Broken things, reapir them or buy a new one?
By hcpoirot
@hcpoirot (1562)
Indonesia
May 13, 2008 6:47am CST
what will you do if you had broken things like a DVd player or TV or anything? Did you decide try to repair them first by repairman or just bought a new one?I asked for a repairman to look at the things that broke first. i asked him to tell me the roughly cost of the repair. If the repair cost are half of the original buying price, I usually bought a new one.
Cause usually repair stuff cannot last very long except few things. I also check price on outlet mall regularly. If I found out that they had major sale for stuff that just got broken, I just bought them. Specially cheap stuff, like a fan, Dvd player or a mouse.
What about you?
15 people like this
52 responses
@ruby222 (4847)
•
13 May 08
You are right in what you say,usually the cost of a repair outweighs the cost of the replacement,or makes it not worthwhile in replacing it.I was mad a while ago,my washing machine broke down,so I asked this chap..who i knew did repairs on the side..to take a look at it...he did..and did nothing..then he said Oh that will be forty pounds please..that was just for coming to the house!!..I wasnt very impressed!!..but small items,kettles,irons,toasters etc..they wouldnt ever be worth repairing,just better to replace them and be done with it.
@coolmailraj (2460)
• India
13 May 08
I must say you have a well thought out way to deal with things that have gone wrong, but I am a lot casual.
I sometimes inquire about how long the thing will hold up after repairing and the charges. Then I decide whether to go with the same one or to have a new one.
But many a times I just pick up the new stuff.
@hellcowboy (7374)
• United States
16 May 08
Usually if something gets broken,like a television or a dvd player,depending on how bad its broken,I throw it out and buy a new one,even though there are times I like to go redneck on the stuff and use the duct tape to fix them.
1 person likes this
@hellcowboy (7374)
• United States
19 May 08
Yeah I know it sucks when you want to watch a dvd and your dvd player breaks,and it always good to buy cheaper things,because eventually stuff will break no matter how much you spend on it.
1 person likes this
@shoffman2000 (560)
• Alexandria, Virginia
18 May 08
Sometimes you need to define the problem. One time my clothes washer was being sluggish and was not washing properly. Fortunately I talked to a maytag repair manager and he told me that if the drain was partially clogged, this would cause the problem. I put the drano down the pipe that the hose went to and cleared out the drain. Once the drain was cleared, the machine drained in the 120 seconds and there was not anything wrong with the machine. Another my laptop stopped working. The cord on the charger was crimped; the radio shack person straightened it out -no further problem.
1 person likes this
@Anne18 (11029)
•
13 May 08
If we have anything broken we try to get it mended first. The problem with life today is that things cost so much less and you normally can go out and buy a new item for less than the repairs, which is so wrong with the ladfill sites getting fuller by the day etc.
I wanted our duvets dried clean, I took them to the shop and it was going to cost the same price to get them cleaned as it would be to buy new ones!!!
Not only are we filling the ladfill sites too quickly we are also taking jobs away from people.
The govement ought to take more stock of what is going on and make repairs cheaper etc to help save the world
1 person likes this
@jonesy123 (3948)
• United States
13 May 08
It's not the government setting the price for repairs. It's the repair people driven by demand for their services and the desire to make money.
But with the economy the way it is you might just get your wish with repairs being cheaper than buying new. Prices are going up, eventually they'll be high enough for people to first try and have an item repaired before tossing it.
1 person likes this
@spalladino (17891)
• United States
13 May 08
I've found that most electronic equipment costs more to repair than to replace so I usually opt for replacing something that has broken...and that my husband has tried unsuccessfully to repair himself.
@hcpoirot (1562)
• Indonesia
13 May 08
The same things happen to my dad. He suaully try hours to repair something broken and after that, usually it fail. and we had to buy new one. this day, we try to discouraged him to try, cause it just isnot his strongest suit and just wasting time. 
1 person likes this
@spalladino (17891)
• United States
13 May 08
Dads and husbands have the "fix it" gene and have to try repairing broken things...even if they have no idea what they're doing. My husband is great at fixing some things but not anything electronic. I let him try tho....for the sake of peace in our house.
@spoiled311 (5500)
• Philippines
13 May 08
hi hc!
i am a filipino and we have a repair shop. filipinos are known for having things fixed, even things that date back to the 60s as long as they are still being used. anyway, we are so used to doing that.
but come to think of it, i think it is a good thing. if people will do that, our junk will be lessened. our garbage volume will be decreased because we recycle stuff.
don't you think?
@danishcanadian (28953)
• Canada
15 May 08
I only buy new things when I really need them. If something can be fixed, I will fix it evry single time. I have found some rather ingenious ways to repair things, and get some more use out of them.
1 person likes this
@AmbiePam (92719)
• United States
13 May 08
I find that if something like a DVD player breaks, it is usually cheaper to buy a new one than to repair it. I have a friend who is very good at repairing things like DVD players and computers, so if he cannot fix it, then I know I need to get a new one. He never charges me, and so far he has always been able to fix my computer. And for that I am extremely grateful!
1 person likes this
@luvstochat (6907)
• United States
13 May 08
Most of the time if it is somthing like a dvd player I will just buy a new one as it is usally cheaper just to do that. If a major appliance breaks down I will call out a repairman first. I had my stove fixed for $40 instead of spending $400 to buy a new one.
1 person likes this
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
13 May 08
Like you, I find out how much it will cost first. Sometimes it's not worth it to fix it. Many times, if something breaks I'll just do without it because I feel insecure about spending money this past year or two. One thing I won't do without, though is my fan! I'd rather skip a meal than be too hot!
1 person likes this
@julyteen (13252)
• Davao, Philippines
13 May 08
i always go for buying a new one than repair.Tv is now cheaper compare before so very affordable. I can buy now a Dvd player for $25 USD. repaired things will last only few months. it is waste of my time to send again to repair shop.
@jonesy123 (3948)
• United States
13 May 08
Most repair places charge to even look at the item. For us it depends. A TV might be worth it, if it is newer, a DVD player probably not, a coffee machine or toaster, forget it. Sometimes I try and see if I myself can fix it, if I know it would cost too much to have a professional repairman look at it and repair it. It might just be a lose wire or something that can be fixed. But if I have to get a repairman involved it's usually cheaper just to buy something new.
@Ohara_1983 (4117)
• Kuwait
15 May 08
nope i just try to check if i can repair & in good cost but as you said it is half from the new one, much better to buy new one.
1 person likes this
@zed_k4 (17589)
• Singapore
15 May 08
Bro, I repair everything and anything that I could get hold of. Even my big bike, I change the oil filter, change the pipe, modify this and that. Everything, ha! My mom calls me the D.I.Y guy and I think she's very right about it. I guess it has always been in my nature to repair things, ever since I was young.
But the only time where I would give up repairing and start buying a new equipment would be if the thing really cannot be fixed at all. Then I would start to look for a brand new one. I'm a fussy buyer by the way, LOL. I prefer things to be better in the long run and if preferable, I'm able to modify it.
1 person likes this
@travibabiesgirl (1690)
• United States
13 May 08
I usually just buy a new one. I took a vcr one time for repair and it cost me almost as much as it would to replace it. I took a computer recently and told them if it would cost me as much as a new one I didn't want it fixed. well they did the repairs and it cost me right about as much as a new one would have. That one is what made me decide to never repair again.
1 person likes this
@hcpoirot (1562)
• Indonesia
13 May 08
I can understand that. That why before repair things, I ask them to check the damaged and tell me upfront the cost first. If its too expensive, better buy a new one. If they scam me and told me its cheap and after fix, they give me top bills to pay, I will never ever use their services again.
1 person likes this
@rulzzster (46)
• India
17 May 08
i think its better to repair them.... as it saves alot of money
1 person likes this
@fospassin (7)
• United States
15 May 08
I think the best thing to when you have a broken tv or Dvd is to go and buy the new one.Most of the time,when you try to repair it,you spend more money and you are not sure that it will like before.It is better to stay away from headaches by buying a new one which cost cheaper than the one you will be paying all the time to fix without being sure it will work properly.Do you prefer repairing your tv for $100 five times than to buy a new at $150 one time?Answer to my question,please...
