# What's wrong with it, and how much is it gonna cost me? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 9, 2005, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-it-and-how-much-is-it-gonna-cost-me/283910 "2005-01-09T18:00:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_the_Impaler)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2005, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-it-and-how-much-is-it-gonna-cost-me/283910/1 "2005-01-09T18:00:56Z")
I have a Toshiba 13" TV/DVD combo. All of the sudden it won’t turn on. I press the on/off button or use the remote, I get the little red light and the “click!” sound when a tv turns on, but then it turns right off again. I’ve tried 3 different outlets and a powerstrip. Nada. So, what’s the problem, and how much do you think it’s gonna cost me to fix it? ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2005, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-it-and-how-much-is-it-gonna-cost-me/283910/2 "2005-01-09T18:09:08Z")
I assume it’s not under warranty. Do they even fix TVs anymore? I’d guess a 13 inch, even one with DVD, wouldn’t cost much more than a repar bill. But I haven’t shopped for stuff like that in a while, I could be wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2005, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-it-and-how-much-is-it-gonna-cost-me/283910/3 "2005-01-09T18:12:44Z")
Hmm. Sounds like a power supply problem. Cost to be fixed by a professional? Probably more than what it’s worth. Do you have a friend, co-worker, or family member who is an electronics hobbyist? If so, I’d ask him/her if they wouldn’t mind taking a look at it. Examples include ham radio operators, electronics technicians, and EE students. Depending on how close you are to them, they may not even charge you for it. (Of course, if they do end up fixing it, some sort of gift, payment, or favor would be in order.) ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2005, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-it-and-how-much-is-it-gonna-cost-me/283910/4 "2005-01-09T18:53:30Z")
If it’s not in warranty it needs to go in the trash can. These things are not manufactured to be easily or economically repairable. Any repair is likely to cost you almost as much as, if not more than, the cost of a new unit. ---
**Author:** ![Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_the_Impaler)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2005, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-it-and-how-much-is-it-gonna-cost-me/283910/5 "2005-01-09T21:43:54Z")
It cost me around $100. Do y’all honestly think it would cost that much or more to fix it? I bought it on Ebay, but more than two months ago, so I can’t find the info on who I bought it from. (And of course, I’ve deleted my emails.) Frankly, I’d like to send it back and get my money back, but I don’t know how to do that. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2005, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-it-and-how-much-is-it-gonna-cost-me/283910/6 "2005-01-09T22:37:26Z")
> [@niblet\_head](#): > > It cost me around $100. Do y’all honestly think it would cost that much or more to fix it? > > I bought it on Ebay, but more than two months ago, so I can’t find the info on who I bought it from. (And of course, I’ve deleted my emails.) Frankly, I’d like to send it back and get my money back, but I don’t know how to do that. It’ll be a minimum of $50 just to look at it, I would venture. IIRC, eBay keeps old auctions available for viewing for 90 days. Perhaps you could search the completed auctions for the item. ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2005, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-it-and-how-much-is-it-gonna-cost-me/283910/7 "2005-01-10T10:57:05Z")
This sounds like a “live and learn” experience. A brand new 13" TV/DVD combo can be purchased at a discount joint like Best Buy for under $150 (made by somebody like Sansui). With a warranty. Just because something comes from eBay doesn’t mean it’s necessarily a bargain. ---
**Author:** ![mks57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@mks57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mks57)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2005, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-it-and-how-much-is-it-gonna-cost-me/283910/8 "2005-01-10T11:46:41Z")
> [@niblet\_head](#): > > I bought it on Ebay, but more than two months ago, so I can’t find the info on who I bought it from. (And of course, I’ve deleted my emails.) Frankly, I’d like to send it back and get my money back, but I don’t know how to do that. It worked until recently, so I don’t think you can claim that you were sold defective merchandise. You can take it to a repair shop for an estimate, but they are likely to charge you for their time and tell you that it can’t be economically repaired. Most consumer electronics equipment is not designed to be repaired, it’s designed to be discarded and replaced. ---
**Author:** ![Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_the_Impaler)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2005, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-it-and-how-much-is-it-gonna-cost-me/283910/9 "2005-01-10T13:40:28Z")
Man, I’m no environmentalist, but that’s just stupid. I hate that this thing is going to end up in a landfill. ---
**Author:** ![NutMagnet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ea5d25/32.png) [@NutMagnet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NutMagnet)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2005, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-it-and-how-much-is-it-gonna-cost-me/283910/10 "2005-01-10T13:56:46Z")
I had a TV/VCR compbo that would do that. I was able to get it going again. What seemed to be the problem was that it was confused, and thought it had a tape in the VCR. It would start, go into VCR mode, and then quit when the tape (which wasn’t in there) wouldn’t play. Did you try playing a DVD? ---
**Author:** ![mks57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@mks57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mks57)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2005, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-it-and-how-much-is-it-gonna-cost-me/283910/11 "2005-01-10T14:31:11Z")
> [@niblet\_head](#): > > Man, I’m no environmentalist, but that’s just stupid. I hate that this thing is going to end up in a landfill. It’s economics. Skilled labor is expensive. Running a repair facility is expensive. Parts are expensive. Television sets, especially if you look at prices in constant dollars, are incredibly cheap compared to the old days. An entry-level RCA color television set cost $400 in 1965, which is about $2400 in today’s dollars. I can buy a new 20" color television set with all the bells and whistles from WalMart for $118. ---
**Author:** ![Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_the_Impaler)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2005, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-it-and-how-much-is-it-gonna-cost-me/283910/12 "2005-01-10T14:58:46Z")
> [@NutMagnet](#): > > I had a TV/VCR compbo that would do that. I was able to get it going again. What seemed to be the problem was that it was confused, and thought it had a tape in the VCR. It would start, go into VCR mode, and then quit when the tape (which wasn’t in there) wouldn’t play. > > Did you try playing a DVD? Won’t work because the power doesn’t stay on long enough to even open the DVD tray. It turns off immediately. ---
**Author:** ![NutMagnet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ea5d25/32.png) [@NutMagnet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NutMagnet)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2005, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-it-and-how-much-is-it-gonna-cost-me/283910/13 "2005-01-10T18:47:10Z")
**niblet** Can you open the door “forcibly” like if a disk is actually stuck in there? Try putting in a blank or junk disk, just to see if it might sort itself out. ---
**Author:** ![Nanoda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2005, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-it-and-how-much-is-it-gonna-cost-me/283910/14 "2005-01-10T19:20:34Z")
> [@NutMagnet](#): > > I had a TV/VCR compbo that would do that. I was able to get it going again. What seemed to be the problem was that it was confused, and thought it had a tape in the VCR. It would start, go into VCR mode, and then quit when the tape (which wasn’t in there) wouldn’t play. VCRs (the highest technology I’ve found being discarded as of yet) do have a habit of shutting down if the various sensors report incongruous information. When my dad’s 7CD player jammed disk 6 in slot 5, it shut down too. With a 1 disk DVD system, I’d try unplugging it overnight, and seeing if it works any better in the morning. Sometimes that lets them reset themselves. Perhaps also put that equipment model in Google, and see if anyone else has solved similar problems. There are (were?) a few usenet groups populated by people fixing consumer hardware like that. Sometimes the solutions were things like “replacing the capacitor X-YZ on board QRX with type TUV”, but sometimes not.