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Agreed.
If it is still in warranty, take it back to the shop / phone the manufacturer and demand a refund / upgrade.
If out of warranty, dismantle, pretend you know what you are doing, put it back together, discard the left over bits, then blame bad manufacturing when it still doesn't work / electrocutes the cat / spits ink over the wife's best table cloth.
Extra stage for printers still within their warranty period: Trawl loads of shops for genuine print cartridges to install as the warranty is invalidated if OEM cartridges are used. [I have actually had to explain to shopkeepers why I want overpriced versions and not their much cheaper, larger capacity, much better value own brands; and they have always accepted "because otherwise I can't get it repaired under warranty" as a valid reason.].
Hint: Do not buy the cartridges from the same shop as the one that you intend to take the printer back to.
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Surprised that googling a fix or, searching youtube for a video on the appliance was not a select-able answer.
But then I guess everyone would select it and there wouldn't be a point to the survey.
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agree. It can be before or after open the device. There are also a lot of video howto open everything!
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If getting a fix from Google isn't asking a random stranger I don't know what is. 
Did you ever see history portrayed as an old man with a wise brow and pulseless heart, waging all things in the balance of reason?
Is not rather the genius of history like an eternal, imploring maiden, full of fire, with a burning heart and flaming soul, humanly warm and humanly beautiful?
--Zachris Topelius
Training a telescope on one’s own belly button will only reveal lint. You like that? You go right on staring at it. I prefer looking at galaxies.
-- Sarah Hoyt
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Write a question on Code Project:
PLZ NEED HLP TO FIX OVEN 4 HOME WRK. URGNT!
Then stand back and watch all of the flaming that happens in response. The flames should be hot enough that you won't need an oven.
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This is for the weaks! 
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This is somehow often been used by a pair of female and male as a reason for getting close to each other 
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At least open the damn thing and see what's wrong with it. When it comes to electrolytical capacitors or other wear parts, there is a high probability of "reviving" the item.
If the problem lies deeper, I'll consult the vendor support. Some vendors tolerate that, those who don't (mostly) aren't offering good service anyways.
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If they put the screw there in the first place, why not look?
Reality is an illusion caused by a lack of alcohol
"Nagy, you have won the internets." - Keith Barrow
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We live in a throwaway world, and I feel like even the most intrepid of us is unlikely to change that. Things used to be built for repair, now things are built for replacement.
Maybe I'm an old fogey, but I used to always take things apart. But now, there's probably a chip in there that makes it unlikely I'll be able to figure it out.
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I'm basically an idiot when it comes to hardware. So when something breaks, two things need to happen.
1. Replace it if its important to me.
2. Take out a screw driver and perform an autopsy to see what it looks like on the inside. Often times [every time], this also involves a hammer and wrench as I don't have patience for those specialized screws. In the end, I always get to see whats on the inside, but typically with more pieces than when it was built  .
Step 2 also provides needed therapy for the item breaking.
Hogan
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Bah.
If it's expensive enough that the warranty matters, then the warranty cost extra money and I didn't buy it.
Fix it yourself. There are instructions, videos, and enthusiasts all over the internet who'll help.
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I'm with you on that one.
I'm a hardware engineer, so things usually stop working in the first week, or after the expensive extra warranty has expired!!
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As an engineer, when things stop working I get angry and inflict the most horrendous screwdriver and soldering iron punishments until they start working again.
I may not last forever but the mess I leave behind certainly will.
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Yep.
I just (well, it's 2 years ago now) moved to the sticks after 20 years in Brooklyn Heights. Being a homeowner is a really peculiar experience after that. It had never occurred to me that my house has an engineering department. (#nerdalert.)
But I've had the dishwasher and washing machine each go once, and the furnace break down three or four times. (I think one might have been "out of oil there Derpasaur".) With the help of youtube videos I've been able to fix everything with merely some tools, a little bit of elbow grease and a willingness to be covered in some truly foul substances.
Cheap things are even more fun to noodle with, as there's less cost in being a little reckless.
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1) A programmer with a soldiering iron.
2) An engineer with a code patch.
3) A user with an idea.
A screw driver is only a small step below a soldering iron.
Guess what I voted... "Hey yall watch this!"
Did you ever see history portrayed as an old man with a wise brow and pulseless heart, waging all things in the balance of reason?
Is not rather the genius of history like an eternal, imploring maiden, full of fire, with a burning heart and flaming soul, humanly warm and humanly beautiful?
--Zachris Topelius
Training a telescope on one’s own belly button will only reveal lint. You like that? You go right on staring at it. I prefer looking at galaxies.
-- Sarah Hoyt
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I've done electronics and software for some years, more of us are out there (I even know hobbyists with the approriate knowledge and talents). If you consider your usual payment per hour as consultant, it is a complete waste of time to repair some cheap devices but it keeps your electronical knowledge fit and your hands in training. A perfect "work" to relax.
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A lot of the time it probably doesn't even make sense at the hourly rate a salaried employee is paid. Anything under $200 I'm unlikely to bother trying unless I'm either bored or the problem and fix are obvious.
Did you ever see history portrayed as an old man with a wise brow and pulseless heart, waging all things in the balance of reason?
Is not rather the genius of history like an eternal, imploring maiden, full of fire, with a burning heart and flaming soul, humanly warm and humanly beautiful?
--Zachris Topelius
Training a telescope on one’s own belly button will only reveal lint. You like that? You go right on staring at it. I prefer looking at galaxies.
-- Sarah Hoyt
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Arguing with the support via email can take up an hour easily as well, so it seems to be efficient buy a new piece. Unfortunately there are situations, where this "solution" does not satisfies me - esp. when repairing seems like a nobrainer.
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Variation of no.3 is a lieutenant with a map.
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Famous last words:
"Don't worry - I can fix this!"
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In a past life I was an appliance repairman. On one occasion (actually many in one form or another) I was greeted at the door by a woman who told me:
"I have to warn you - my husband has already had a look at it".
When I entered the laundry I was confronted by a floor strewn in parts which had once comprised a washing machine.
Peter Wasser
Art is making something out of nothing and selling it.
Frank Zappa
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I have no problems fixing anything at home, being electronic, electric, plumbing... whatever...
But I think a bit before starting.
What I don't touch:
-> Expensive items still on warranty
-> Water related electronic devices, like vapor irons and stuff like that where usual causes of failure are related to limestone problems. Usually the time spent trying to fix it doesn't worth the cost of a new one. Maintenance is crucial on these devices...
-> High voltage devices (above 220 volts)
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I had to choose put down the screwdriver because there is a "Warranty void if removed" sticker. This question assumed that there is a warranty on the item and then I just want it repaired or replaced.
If it have no warranty, I will open it. High voltage also does not scare me, though I wont touch anything above about 1000V due to the potential of proximity shocks, unless I have the correct tools available for the job...
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