Old faithful
In the post written back in 2011, I estimated $180 for the repair bill of our (then) broken oven. Well it came in, after GST (Goods & Sevices Tax) at $190. We got eight years longer, from old faithful. Could the same great, repair company, come to our ovens' rescue again?
Indeed. They replaced the element and a few lugs in the back. It cost $208, this time. A mere $18 hike in eight years. That's cheaper than two coffees and two slices of cake, at a cafe. Also, that's now TWO ovens of ours, they've prevented going into landfill. Makes me want to do a happy dance!
Inside my 12 year old oven ~
element, around the fan
Speaking to the technician, he said there isn't much, which can go wrong in a BASIC oven. Electrolux parts can fit our oven, even though the brand (Gianni) no longer exists. We got lucky. Apparently, Westinghouse is the Whitegoods company in Australia, with the MOST readily available parts. But if you have an oven that fits Electrolux parts, you're fortunate. As they're well made. Our eight-years, straight run, on an Electrolux element, can testify.
Wow - eight years. That went fast! Guess we've been living here, for almost 12 years, come this Easter.
Made a passionfruit slice, yesterday ~
(Gluten Free)
I can probably expect to write my next, "oven carked it", post, in 2027. Hopefully the car is still around then, and me too! The emergency fund better stay in shape, though. Because just like taxes, death (of Whitegoods) is a given. It's comforting to know however, our stance on purchasing only BASIC Whitegoods, may continue to stand us in good stead.
One small, side note - in case my regular repair company ever goes anywhere, there's also Downs Appliance Repair (DAR) in our region.
A rare, light-bulb moment
Oh yes, one other thing I forgot to mention - our fridge light-bulb, carked it too. At a mere $3 or so, pocket change in comparison. But doesn't it all add up in the end? Bad timing. An extra month's grace would have been great!
In the scheme of things, we're still doing okay. I don't have to choose whether to get the oven fixed, OR, put food on the table. Even though Murphy's Law, applies in this situation, it's still not the end of the world. It's good to keep that in perspective.
I would be ever so grateful though, if no more unexpected repair bills, came to visit for a while.
Brilliant to be able to repair items, it is so easy to just replace, and often at a poorer quality at a huge cost. We were told 9 years ago our boiler was not up to the job, but we ignored the advice to replace it, and it's still doing a great job.
ReplyDeleteYou must have an incredibly robust boiler, to be able to keep going like that. It has to handle some extreme heat conditions. An oven gets hot, but not THAT hot! You've reminded me winter is coming, and I have to get someone to check our solar hot-water system. It's been getting decidedly colder, every winter! But I don't want to part with any more money, lol. I still think it needs checking though.
DeleteAll's well that ends well, but I think you've had enough going on and could use a break for awhile!
ReplyDeleteYes siree! I'll raise my hand to that idea.
DeleteChris, that is great news about your oven. It must be a good quality one. We bought one made in the UK when we did the renos so I hope we can get parts down the track if needed. It is a Belling which has two ovens and a dreadfully hard to understand instruction book ;-)
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like Belling has been in the UK for quite a while. I know Range Rover, is another long standing British manufacturer of 4WDs, and they still make parts for their original vehicles. Which is pretty unheard of in car manufacturing circles. So hopefully Belling carries that same tradition too.
DeleteFingers crossed that's the end of your unplanned expenses for awhile Chris. When we renovated this old place 14 years ago, on a shoestring budget, we bought a second hand LPG stove because I wanted the old look. It lasted and cooked well until mid last year when we purchased a sparkling new one. It doesn't cook sponges at all well (perhaps my fault?) and I wonder if it will last as long as the previous old faithful which cooked a perfect sponge every time.
ReplyDeleteQuality can change, can't it. I guess it's the attempt to make manufacturing cheaper, so prices can be kept low. I admire companies that stand by quality, but the trade-off is you have to pay more. I'm glad I didn't have to consider changing out my oven, as I think we got extremely lucky with this one. It is a cheap oven, but it just so happens to fit Electrolux parts! Oh, but for the love of the perfect sponge though! They are priceless.
Deletehow wonderful you could get her repaired once again, so many people are so quick to chuck something out and buy new. i hate this new disposable society.
ReplyDeletewe have also had some bummer luck, Andrew was stuck in sydney for 6 weeks over the new year waiting for car repairs and i was out at the farm on my own. lucky my panrty is well stocked.
Wow, six weeks! That's incredible. It's good you had that flexibility to adapt when it became necessary. I bet the repairs hit the wallet a bit too. I hope there was enough left afterwards, to refill the pantry from Sydney.
DeletePersonally I hate change, which is why I'll always attempt resuscitation over refuse (aka: putting it in the garbage). One option I actually read about recently, was trying to locate a business which sells refurbished Whitegoods. I need to do that. Often they'll take your broken item, for parts too.
Isn't it great when something can be repaired instead of thrown away! We had our ageing cook top repaired earlier this year, the electrician had to be a little creative but luckily found an element that worked! Saved a fortune! I hope you'll share that recipe for passionfruit slice soon, Chris. It looks delicious! Meg:)
ReplyDeleteIt saves a serious amount of money, when you can just get it repaired. And thank goodness for savvy electricians. Will share the passionfruit slice recipe, soon. Cheers for stopping in Meg.
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