So, someone’s tablet screen met with an accident, and the cracked screen has to be replaced.

Have look at When It Does Not Make Sense To Repair Faulty Devices

To bring the device back to life, he has to cough out some good money. Considering how much the device itself is worth now (being outdated), it makes absolutely no sense to spend that much on it.

Yes, straight to the graveyard (also know as the Museum of Useless Gadgets)

obsolete change

photo courtesy – linkedin.com

In all my years of using a mobile device (smartphone /phablet /tablet), I have never had to go repair a cracked screen. Perhaps I have been extra careful, or extra lucky, or have steady hands, no matter.

Unlike so many others I know, I don’t hand over expensive items to kids who can smash a ₦100k smartphone on the floor, and give you a toothless smile to further infuriate you further. I won’t teach a niece how to drive a car with an expensive car whose headlamp replacement cost alone is above her monthly salary.

No. That’s what’s a Driving School is there for.

Basic precautions!

It has been my experience that a body part with a scar is hardly ever like the part that has never had any wound.

So, I do my utmost best to avoid technicians, and minimize repairs – as much as feasible . By the time many technicians are done with your device (phone, home theatre, whatever ), you eventually do have problems (short term or long term) .

The way to avoid technicians is to be so rich you just throw away any defective gadget and buy another, or be so careful in handling your things that you hardly have cause to go repair things.

It starts with treating your items with extra care, applying some common sense, servicing whatever needs to be serviced (cars, machinery, etc) meticulously, religiously, according to manufacturer recommendations /specifications.

A grease in time really does save lots of rust.

This is the era of recession. Whatever you own now, there is the need to make it serve, trouble_free, for as long as possible. When the recession is over, we can return to our customary wasteful ways of life.

spoiled phones

The need for such caution is exemplified by the following short conversation :

Abeg o. I want to ask a question. When one of your rear shock absorbers (damper) is bad, must you replace the two at the back simultaneously ?

This is someone who would ordinarily replace the two without thinking about it when the Naira was not tissue paper. But recession is a grueling teacher.

Yea; that will be the best thing to do. Replace the two but if you are on a tight budget, you can replace just the bad one

What’s the risk in replacing only the bad one

To maintain proper balance, it’s better to replace the two at the same time.

The second one could go bad shortly after but maintaining balance is the real reason why it is recommended to replace in pairs.

Also, buying the two is usually cheaper priced than buying individually at different times.

They just gave me a bill of N30k for the rear dampers on my Toyota Camry. Chei! Now that I am planning to save somd money and fix my wife’s misbehaving air conditioning, once and for all. Na wah oo.

While some things would wear out and go bad no matter how meticulously or carefully you use them, preventive maintenance would generally save you a bundle, over the long run.

Also… my mantra…

Spend a little bit more to purchase a bit higher quality, and less quantity, to enjoy a longer service life.


  1. March 4, 2017 at 12:30 am

    That last sentence is the best advice I’ve heard in years.
    When you buy quality products, they last o get and they have warranties. They may be a bit more costly, but on the long run they are cheaper considering, that they last long, they give satisfaction, and they have warranties.

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