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If your laptop is damaged, broken, or just giving you fits,
don't rush to the conclusion that it's time to buy a new one!
Often, the laptop can
be repaired to give you many more years of useful service at a significantly
lower cost than replacing it.
Are laptops
cost effective to repair? Usually, yes, even when laptop repair is for a costly
item, such as replacing a defective screen. For example, consider the
following table comparing the strategies of repairing or replacing a laptop that
is causing you problems. In the replacement scenario, we see that not only does
the new laptop itself need to be purchased, but also all of the important
applications, data, and user settings need to be migrated. Whether you do this
migration on your own or pay someone to do it for you, there is a cost involved.
Worse, often the installation media and license keys have been lost, entailing
additional costs of software replacement.
| Repair Existing
Laptop |
Purchase New Laptop |
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Cost of repair and parts: $150 - $450
Total: $150 - $450 |
New laptop: $800 - $2500 Software migration (labor): $500 - $1000 Re-purchase missing licenses: $200 - $2000
Total: $1500 - $5500 |
Of course,
this is only a hypothetical example, and your situation may be very different.
The important point is to take into consideration all of the advantages and
disadvantages of repair versus replacement, and to not simply compare against
the price of the low end laptop currently advertised for sale.
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Advantages to Repair |
Advantages to Replace |
- Usually less costly, both short term and long
term
- May get several years of additional use from
current laptop
- Can stay with Windows XP and
avoid Vista
- Can avoid software and data migration headaches
- More environmentally friendly
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- Can move to "latest and greatest" hardware
(although switching to Vista may cancel out the advantages of better
hardware)
- Opportunity for change if you are not happy with
features of current laptop
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Are all laptops worth repairing?
Frankly,
no. For example, if a laptop is so old that it has become more of a "boat
anchor" than a productivity tool, then it should be replaced, because the cost
and hassle of maintaining an obsolete platform exceeds the cost of a new
purchase.
Also, some
laptops are so badly damaged that they cannot be salvaged at a reasonable cost.
If it has been dropped in the ocean, it is probably beyond hope. If it has
been run over by a car, crushing the casing, screen, and motherboard, then
repair does not make sense. However, in some such cases, the data stored on the
hard drive may be recoverable and moved to a new computer.
How much does it cost to repair a laptop?
The cost of
repair depends on a few factors, including: the make and model of the laptop;
the type of problem; and in some cases the urgency of the repair. We will always
give you a clear price estimate of repair so you won't face any surprises
(unless fixing one problem reveals another one). And as with all of our work, if
we can't fix it, you pay nothing.
What about replacing a screen? Isn't that costly?
While it
certainly isn't cheap, it may not be as expensive as you think. We charge
well below most competitors. Although most competitors will charge $500 or more
to replace a laptop screen, we can replace most laptop screens for only $395
including parts and labor. (Some competitors may offer a suspiciously low price,
but usually they are selling you a used screen salvaged from an old computer. We
use only new screens shipped directly from the manufacturer. If your goal is to
make the laptop "good as new" to provide additional years of service, this can't
be accomplished by using a screen that's just as old as the one you are
replacing.)
Contact us
today to see how we can help turn your laptop pain into productivity pleasure! |