Repair Or Replace? How To Decide
The honest arithmetic, from a shop that would rather tell you not to bother than take a job you will regret. Three things decide it: what the repair costs against what the phone is worth, how old the battery is, and whether the fault is one thing or the start of several.
What to do
Compare the repair to the phone’s real value, not its original price
Look up what your exact model sells for used, in working order. A repair worth more than half that is usually worth thinking twice about — though a phone you like and know is worth something too.
Count the battery’s age separately
If the phone is over three years old, assume the battery is near the end even if the fault is something else. Two repairs in one visit is often still worth it; two repairs six months apart rarely feels that way.
Ask whether the fault is one thing or a symptom
A cracked screen is one thing. A phone that has been dropped hard, got wet and now charges oddly is a phone telling you something. We will say which one we think you have.
Factor in what a new phone actually costs you
Not just the handset — the time moving everything across, and whatever you lose on a trade-in that is worth much less broken than repaired. That gap is often larger than the repair.
Still stuck? Bring it in.
We are at Unit 6/61 Market St, Wollongong, open 7 days. Walk in without an appointment, or check an estimate first.
Questions
- Will you tell me if a repair is not worth it?
- Yes, and we would rather. A customer who spends money on a phone that dies a month later does not come back, which is worse for us than the job we turned down.
- Is repairing better for the environment than replacing?
- Considerably. Most of a phone’s lifetime carbon cost is in making it, so keeping one going another two years counts for more than any recycling.
- Can you fix an older phone at all?
- Usually, if parts are still available. We will tell you before you leave it whether they are, rather than after.
- Does a repair affect resale value?
- A working phone is worth far more than a broken one, which is the whole point. A screen replaced with a good part is not something a buyer discounts much.