What Happens When Tech Breaks?
Local Expert stops by to share when to fix tech and when to replace.
Everyone has tech that we use in our day to day lives. We have phones, computers, tablets, smart watches and some of us still play video games. What happens when tech breaks? Most retailers would have you believe it’s simply time to replace it, but our friends at Chatt Fix had a different take on what happens when something breaks.
Most screens and batteries can be replaced or repaired but according to Aaron Alldaffer, there’s a limit on what you need to spend when it comes to replacement costs.
“Typically, when you get a broken screen which happens from when the kids are using them, you can replace those pretty easily sometimes. They’re pretty cheap if you have a digitizer which is the touchscreen. The best thing to do is just call your local repair place and see how much it costs. A good rule of thumb is once it’s once the repair cost is over 50% to buy new it’s best just to buy new,” says Alldaffer. Because whenever you replace something you’re obviously sometimes getting an aftermarket part or a brand-new part OEM which cost a little bit more. So, I always tell my customers if you’re getting something that’s over the half the price of a new unit, it’s best to just replace it.”
Not everything has to be replaced. If the front or back of your tablet or cellphone has cracks in the screen or the case, it’s best to repair that to protect it from the elements as well as protecting yourself from cuts and scratches. One of the things that stood out to me was how Aaron and his company take videos and pictures as they repair a device. That way you know for sure how the device looked when it was received and how it looks when
Repair shops like our new friends do fix more than cellphones. Some can repair TV’s, Blu-Ray Players and other household electronics. Alldaffer and Chatt Fix specialize in gaming consoles and controllers. While some may throw those out at the first sign of trouble, he claims the fixes are much cheaper than replacing.
For tech that can’t be fixed he does recommend keeping them out of the landfill by finding a recycling center that will dispose of them properly.
