Over the years I’ve talked about reasons to repair versus replace technology. I’ve helped many customers decide whether or not repairing an older piece of technology is really smart or a waste of money. Here’s a couple points I talk about with customers.
Technology hasn’t changed enough over the past 7 years to warrant purchasing new equipment simply because of a minor issue with your computer or laptop. Unless your equipment is completely destroyed, most of the time repairs can be done for less than the replacement cost.
Because you’re not in front of me I can’t show you, but my personal/business laptop is a 2010-2011 MacBook Pro that was given to me. The trackpad is destroyed (but works); as well, there are large dents in the aluminum. It’s plenty fast for my use and the road rash starts conversations.
Years ago technology changed fast, extremely fast. We’d buy a new computer and it would be outdated before we took it out of the box. During the 90’s it wasn’t uncommon to spend $1,500.00 on a new computer to see it on sale the following week for $1,000.00.
When dual-core processors came out in the early 2000’s growth started to slow down a bit and computer technology lasted longer. Computer prices also dropped as manufacturing moved from US soil to offshore. Prices still fell as technology changed, but the loss wasn’t as drastic.
With the introduction of Intel’s i (yes, lower case) series processors in 2010 we started to see a very slow rate of change with regards to technology. Processor speeds and their technology haven’t changed a lot since then. So, the majority of machines manufactured after 2010 with a decent processor will handle most of today’s requirements.
What this means to you when contemplating a repair is simple. If the computer does what you need it to do and the repair cost is below that of replacing the device then it’s a no brainer. However, if the repair cost is relatively close to the cost of a new machine then cash it in and buy new.
Whenever I’m pricing a repair job I always look at the overall value of the machine and test other common failure points before providing an estimate. Even though a laptop, for example, may have a cracked screen it may have other issues like a failing hard drive. I always evaluate the whole machine prior to making major repairs.
My bottom line is that justifying a repair over purchasing new is only a decision that can be made by an informed customer. If you don’t receive quality information prior to your repair then you can’t make a reasonable choice. It’s always a good idea to compare repair costs to replacement costs before making any decision.
(Jeromy Patriquin is the President of Laptop & Computer Repair, Inc. www.LocalComputerWiz.com.)