Rant: The 'just replace the whole board' culture is killing my shop

Last week, a guy brought in a 2018 Samsung TV with a bad backlight. The local big-box store quoted him $600 for a new main board, which is more than the thing's worth. I spent an hour tracing it to a single blown $2 MOSFET on the power supply. I swapped it, and it's fine. But I'm losing jobs because people think I'm 'too slow' for not just ordering the whole assembly. Anyone else's customers getting this impatient?

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2 Comments

aaron_bell534mo ago

Man, tell me about it. Had a PS5 last month with no power. Everyone online said replace the PSU. Found a cracked solder joint on the DC input. Five minutes with an iron. Customers just want the fast swap now, they don't get that we're saving them hundreds.

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reed.ray4mo ago

People don't realize how often it's just a simple fix. They'd rather throw money at a whole new part. Good on you for actually looking.

5