My camera says lens error?

I have the nikon cooloix camera and iv had it for about 3 and a half year and its gotten pretty beat up over the years. I havnt used it in awhile and i just charged the battery and i turned it on and the lens keept going and and out then it said lens error and the lens won't go back in. I can't even look a my pictures. How do i fix this? Does this meen the camera is garbage?

If removing the battery doesn't correct it, a camera technician would need to look at it. Don't try forcing the movement of the lens. It dosen't means that hte camera is garbage.

You're very fortunate to have gotten that long out of the camera. Normally cheaper cameras last just past their warranty period.

Lens gear in the small cameras is fragile and probably something's broken. A new camera is the only solution since it'll cost you way more to fix this one that to buy new.