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May 23, 2021Liked by Fight to Repair Newsletter

Not quite the "authorized repair provider" scenario you're having, but in the same vein, at least to me...

I had the "accidental damage" warranty plan that I'd enrolled in when I purchased my mobile phone. 3+ years later, still paying it, I need to make a claim, since my battery life was abismal, and started swelling. My options were as follows:

1) Send the device in, and wait 7-10 days for them to repair (or replace), if the warranty covered it.

2) Have them ship a replacement phone so I could have one to use while they had mine, and put an 800$ hold on a credit card in case I didn't send one of the phones back during the whole ordeal. 800$ was the MSRP of the device when it was released - they were already on the "v4" model at that point, which retailed for less.

3) Try one of their authorized repair centers, where they quoted me "cost is 179$, if it's just a new battery and a swap. But the screens are fragile, so it could be more if something goes wrong".

I get them wanting to make sure that devices don't just "disappear", don't get me wrong. But for that amount of hold on a card, for however long? Gave that a resounding "nope" in a hurry, and didn't opt into the plan when time came to buy a new device. Previous one was still ok, if only sluggish, but was by then obsolete as far as software updates - including security updates.

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May 21, 2021Liked by Fight to Repair Newsletter

i'm in a similar situation...been waiting 6 months (!!) for a meter change for the electricity, and every time i call them, they say it should take 2,3 weeks, but the engineer just never comes! While i understand you shouldn't touch the main power line if you don't know what you're doing, why can't i hire someone to install a used meter? The fallacy of "people would use a modified metre to cheat the electric company" sounds very familiar. Are there any stats that support that sort of thing?

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