Can't live without em but they sure are a pain.

I constantly had/have problems with every one I've ever owned. Certain keys just stop working. I've taken them apart and cleaned them but that never helps. Apparently it's the conductive material on the button that wears off.

I've seen kits that supply a conductive type of coating that you can coat the bottom of the key with but I have doubts about how long that would last.
The kits are around 25 dollars and a half decent universal remote is around 15 dollars. Can't do the math until I know definitavely if the kits actually work at all.

My latest universal remote which I bought 6 months ago to replace a Sony remote has lost the use of the on/off button so I have to use the Sony to power the TV and the universal to change channels (which was what died on the Sony)

It's the 3rd universal I've bought in as many years. They don't last either and price doesn't seem to make a difference. More expensive ones die as quickly as cheapies.

Rant over.