When your TV, Washer, or A/C breaks your forced with the dreaded decision of repair or replace. On one hand you want to save money by repairing it but on the other you secretly want to buy a new one. This dilemma is usually worse when it comes to televisions. You hate that old clunky 25 inch huge box and dream of that sleek new flat screen. To make matters worse TV’s are so cheap these days for less than $500 you can pick up a nice 42″ LCD. You may spend at least half that cost on the repair. But don’t be tempted just yet, it’s time to seek the repair shop.

The first thing to do is have it looked at by a competent repair service. Hopefully a service that will look at it at no charge. If you can’t find someone who will do it for free, find someone who will charge you a small fee and later include it as part of the overall charge.

When you get your repair estimate, the tough decision has to be made. You must weigh the repair bill over just buying a new TV. This decision is sometimes easy to make because the repair bill can be usually very high. With electronics today, the costs to repair can be as much as a new product.

Some appliances, the cost can be relatively inexpensive but the age of the appliance dictates that you purchase a new one because it has reached its useful life span. Something that continually is in need of repair is not worth fixing, making the decision to replace easy.

According to Consumer Reports, you can determine the repair/replace decision by following these tips:

Replace it if:

It’s old. New technology is better than ever and has become more affordable. You will likely get a better TV at a lower price than your previous one.

The repair will cost more than half the price of a new TV.

Repair it if:

It’s a really big expensive TV. It will not be easy to afford to replace this and will be worth the cost of a repair.

You bought the extended warranty.

Sometimes the TV can be damamged by surges in the electrical lines. Be sure to install a surge protector to save your TV from voltage spikes.

You have to be careful when deciding to make the repair. Are you putting money into something that will eventually need another repair? You may not get the benefit desired with the repair.

Category: featured, Saving Money