Tablet repairs

[leo]

Ok, wizards. Got a Samsung tablet that won't charge. Best Buy Little Rock thought it was the USB port or motherboard. Anything else would cost $45 to just look at it. Any recommendation on a repair place? I realize Best Buy is not necessarily out of line on cost, just want to get some other options.

[Derek L]

Will the tablet work when connected to A/C?
If so, charger is probably OK
Then it's the battery or some glitch in the charging circuit
I'm assuming the charger is not proprietary.
Any USB micro cable should work.
Have you tried another working charger and/or usb cable?

I wish I had an answer Leo.

[leo]

Yeah, she tried multiple chargers and nothing worked. Best buy tried multiple chargers ans said it was either usb port or motherboard. My problem is Walmart just had an ad for a Samsung 3 7in. for 139. Hers is a Samsung P3113TS. I just don't want to drop 50% of a new tablet on repairs. Doesn't make sense.

[Derek L]

Last I heard, you had a 7" Hisense Sero Pro.
Did it bite the dust too?

In case you haven't yet seen it,this link has some troubleshooting steps for a comatose Samsung P3113TS.
support-us.samsung.com/cyber/popup/iframe/pop_troubleshooting_fr.jsp?idx=420289&modelname=GT-P3113

Timewise, how far out of warranty are you?
Many companies will bend the warranty rules to accommodate customers, This keeps customers happy and protects their positive image.
You might contact Samsung support, apprise them of your problem, and after telling them you thought Samsung was the Cadillac of tablets, ask for warranty assistance.

[Trudy]

Being the owner of a tab2 [GT-P3113, 7"] and a tab4 [SM-T330NU, 8"] --- I really would suggest not spending anything on the tab2. The Samsung tab3 will update to Android kitkat, and the tab4 comes with it. I'm much happier with the tab4 & kitkat ==== so much faster and I don't run low on memory, the one problem I run into with the tab2. The tab4 has more built-in memory and is much faster.

If money is tight -- I'd opt for the tab3.
But for $100 more -- I think the tab4 8" is better. Samsung is now announcing the tab5 -- so may buy the tab 3 8" and update to kitkat -- or wait for further sales.

[leo]

I got the Samsung from my son for the niece. This is the son who has to have the latest and greatest. The wife still has the Hisense Sero tablet and I could not get it from her without a baseball bat. In fact we were talking about get another one for the niece to replace the Samsung. This is that part that upsets me. Our wasteful society and the manufacturers. I mean does it makes to spend more on repairs than a new unit costs? I realize there may be significant technical difference between the Samsung Tab 4 and the Hisense, but so is the price $115 vs $179 ( latest Wally price for 8 gig memory). The price difference is not as much as thought ( just checked).

[Trudy]

Hi Leo -
Now that my son is married with 2 kids -- his penchant for purchasing new gaming systems + games has wane. Maybe not waned -- but is sharply curtailed by the need for those $$ somewhere else. Now it is when Wallyworld has a sale cuz the latest & greatest is out and the replaced version is on clearance. There is still hope for your son -- major life changes are probably needed.

I held off buying a laptop years ago -- cuz I couldn't justify the price for my occasional 'need' for portability. I still have the second laptop -- purchased in July 2007 -- and now running Linux Mint. It never travels anymore -- I bought a considerably cheaper tablet to use when traveling. I do email, mapping, genealogy, reading the news and some gaming and am totally happy with it. My mom and I can sit in Target's parking lot each week and use their wifi to look at pictures of her great grandkids on Facebook. She can read notes and see photos posted by relatives.

I agree with you -- we have become a people who 'need' far too many gadgets in our everyday lives. Twenty years ago, technology didn't change very fast and our devices lasted for a time. Remember -- I never upgraded a version of Windows until there was a game I wanted to play and couldn't because my system was too out of date. Same pretty much holds true now -- I upgrade only when I have to because of some software I want to purchase.

For me, my original thinking still holds true: what do I need it to do that nothing else I own will do + how much am I willing to spend for that convenience. I ended up owning 2 Samsung Galaxy Tab tablets only because I thought the first one lost thru 5-finger discount at the Chicago International airport. I waited a month for United/SAS to look for it -- and bought a new Tab4. About 2 weeks later -- United/SAS found the Tab2 and emailed me. Just poor timing.

This probably explains why I have no desire to buy a smart phone -- there is nothing it will do that something I already own won't do. Yup -- I only need a phone to make & receive calls -- anything else is wasted.

[leo]

Well I bought the Hisense Sero 8 for 129. 8 inch screen, 16 gig, kitkat system . David is putting his tablet in for warranty service. Thought to check last night, thanks for the tip Derek.