The latest "rage" in England: Appliance repair

Getting a malfunctioning appliance fixed has frustrated many people, but the record for most outrageous repair-related rage might be held by a 42-year-old woman from northern England. On January 13, Tracey Fox attempted to hold the "engineer"—Britspeak for repairman—hostage until he fixed her long-broken washing machine, reports the BBC. “I’m not proud of my actions,” Fox said, “but I felt there was no other option.” The situation ended without incident after the police showed up. Fox told the UPI that the retailer has offered a free replacement for her washer, which was less than a year old and still under warranty. (The washing machine shown is not Fox's.)

Fortunately, there are less dramatic options when it comes to dealing with your appliances. To try to avoid repairs in the first place, follow this room-by-room advice on appliance upkeep. If one of your appliances is on the blink, use our repair-or-replace information to determine whether you’d be better of fixing a machine or buying a new one. And when you do need to find a handyman, use our tools for hiring a pro.—Daniel DiClerico

Comments

[Charlie OBrien]

I am in the process of replacing a top loading Maytag Atlantis washer that is just under 5 years old. This is my second Maytag washer(the first lasted 34 years with only minor repairs) so I was more than a little surprised to be told that it was not worth repairing. The washer needs a new spin bearing which costs about $50 but the labour is $400 or more. I also have a friend who just replaced an under 5 year old, top-of-the-line Whirlpool front loading machine because a very expensive repair was needed to replace a bearing that had failed. I am being told by service repair people that this is not an uncommon or unexpected problem and that most of these appliances are only expected to last 5-10 years. Can Consumer Reports provide any insight on this issue and are there any manufacturers making appliances that will last longer?

[MaytagNoMore]

I have a Maytag Neptune washer model FAV6800AWW for 4 years now, which I purchased at Sears and later acquired a 3yr extended warranty directly from Maytag. The machine started failing to do its final spin just last week (out of warranty of course), so I called Sears home appliance service. Their clueless technician showed up this morning with an attitude, asking why didn't I renew my extended service since these machines are very poorly built nowadays(!). To make it short, he asked $1,004.40 to fix the machine, claiming that both control boards were fried as well as the clutch assembly. Of course I didn't approve this abusive service so he left my house with a $70 check in his pocket without having really done anything other than being cynical. Later on the same day I replaced the clutch myself for $150. Problem solved. Needless to say Sears customer service is playing dumb about refunding me my $70.
Lesson to be learned: buy the cheapest appliance you can find, don't care for store or brand loyalty. They are all equally bad at the end of the day but you won't be so aggravated by kicking a particular brand out of your home when if fails on you.

[Freezer Gaskets]

Interesting story. Sometimes extreme measures are necessary to get something fixed. Other times it is better to have quality parts available when you need them most. Maybe she just really needed to do some laundry.