The hidden cost of tech breakdowns

Not long ago, the average family had just one or two devices in their home. Remember when you just had a mobile phone and a laptop? Connecting your oven and washer to Wi-Fi was still a space-age dream. 

Things have definitely changed. According to Parks and Associates data, the average U.S. household had 23 connected devices in 2024. We depend on tech for everything from doing homework and making shopping lists to keeping our homes safe from break-ins or alerting us to water in the basement. And don’t forget entertainment—Wi-Fi-powered smart TVs, gaming consoles, and tablets are the centerpieces of family life.

What happens when tech breaks? 

When devices break, the hum of activity in your household stops. If your child drops a tablet halfway through their science report or your puppy chews through your computer cable when you’re working at home—you’ve got a problem. 

What if your smart fridge gets glitchy the day before a big family dinner or your washer won’t drain the day before you leave on vacation? You’ll need to fix those things fast. 

Hidden costs of tech breakdowns

These days, the average family owns up to $18,000 worth of tech and smart appliances. How many connected devices do you have in your home? It pays to consider the cost of repairing or possibly replacing all this tech. Take this quiz to find out more.

Home tech 

The more tech you have in your home, the more likely it is that one or more of your devices will be broken at any given time. Depending on how long you’ve had your devices and whether you have a warranty, repairing your laptop and tablet at the same time could cost $300 or more. 

If you have multiple broken devices several times a year—and you will, especially if you have kids in the house—your repair bill could be a major expense. That bill will run much higher—think $900 for a TV and game console— if you have to replace any of those devices. 

Appliances

You rely on your appliances to keep your home up and running. But here’s the thing— newer appliances have more moving parts, which means potential problems with complicated systems. The more complex the appliance, the more often you’ll need to repair it or the sooner you’ll have to replace it.

What’s the cost of appliance repair? That depends. If your manufacturer’s warranty has expired and your refrigerator stops cooling, an out-of-warranty repair could cost $600 or more, depending on the model. If your smart oven breaks, replacing it can cost up to $4,000.

What to do when tech breaks 

There are steps you can take before something goes wrong to make your appliances last longer or extend the life of your laptop battery. But If your smart TV, smart fridge, or your kid’s tablet breaks, what’s your plan? You can try to troubleshoot yourself but there are times you shouldn’t try DIY fixes on your devices. It also helps if you have a manufacturer’s warranty or an extended warranty. But if your warranty doesn’t cover certain types of repairs or when it runs out, get ready for a big repair bill. 

Consider all-in-one tech care. Asurion offers a tech care plan that covers your devices and appliances—all of them—and never expires. There’s no limit to the number of devices on the plan, and there’s no need to register individual products—if it’s eligible, it’s automatically covered (future purchases, too). 

Asurion Experts don’t just help when tech breaks. They’ll also help you set up new devices and troubleshoot when they inevitably glitch, lose connection, stop working with paired devices, and more. Find the right plan for you.