Misleading Repairs and Unacceptable Customer Service at HiFi Corporation Cresta

I bought an Acer laptop from HiFi Corporation in Cresta Mall on February 25, 2023. This year, on February 29, the laptop developed problems with the hinges. Unfortunately, this was after the 1-year warranty had expired, and when I purchased the laptop, the salesperson did not inform me that I could apply for insurance for it.

I went to HiFi Corporation on March 2, 2024, to request repairs, and they charged me R1379 to fix the hinges. On April 13, I went to pick up the "fixed" laptop. However, on May 29, the hinges broke again. I then discovered that the laptop was not actually repaired; they had simply app**** glue to the hinges to keep them intact, which obviously didn’t last long.

Unfortunately, I had an assignment and exams to complete, so I couldn't return the laptop right away. After my exams, I went home for the June holidays, and I was only able to lodge a complaint about the repair on July 27. At HiFi Corporation, they told me they would log the complaint with the company that "fixed" it, JD Group.

HiFi Corporation later informed me that they would charge me over R2000 to fix the hinges again, as the 3-month warranty had already expired by the time I reported the issue on July 27. My concern is that they are overlooking the fact that the laptop was not properly fixed the first time. Simply applying glue is not a proper repair; they should have replaced the actual hinges. I was charged R1379 just for them to apply glue, which I could have done myself. They argued that since the 3 months had passed, the hinges were expected to break again.

Does this mean I will have to pay R1379+ every 3 months? How can I be sure that the hinges will be fixed properly this time, and if they can fix them now, why didn't they do it correctly the first time?

I just want my hinges to be properly fixed without having to pay again because they did not do the job correctly the first time. If they cannot repair the laptop hinges, they should give me my money back.