When turned on screen reads "lens error" and the camera struggles to open the lens. It won't open the screen says error and only way to turn off camera is to pull the battery out.

Does the lens seem stuck, does it not extend or retract properly? Try to unstick the lens by gently pushing it in or pulling it out a little bit. IF that fails, the gears are too misaligned to repair it without opening it.

If you're out of warranty, there are third party place that replace them such as camera lens repairs.

If you want to do it yourself, there are also free camera repair guide websites that show you how to replace the lens, the replacement part is usually available on ebay.