One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

[AmyBoz]

Grrrr...

So, our microwave broke this morning. We don't use it an incredible amount, but we certainly use it to heat up leftovers, etc. Anyway, the kicker is, it's approximately a year and a few months old. Warranty? One year.

Some of you may remember the renovation nightmare that was our kitchen last year when we bought the house. There was structural damage that the home inspector missed when we purchased the house, and so we wound up having to have the entire kitchen ripped to the studs and put back in again. We got new appliances since we knew we'd be living here forever and wanted them to last. So much for that!

So, I bit the bullet and called the contractor this afternoon to find out exactly where she bought the microwave. Let me remind you that our renovation ended with her screaming at dh on the phone and using more than a few choice words in her ranting. (We were refusing to pay for services that weren't rendered, but were happy to pay for the work that was done.) Anyway, I was not happy to make that call. Luckily, I got her machine.

We also called Panasonic to get a list of repairmen. They are all in South Jersey, so will undoubtedly charge an arm and a leg to drive up here for the service call. We're not sure how to proceed at this point.

The kicker? We had an extra microwave sitting in the basement that we sold last month for some money for bills.

[Kimberlina]

Is it a built-in? Because the cost of a smallish microwave is probably a lot cheaper than getting someone in to repair the old one, unfortunately. (I hate being a throw-away society, KWIM? But if you do decide to get a new one, maybe you could donate the old one to someone who could repair it and pass it along.)

[AmyBoz]

Oh yeah...it's a built-in.

[Kimberlina]

Oh, that's no fun. Ours is a built-in, too, and I often wonder if we will actually replace it with another built-in when we need to get another one....

[homesteadmamma]

If it was me, I'd leave it if it's going to cost you a huge amount of $$. Wait until your back to work.

If you can't go without it and the cost to repair is too high, I would purchase a small one and use it. Sometimes the repairs cost more than what a small one would cost.

Sorry to hear this though. Hope it all gets worked out okay.

[MOMMYDEAREST]

SORRY TO HEAR ABOUT THAT. OUR OVEN BROKE DOWN ABOUT 2MTHS AGO & IT TOOK US 1 MTH TO COME UP WITH THE MONEY TO FIX IT...IT WAS A BUMMER W/O IT....I WOULD ALOS HAVE TO AGREE, JUST GO BUY A CHEAP ONE. I JUST SAW THEM ON SALE AT WAL-MART FOR LIKE $40.00

[Darlene]

No fun, hope you get things worked out to your satisfaction asap.

[midwestgal]

I have to say that I don't think that applicances are made to last like they used to be made! We were in our brand new house for just one week when the microwave (brand new of course) went dead. It was still under warranty, so the repairman ordered a part and fixed it. Then, about 13 months later, I decided to clean our oven, which automatically locks during the cleaning cycle. But After 3 days, the door would not open. I checked all the troubleshooting tips in the manual but no luck. A repairman came, but this time it was not under warranty, and the bill was $150 to unlock the door. Now last week, the less than 4-year-old microwave went out again! The range and microwave are Kitchen Aid, so buyers beware! And I think of that little portable microwave we had once bought at Kmart or Walmart, or some such place, and after 10 years, it was still going strong when I donated it to the church rummage sale.

I do believe that the more bells and whistles there are on an appliance, the more trouble there will be. That's probably why that inexpensive little microwave kept humming along.

[SHOPGIRL]

That is frustrating. I'd call the manufacturer, you never know, they might send you a new one. It's worth a try. Microwaves are really cheap right now, in quality and in price.

[Mom23boys]

What timing, huh? Sometimes I wonder if they don't program items to go out when the warranty does.