Got a dent on my fridge.
It's driving me a bit crazy.
really coo coo.
My Dear Hubby reminded me that we have a warranty on the fridge...because the fridge is less than a year old.
So I call the dear people at Kenmore....
"Hi this is Blah Blah How can I help you?" The Kenmore Phone consultant greeted me.
I tell her about the dent.
I tell her the fridge is less than a year old
and I tell her that I have a warranty.
There is a silence as she checks my account on her computer.
She states "Well, you ARE under warranty. We can sent someone out, but it is not a guarantee that they will replace any parts. It might very well be too expensive."
Then she says something that made me nearly gag.
"You may just have to buy another fridge"
Who the what the.......
Did she just say that one of my options is to buy a new fridge? To replace a fridge that is 10 months old?...Because of a dent?
I reminded her that I just bought this fridge less than a year ago. I nervously chuckled a bit realizing that she was probably reading from a script.
I told her that I realize that she HAD to say what she said, but "Doesn't that sound a bit silly to say to someone that has just purchased your fridge less than one year ago?"
silence
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Okie dokie then
I thought of how when I was younger we had just the one fridge....in fact, until I moved out.
we also had the same washer and dryer.
and TV
and radio
They didn't need replacing every year because they were made well.
My in-laws just replaced the old garbage can that was given to them as a bridal shower gift 50 years ago!
5 years ago we bought a washer and it has been on it's last legs for about 6 months now.
Years ago we bought a Sony TV and about two years later it was ready for the dump. Later I found out that an integral part was practically made to fail. The salesman said "Rather than fixing it...you might just want to replace the TV."
"But it's only two years old." I replied
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Every year we are told that we MUST upgrade our phones, computers, video game systems and ipods.
As a child did your family replace the telephone on a yearly basis?
Did your Dad come home with a brand new washer every two years?
Recently my husband fixed part of what was wrong with our washer. When he looked inside, the parts that were responsible for the agitation were all made of cheap plastic. Things are no longer made to last. Things are made to intentionally breakdown. When it comes to electronics we have been sold the idea that whatever we have in our possession right now this instant is not good enough,...it's deemed obsolete the moment we take it home.
I want out.
Recently when the washer was completely kaput I bought one of these.
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kid's socks came out white as snow
I thought of other things I may replace
I might just start listening to this
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and going back to this.
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I may even get some pearls and an angora sweater.
and if my kids want to play new video games I'll look for our old game system
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...if they don't like it then we'll go real old school...
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and as far as our dented fridge is concerned, I may just leave it the way it is...I'm guessing before the year is out the whole darn thing will break down anyway. and if that happens
we'll go old school there too
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It's frightful isn't it? Planned obsolescence I believe it's called. No wonder our dumps are full.
ReplyDeleteMy expensive Samsung TV had to be replaced this year and it wasn't 5 years old. You are right, things are made to break down.
ReplyDeleteMy sister bought a nice big flat screen TV that broke after about a year. The $40 1980s TV we bought on craigslist outlasted it.:(
ReplyDeleteThis is funny and frightful! Our first cell-phone lasted 8 years, and then we were told we had to get a new one because they weren't going to sell service to analog phones in our area anymore. Now, we have phones that fall apart at the two year mark, or earlier.
ReplyDeleteThis is so funny but so sad since it is true...They seem to want us to replace rather than make it last
ReplyDeleteYou are so right about this. Back to the service lady on the phone, I have a friend that always says "everyone has to have a job" whenever the person seems to be incompetent.
ReplyDeleteso funny! and true! Stuff is made like crap these days. When I was a kid, we wore things out - shoes, clothes, the car, everything. My folks are from the great depression years. They saved string. We are so wasteful these days!
ReplyDeleteI know exactly what you mean. It can be so frustrating. Life is now for the greedy rich. We bought a washing machine that likes to cover our clothes in lint. Fine grey lint. After our first wash I screamed at what the wash had done to my nice white t-shirts. They were cleaner before going through the wash. I called said shop and they said they can't replace it as I have had it for a week now, and it is a warranty issue. I called them, and their answer was to come out and install an extra lint catcher. It helped a little but our wash is never great. As we can't afford a new one, we just grab a wet face washer and attack the effected garments. Thank fully it is only ever 3 or 4. However it washes TOWELS great every time! Go figure?? Hubby and I have decided they can stick their extended warranty next time. I really feel your frustration.
ReplyDeleteI took time out to read one of your articles in full. Usually I skin through it, smile and move on. i remember when life was different. We took time to meet our neighbors, I mean to really get to know them and help out if needed. Now my neighbors walk past so quickly that I can hardly recognize them the next time. they pass by The only thing that I know them by is by looking at the dog they are walking. Things are not as they were.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your articles and hopefully you will read mine. Sondra
Ain't that the truth!!
ReplyDeleteThings are made to break now. I remember almost all the appliances shown. The radio like that was my grandfather's radio. And when anything broke (seldom), we did without until there was money to fix it or replace it.
Different times. Great post.
I agree with you on the old school thing. I have a fridge story I should tell sometime. The short story is that I went to a second hand store to buy one to hold us over for a while, and I found the fridge I had given away to someone being sold in this store. It was the first fridge I ever bought. It was over 20 years old. I knew it was mine because the kids had stuck something on the side of it that we could NOT remove no matter what we did. It was still there. "I want my old fridge back," I said to my hubby. It always worked, and it still did. true story!
ReplyDeleteJoann,
ReplyDeleteHello there! Just wanted to stop by and thank you for leaving such an encouraging comment on my blog. Your sweet and kind words truly made my day. :)
-Mara
http://homemaking-interludes.blogspot.com
It seems warranties don't amount to anything these days. Sorry, Joanne. That's irritating.
ReplyDeletexoRobyn
jeez they really just want to push us into new items. I so agree and remember my grandparents holding onto items for every. When they passed and we sold their house I swear most of the items in it were 50 y/o but worked just fine!
ReplyDeleteI will NEVER buy from Sears again. My side by side fridge began to rust out beneath the in-door ice maker after less than a year. They said it was not a safety issue and I did not have the extended warranty...so...it is now covered with Contac paper while it continues to rust away. Buy a new fridge? I think not.Arghhhhh!!!
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