3 ms·
> Appliance repair is still quite common in the U.S. The notion that white goods get disposed of as rapidly as they break down is something of an internet-sprea
by jobu 9y ago
> Appliance repair is still quite common in the U.S. The notion that white goods get disposed of as rapidly as they break down is something of an internet-spread cliche.
I disagree. The fan in our fridge died recently. I was able to find the motor online for around $150, and I called a few local appliance repair shops to see the cost for labor. They charged between $75 and $100 an hour and estimated the repair at 2-3 hours plus parts. That's a minimum of $300 to repair a 10 year old fridge that I could replace new for $800. Worst case it would be nearly $500 to fix, and the compressor could go out the next day and cost just as much.
- mullen 9y agoYou should just replace a 10 year old fridge because it would save you a lot of money just on electricity. Check with your power company, they might give you a bonus for replacing it.
- reaperducer 9y agoIf you think spending $800 to buy something is a better idea than spending $300 to fix something you already have, I respectfully posit that you may not be average.
- rosege 9y agobut its a gamble - I've seen ppl spend much more than the cost of replacing because they were being stubborn and didnt want to believe that it might be cheaper to replace in the medium term.
- ntsplnkv2 9y agoIs it truly a gamble? Yes sometimes you fix something another thing breaks. But does that happen often enough to be a gamble?
- jobu 9y agoYes, repairing vs buying new is _always_ a gamble. The odds may be more or less in your favor depending on the age of the item. Take a look at the average life expectancy for appliances : https://www.mrappliance.com/expert-tips/appliance-life-guide/ https://www.mrappliance.com/expert-tips/appliance-life-guide... It's not always a binary choice though, in my case I actually ended up buying a used fridge off craigslist. I found one that was a bit of an upgrade, newer, and about the same cost as repair.
- deleted 9y ago[deleted]
- crpatino 9y agoThe problem with that line of thinking is to assume that you will get 10 years of honest service from your newly purchased appliance. From what I have seen, it is a race to the bottom. Low-end stuff is sold on tight margins and the quality has been falling like a rock for the past few decades. High-end stuff is... just sad, it like they fired all the industrial designers and hired modern artist to fill the positions. Functionality is sacrificed left and right for the sake of making things visually appealing. Then, you cannot tinker with the damned thing without specialized tools. In both cases, though, there's the issue of programmed obsolescence. This is not new, of course, but manufacturers are pushing this more and more. For the same money, you can have your 10 year old appliance running for 4-5 more years, and it will be just are repairable by then. The new fancy appliance will only last 5-7 years and then break for good.