Buy a new cellphone or repair?

Life Technology
#1

I’m a student here in Taipei for the summer and my Taiwanese friend lent me an old cellphone since my US phone is locked to T-mobile. I’ve been here for about one week, and…

Unfortunately, I dropped the aforementioned borrowed phone on the sidewalk while staggering home drunk Saturday morning at about 5:30. Now it’s broken (specifically the speaker is broken, and I can’t hear people talk when they call, though they can hear me and it rings).

Anybody know:

  1. A place that won’t rip me off to fix it?

  2. A place that can unlock my US cellphone?

  3. If I should just buy a new twn cell? (pref. cheap and one that might even work in USA)

Anything would be appreciated. Thanks!!

#2

I don’ t have answers, but I can think of questions that might help clarify the situation for others who do:

What’s the brand and model?
What’s your replacement budget?

#3

Clearly I’m not sure, but given what things usually end up costing I would say just buy a new one, but that really depends on your buget. Even still It’ll probably cost less to buy a brand new one than to fix it. Again that is proabably, I do not actually know anything about cell phone repaire, just about under warenty and new stuff…

#4

You could always bring it into a second hand place and see how much it would be to fix. While you’re there, look at the selection of 2nd hand phones they have. The price range will prob. be about $1500-$5000nt depending on what kind of features you want. Most cell phone stores have new and used phones and they are everywhere.

good luck!

#5

Ok, I don’t know the model number, its a shitty old motorola. Like one of the first with a color screen.

My Budget = CHEAP!

I’m not looking for a really classy phone here, were looking at starving student status.

I think that buying a second hand phone is prob, my best option. Thanks for your help.

#6

You can get phones for NT$2000 here - new. I bought a perfectly servicable Nokia last year new for NT$5700 and it only costs NT$3000 now and it does lots of stuff like make phone calls and even has a loudspeaker so you can chat with people while wiping your arse and useful stuff like that.

Also, second-hand ones might have been used by the sort of people who make phone calls while wiping their arses, so I’d get a new one just to be on the safe side.

#7

I agree that new is the way to go. New phones can be had for 2000 nt. Good ones from 4k and on. Taiwan has to be one of the cheapest places on earth for cellular phones.

#8

Phone repair is really cheap and most place will charge about 150nt to look at it. Chances are the speaker cable has fallen off and they’ll just connect it. I think there are a few places in the basement of Nova Taipei Station.

Most cell phone places can unlock your US cell phone also. If it’s a Nokia, unlock it yourself (unlock.nokiafree.org/download.php)