How to Handle Touchscreen Monitors
November 24, 2014
A common sight in the retail and hospitality markets these days is the touchscreen monitor. They’re available in many sizes, but the 15” or 17” monitor seems to the most common, probably because their price point and their footprint. There are many, many different manufacturers too, although the lower end models seem not to be so popular, perhaps because of concerns about their reliability. The market is dominated by higher end manufacturers such as Elo, IBM, NCR, HP and Dell.
These manufacturers do offer monitors that are very reliable and long lasting, but not immortal! Typically their in-warranty failure rate is very low, but once the warranty expires the constant use that they tend to receive starts to take its toll and they start to fail.
Manufacturers offer out of warranty repair services for their monitors, but they see them very much as a profit center, and so their prices tend to be high. In addition they typically will only warranty the specific part of the monitor that failed, and so if something else goes wrong soon after then you’re stuck with a second bill! The warranty of these repairs too can be short, ranging from 30 days to 3 months, which is not ideal.
Instead of using the manufacturer, look for a third party repair depot with experience in repairing touchscreen monitors. They will know the common faults that occur and how to fix them. For example, the touchscreen itself will often fail due the constant prodding and jabbing it receives in the field. The touchscreen is readily replaceable and an independent repair depot will be able to do this. Check on the warranty they offer – it’s normal to expect a six months warranty on the complete monitor, and not just the initial fault.
Touchscreen monitor repairs are very cost effective too. Depending on the make and size the repair price can range from $100 to $200, which is much better than spending $600 and up on a new monitor.
So, when the warranty on your touchscreens starts coming to an end, remember to “Think outside the manufacturer!”
