For a detailed perspective on this question we recommend you download our free White Paper, “Is It Worth Fixing: The Art, Science, and Economics of Repairs,” available here

A. We can fix almost anything! There are a few oddball items or occasional situations where parts are no longer available. In other instances, after diagnostics and our parts sourcing, we occasionally find parts are available, but only at high cost, which obviously impacts the repair price we’re able to quote. However these eventualities are relatively rare and we are overwhelmingly successful in getting our main-claim-to-fame stuff fixed: TV’s, home and pro stereo and audio, projectors, and appliances. We also do many other one-off repairs on other items: massage chairs, inflatable Santa’s, illuminating-and-levitating Halloween ghosts, slot machines, pinball machines, boutique coffee and expresso machines, industrial electronics, warp drives, and the like.

A. We have found that in our industry it is not feasible to quote based on a flat hourly rate. We quote based on a “3D matrix” of factors, including class of technician required to finalize the repair (apprentice/journeyman/master), product class, any parts required (not generally knowable in advance of diagnostics and specific sourcing per repair ticket), and of course projected time-to-finalize. Our goal is to develop a quote you will approve. Here is a conceptual diagram illustrating our approach to repair quoting and estimation.

. Generally the only reason a repair might drag on is due to parts delays and back orders, and you should be informed about such circumstances relatively early in the repair process. We have a process in place to perform regular checks with our vendors on such repair tickets. Also, demand curves here are unpredictable and variable and this can sometimes impact expected repair times. We’re working constantly to be proactive and improve our communications with customers about both expected and unexpected delays.

In general, no. If it’s a modern flat screen and you have broken the display panel or cracked the screen, and the set powers up, we may offer $5 or $10 for it.