‘I’m Glad I Went With My Instinct’: Best Buy Tries To ‘Recycle’ Customer’s ‘Broken’ IPad. Then She Finds Out It Still Works

A Best Buy customer says a worker nearly convinced her to recycle her fully functional iPad. Now, she’s issuing a warning about getting technology fixed at the electronics store.

Many modern electronics seem like they simply aren’t built to be repaired.

While many early laptops and smartphones allowed owners to do things like swap out batteries and increase storage capacity, most modern devices are now almost completely shut off to their owners. If anything goes wrong with them, they typically have to be fixed by a professional.

Sometimes, there’s little even a professional technician can do. For example, in 2019, the Washington Post revealed that Apple’s popular AirPods simply can’t have their battery replaced. So when one battery dies, the company simply throws the AirPods away and replaces them.

But in instances where a professional can make a repair, they don’t always do so. TikTok user Kass (@trapssical) nearly learned this the hard way.

What Went Wrong With This Woman’s Laptop Repair?

In a video with over 455,000 views, the TikToker says, “If you take your device to Best Buy, and they ask you, ‘Do you want us to recycle this for you?’ What that means is that they’re going to take your device, and, if there’s nothing they can do, they’re going to dispose of that device.”

The reason for this revelation, she explains, is a recent experience she had at the store. According to Kass, her laptop stopped working and failed to hold a charge. Consequently, she says she took the device into Best Buy for its repair technicians to have a look.

“They asked me, ‘If there [is] nothing [we] can do, do you want us to recycle the device?’” she recalls. “And I said, ‘No, I’m not ready to part with it yet.’ That is true, because I released all my music off of this device, and I was like, ‘I’m not ready to part with it yet.’”

Unsure how to solve the problem, the Best Buy technicians suggested backing up the computer on an external hard drive, which the TikToker did through Best Buy. The whole process was supposed to cost $90, but the expenses were covered by Kass’ mother’s Best Buy Total membership. Still, it took several days. And at the end, Kass says the technicians advised her to buy a new device altogether.

“I was like, ‘Hmm, my laptop was working fine until it wasn’t,’” she says. “I feel like there was not enough ‘looking into what the issue was’ before you suggested that, but OK.”

Then, Kass says she tried buying a spare battery. While the battery helped the computer stay charged, the laptop still refused to take in power—once the battery died, the laptop was unusable once more.

A Second Opinion

Frustrated, she says she began looking for other solutions. This led her to a local computer repair shop.

“I go there, and they were like, ‘Yeah, no appointment necessary. Just come on in, drop it off, whatever,’” she recounts.

“Within 20 minutes—20 minutes!—he solves the issue,” the TikToker says in disbelief. “The issue was the charger—not the laptop, the charger.”

Not only that, but as her problem could be fixed during the diagnostic portion of the repair, she says that the repair shop refused to charge her.

“Had I told Best Buy, ‘Yes, I would like for you to recycle my product,’ they would have disposed of a perfectly fine, working laptop,” she concludes. “That’s wild.”

Issues With Professional Repairs Are Common

While many may gravitate to stores like Best Buy or their local Apple Store to fix their device, it isn’t always the best choice.

Back in 2018, Canada’s CBC News brought a MacBook Pro into their local Apple Store in order to have it repaired. According to CBC News, the MacBook’s primary problem was a malfunctioning display. The worker told them that could cost upwards of $1,200 to fix.

After the news agency brought the device to a local repair shop, they were told that the problem was a pin that was simply bent out of place. The repair technician, a popular YouTuber named Louis Rossmann, bent the pin back into place. And the laptop began working as expected. When asked how much he would charge for such a repair, the technician said, “If somebody wanted me to just bend the pin back, I wouldn’t charge them for that.”

That said, there are some instances in which taking one’s device to a place like Best Buy or an Apple Store might make sense. For example, if one has a warranty with the store that covers repairs, it might be smarter to bring the device into the store rather than an independent repair shop.

Still, it’s never a bad idea to get a second opinion before making a big decision like recycling a computer.

Similar Experiences

In the comments section, users recalled their own experiences dealing with chain electronics retailers.

“This one time I had returned a laptop at Best Buy that I had purchased online. They claimed that they never got the laptop even though I handed it personally,” said a user. “After days of back and forth I requested CCTV footage and in their footage was me handing it over. They have since lost my business.”

“I was going to say your first mistake was taking it to Best Buy. So many of my customers went there first and spent so much money and time on what turned out to be easy fixes,” added another.

“Sadly local repair shops are slowly closing. Often, devices are being designed to be difficult to repair by third parties. Manufacturers also make it hard to source replacement parts, and schematics can also be hard to come by,” detailed a third. “All of this is leading to more and more repair shops closing up. If possible, please try to support your local repair shops.”

BroBible reached out to Best Buy via email and to Kass via TikTok direct message and comment.