Friday, January 9, 2009
The Story of Stuff, Revisited
In December 2007 we had a blog post about the Story of Stuff - how our society has become increasingly disposable. Unfortunately, our family is experiencing this first hand at the moment, in a way that is infuriating, frustrating, and downright sad.
On December 22, Scotian was cooking the Christmas pies - apple and pumpkin. A half-cooked apple pie was in the oven when all of a sudden, the oven quit. Died. We frantically called several repair companies who told us they could promptly have a technician dispatched - on January 6. "But we have a Christmas Dinner to cook, we have family coming", we protested. "Sorry ma'am, January 6 is the best we can do, Happy Holidays." We called the next company. "Do you need it for Christmas?" they asked. Excuse me? Do you know ANYONE who doesn't need their oven for Christmas? On the 5th try, we finally found someone who could come and look at our oven. He did. "Needs a new motherboard", he deduced. "I can order one, it will be about 3 weeks. Or you can replace your oven."
Replace my oven? Scotian and I purchased all of our appliances on New Year's Eve 2002 in anticipation of moving into our house on January 31, 2003. Our appliances are barely 6 years old.
We made arrangements with a friend who was away over the holidays to cook our turkey, driving back and forth between our house and theirs to baste. It added enough stress to make us all a bit crabby Christmas Day, not an ideal situation.
Yesterday, the repairman arrived with a new motherboard. He replaced it. Didn't fix the problem. My cheeks start burning in anger. "We need to replace the keypad, too. Let me call and get a price." I had to leave the room. I came back to "you're not going to be pleased." I'm doing mental math: the motherboard was $300, how much more could a keypad possibly cost? I had no idea just how much, "they don't make that particular part for your stove anymore."
By now, I'm furious. I just put a $300 part in my oven that doesn't fix the problem, and the part that will fix the problem isn't being made. So the cost of a keypad is essentially, that of a new stove. "Okay, so if it can't be fixed, I don't need the motherboard then either." This is where I really started to become ill to my stomach. "Well, because we've installed the motherboard, and it's an electronic part, company policy states our supplier will not credit us for the part that we ordered for you if it has been installed, so you will still have to pay for it."
I protested, "but you wouldn't have known that it was the keypad until you replaced the motherboard too. You did that, it didn't fix the problem, you CAN'T fix the problem, so why should I pay $300 for a part that will end up on the curb next week? Above all of that, why isn't the part available for a 6 YEAR OLD STOVE? It's not as though it was built in the 50s!"
"I'm sorry, that's company policy, my hands are tied. You could try calling the manufacturer's repair service to see if they have the part."
I begrudgingly hand him my Visa, absolutely stunned that my stove could be JUNK in only 6 years. My mother replaced her stove this year after 35 years, and the only thing wrong with it was that the timer was broken. I frantically call the toll-free number for repairs for the retailer of my stove. I speak to the lovely lady at the other end and explain to her how it is unacceptable that there is no part available for my stove. I don't expect to have to replace my appliances as often as I replace my car.
"I understand ma'am, but the part is no longer being made. We are simply the retailer it is the manufacturer's decision not to make the part anymore, there's nothing we can do."
So, let me get this straight. The repair man won't take responsibility, the retailer won't take responsibility, will the manufacturer take responsibility? "Who made my stove, then?" I ask, "and where can I log a formal complaint? A disposable appliance is not acceptable."
"You can write to the president." She says. "Okay, what is the President's name?" I ask. "Oh, just address your letter to "The President"." She replies. Right. Fine. Leaves me feeling as though the letter will get thrown on the fire that heats The President's Office.
In the meantime, I hear my washing machine downstairs start to squeal, then grind, then stop. I hold my breath. I walk downstairs. I turn the knob. I see half-washed diapers floating in a basin of grey water. Nothing happens. I simultaneously think, "NOOOOOO!" and "You've got to be kidding me." I call a friend in desperation, asking if I can come out to finish my load of diapers. The same thing happened to her a few months ago, with a washing machine manufactured by the same parent company. I'm starting to ponder the theory of planned obsolescence.
Scotian and I have been researching brands of stoves for nearly 21 days now. Most brands are manufactured by the same parent company that manufactured our store brand appliances. I've told Scotian we will NOT be purchasing our new stove from a chain - we will be finding an independent business that actually cares about service and product. As a small business owner, I care deeply about my business, about my customers, about the information and service I provide them. I know other business owners feel the same way. I am also going to find a brand that is not made by the parent company that made both our washer and our stove. This should not be happening. With the technology we have, I would GLADLY pay a LOT of money for an appliance I knew would last me 20 years. And I will also GLADLY take my business elsewhere.
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