We’ve all heard the saying “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it.” Well, what if it’s broken?
The other morning I happened to catch the end of an educational cartoon (Arthur) my daughters were watching on TV. In this episode, Arthur’s parents were considering purchasing a new car, because their car was broken and the mechanic told them it would cost too much to be fixed.
Despite what the mechanic told them, Arthur (the main character in the show) is determined to fix the car. Arthur calls into a radio talk show hosted by a couple of car experts to get some help and find out how to fix the car. The car experts tell Arthur what the problem is. And using their information, Arthur’s dad fixes the car, so they don’t have to buy a new car.
The message of the story is a good one – fix it and save the money.
Today, it seems like many of us are in such a hurry to get things working – that the thought of fixing it just sounds too time consuming. But taking the time to do a little research, understand the problem and find the right solution – could really save you some serious money.
“Patience is the companion of wisdom.” ~St. Augustine
Besides, the Internet is a great place to find out how to fix things. You can watch helpful how-to videos on YouTube.com, research what others may be saying about it and submit questions on discussion forums.
Just the other day, the trackball in my Blackberry fell out when I dropped it. I called my cell phone company to see what they could do to help me. Unfortunately, that was a complete waste of time because I did not have any insurance and all they did was aggressively try to sell me a new phone.
They must have thought I was from another planet when I explained that I usually keep my cell phone for about 4 years. So they could forget about me using my upgrade. Needless to say, I really did not care what they thought because I had already made up my mind that I was not buying a new phone.
After spending some time on the Internet I found a few companies who could fix it for about $50. However, I kept on looking and eventually found the new part on Amazon.com for less than $2 with free shipping. For real!
Since seeing is believing, take a look at my shipping order details below:
Blackberry Trackball / Joystick / Navigate / Pearl / Ring Repair Replacement Fix Fixin…
Sold by: The OEM Shop
Condition: new
Quantity: 1
$1.47 each
Item subtotal: $1.47
I even added a protective case for less than $3. Amazingly, the grand total added up to less than $5 with free shipping on both items.
Next, I went on YouTube to learn how to fix my trackball myself. And it was unbelievably easy. When the part arrived, I fixed my Blackberry in less than a minute. And now it’s like I have a new phone without spending hundreds of dollars. Plus, I don’t have to worry about being locked into a 2-year contract agreement.
As with anything we must use our own judgment to determine whether something is worth replacing. For example, do the costs outweigh the benefits?
I’m frugal and when it’s broken, I always consider fixing it first. Another tip is to seek a second opinion, because it could save you money and give you the leverage you need to negotiate a lower price. After all, Arthur’s second opinion helped his family save money on the cost of a new car. 🙂
Below is a segment from the Arthur episode that inspired this post. Enjoy!
Dare to be Different.
I totally agree… don’t be helpless… When things break put on your detective hat and start googling. The internet enables consumers to troubleshoot on how to do repairs themselves. I purchased by washer and dryer because the manufacturer (fisher and paykel) builds them so they can be repaired with a phillips screwdriver. A few years ago my washing machine’s drain motor stopped working. I googled my brand and model along with “water will not drain”. I found a discussion board where people had the same problem and detailed out how they fixed it. Also, I found out that there were service manuals hidden under my washer control panel. So with my phillips screwdriver I removed the panel and read the service man’s manual. I repaired the washer myself by following the service manual and the online forum. I purchased the drain motor part from ebay for $65. Out of curiousity I called a few repair companies and explained the problem. They each quoted me repair prices of $300 – $450 and stated they would not be able to fix it for at least a week.
Last weekend my refrigerator was not cooling so I went on the internet again. I found diagrams of my refrigerator and discussion forums where others had the same problem. Luckily my fridge is still under warranty, so I called the store I purchased it from. Armed with my internet research, I was able to ask my service man probing questions (because I was pretty sure of what was wrong with my fridge). He saw the diagrams I had printed off the internet and used them during his diagnostic testing. He tested more components than he would have orginally done due to my questions and the diagrams. He found the true root cause of the refrigerator problem and he ordered the correct parts (defrost sensor and fan motor). Also, I had found a temporary fix for the problem on the internet and the repairman did that as well. So my fridge is working and the permanent repair will be done tomorrow. Hallelujah and praise the lord for the internet.
Kembala,
This is great, useful info. And I certainly concur. Last year I purchased a used laptop computer. And months into having it, I got a virus that unfortunately the “help desk” through my I.S. P. was not very “helpful” with. I didn’t want to take it into the local computer shop, because that could prove costly. So I did some digging and found a how-to piece on Ehow.com that helped me to later restore it for free.
Though I wouldn’t recommend D.I.Y. projects for everything, (i.e. plumbing, roofing, etc.), it’s definitely beneficial in many aspects of life and day-to-day functioning. Thanks for the reminder.
That’s wonderful Monica!!! Thanks for sharing your tips on how to perform detailed Internet searches. What’s the deal with how they hide those manuals from the consumer anyway? 😀
When it comes to service repairs, the Internet can really come in handy. A few months back when my check engine light came on, I took my car in to a few places to find out what the problem was, only to be told what the codes meant and how much it would cost to repair. The estimates were from $1,100 – $1,300 to repair. Again, I refused to pay that much to have it fixed. So like you, I scoured the Internet for more information behind those codes.
Luckily, I found an expert forum where other car owners with the same codes were upset about all the money they had spent repairing the problem. Only to have the same issue come back again. Thankfully, a dealer service tech answered the question on a forum. He told us what the problem could really mean and even said sometimes the computer kicks out the wrong code. In the end, I shared what I had learned with an honest mechanic. And he used this information to diagnose the issue further and it was spot on in resolving the real problem. In the end, the repair cost me around $330.
I agree Jennifer, we must use our best judgement. When it came to my car repair, the mechanic explained how you could do it yourself (putting the car up and how-to diagrams of the part, etc.), but I decided to leave it for an experienced mechanic instead. No way would I have even attempted that one. That’s for sure. 🙂