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Unpopular opinion: A client in Austin insisted I replace his entire motherboard over a $5 fan, and I still think about it.
He argued that 'new parts mean new life' for his 3 year old gaming rig, refusing to even let me just swap the cooler, which made me question how we talk about repairs versus replacements with people.
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sam_cooper5mo ago
Honestly, my uncle did that with his whole lawnmower once.
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bell.jessica5mo ago
Saw this article about "mental obsolescence" where people feel their stuff is worn out just because one tiny part fails. That client wanting a whole new motherboard is a perfect example. It's like thinking you need a new car because a tire went flat. The repair-versus-replace talk gets totally lost when someone has already decided the whole thing is "old.
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kim_hall805mo ago
Ever notice how people treat a single broken part like a total system failure? That's the "mental obsolescence" kicking in hard. My neighbor replaced his whole fridge last month because the light bulb went out. Adam186 is right, it's that cobweb theory where one small flaw makes the whole thing seem ancient. We've been trained to see a cracked phone screen and think "time for an upgrade" instead of just a new piece of glass. It's a weird mindset.
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