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By Joel Vernier
I just returned from the grocery store and was beginning to unload the items on the shopping list. Suddenly, my wife yelled out, “Joel! The washing machine just broke!”
I ran down to the basement and got the paperwork for the extra warranty that we purchased when we bought it.
I walked down the stairway to the basement. I was almost knocked over by my dog, who wanted to greet me as I reached the basement floor. I went to my desk, opened the drawer, and retrieved the thick file marked warranties. I opened the file and began reviewing warranties that had expired on some products ten to fifteen years ago. I found the warranty for the washer we had before the one that is broken.
I found out that paperwork and realized the warranty period ended last month. I have always been leery when the salesperson who just sold you on the item you’re purchasing, on the quality you are buying, the good low return rate on this brand, and as you sign for the item, they ask, “Do you want to buy the 5-year extended warranty”? I ask why I need it, given the product’s strong track record and low return rate. They respond to how much it costs to get a repair person out to your house, almost the cost of buying the 5-year warranty!
Is it just bad luck that several items I have bought with the 5-year add-on warranty break down shortly after the 5-year period is exceeded? The typical lifespan of a washing machine is 10-15 years. I want to know the name of that machine; mine has not lasted that long. They say that repairing a unit may be worth it if the cost is 50% of a new unit. That’s questionable to me. I tried that once, and the first trip from the repair company was charged, and the second trip, parts, and labor came close to the cost of buying a new unit on sale.
I asked her to show me what was broken, and she showed me a plastic part on the door with a broken spring that had fallen on the floor. I took a pic with my phone of the model number, typed it into my search engine, and it showed up with the order number and a cost of $4.98 for a broken plastic door part. I switched to YouTube and typed in the part number to ask how to install it. Several videos came up, I selected one to view, and it looked easy. I ordered the part; it arrived 2 days later. I installed it, and the washer was fixed! I guess I do not need the five-year warranty, I have YouTube videos!
I was told I might need a heart valve replaced in a few years. I went on YouTube and typed in the valve name…… Just kidding!
