can afford it rather than just try it rather than just think about buying a new one. Every electronic gadget gives some amount of trouble after some time. Hence it is best to avoid many trouble by just repairing it.
Agree, sometimes repairs actually cost more than just replacing the thing you broke. I remember one time my laptop's video card stopped working and when I took it to a repair shop they said it would cost me almost $600 to patch things up which is really crazy since the price for repair is $200 shy from the original price of the laptop.
It is like Roulette my friend, there is nothing saying one component's demise will mean another component is doomed automatically. It's a "hit and miss" scenario. I've seen some repaired computers last more than new ones. If the computer has good-quality components, it might make more sense to repair the faulty part than disposing of everything as your first choice. Now, if you repair the computer and there's another component broken shortly after it, you might consider replacement. But repairing might be a good first choice for the chance to have a long-lasting equipment, with some components replaced.
