Ping: Dave Smith re: oven repair

On 25/02/2011 3:30 PM, Brooklyn1 wrote:




I am hoping that Jill is re-evaluating her appliance repair insurance. I
have no idea how much she is paying for the policy, but she pays $60 for
a service call. She has been without a oven for what.... three weeks
now? It took a week for the serviceman to come and then another week or
so for the part and it will be more than a week before the guy can
return. Any time I have called a repairman the guy has been at my house
before the end of the day and the problem was fixed. Elements are so
highly specialized that a dealer or repair depot should not be expected
to carry a suitable one in stock.

Look at my situation on the weekend. The element blew around noon. It
was replaced and repaired within two hours, and most of that time was
spent making and eating brunch.





the service tech would never arrive without knowing
 
On Fri, 25 Feb 2011 16:15:31 -0500, Dave Smith
wrote:


From the description I think she has one of those all inclusive
policys that realtors tout, covers all the mechanicals, appliances
roof, plumbing, etc.
 
On 25/02/2011 6:38 PM, Brooklyn1 wrote:



That could be, and from her problems getting her oven fixed I would
suggest that it is useless. She probably would have been better off to
just called a local repairman who would have come out, replaced the
burner element three weeks ago and she would have paid for parts and one
service call.
 
On Fri, 25 Feb 2011 18:54:40 -0500, Dave Smith
wrote:


True. When my clothes dryer needed service last summer the service
tech came out that afternoon. He charges $55 for the service call
which covers the first 1/2 hour labor, parts extra. I needed no
parts, only a disassembly of the entire lint trap housing, clean out,
and reassembly. He was here only 20 minutes so all I paid was the $55.
This was an old dryer, I had no service policy. But when I called the
first thing I was asked was which model and then what was the problem.
He knew immediately what to do when someone drops something down into
the lint trap flue. It never would have paid for me to try to figure
out what to take apart, I could tell that he did that job many times
before.
 
In article ,
Dave Smith wrote:


20/20 hindsight is a wonderful thing. After somebody pays US$60 for a
new lightbulb, it's easy to say that there's a cheaper way. But if the
magnetron in her stove went out, the compressor in her fridge and the
guts in her AC all died and she got all three fixed for US$60, you'd be
singing a different tune.

--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA
[email protected]
 
On 25/02/2011 8:16 PM, Dan Abel wrote:

It is no longer hindsight. She now knows that if an appliance fails she
will have to pay for at least two visits and wait for parts that should
have been readily available. Given the premiums she has been paying and
the service calls, she is likely already way behind. Hopefully, when
the time comes to renew the insurance policy she will take a pass.
 
"Dan Abel" wrote

But if you put the money you'd spend on service policies and extended
warranties aside, you'd have plenty of money to pay for service calls or
replacements items. Very few people come out ahead and the premiums pay for
the administration, salaries, profit for the service company.

Same with some auto dealer services that are not needed. My dealer
recommends fuel injection service every year for $120. That would be $240
for my two cars. I've driven fuel injected cars for at least 25 years and
have never had an injector problem. That puts me ahead $6000 over that
time period. If, by chance, I need a $250 repair I'll still be $5750 ahead.
Better in my pocket than a car dealer.

I also change oil at 7500 miles, not the 3000 often wrongly touted as proper
interval.
 
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