Deciding whether or not to fix a broken appliance for your Outer Banks Long Term Rental or should you spring for a new one often feels like an expensive guess. But there’s no need to throw away good money on a bad product. In fact, repairing broken items or keeping them going as long as possible isn’t always the best way to save money. OBX Housing has done some research for you and here are some recommendations:
Appliances aren’t breaking faster
Some products are breaking less often. So why does it seem like things don’t last as long as they used to? Because when products do break, it’s memorable:
How soon should you need service?
Check out online reviews for example what are the most and least reliable brands and what is service like in the Outer Banks. Many people purchase appliances online through the “Big Box” stores who don’t provide onsite service but use companies who are subcontractors such as A&E Factory Service. The wait times for these companies can be days or weeks. Local supplier Manteo Furniture and Appliances provides both sales and service which is very helpful.
If your product is under manufacturer’s warranty, you’ll need to use a factory–authorized repair shop or risk voiding the warranty. Just make sure the technician who will be sent to your Outer Banks rental home has been properly trained on your product.
Rule of thumb regarding cost
No matter who does the repair, our long-standing advice remains. Don’t spend more than 40-50 percent of the cost of a new product on repairing an old one. And if an item has already broken down once before, replacement may make more sense.
Warranties don’t improve satisfaction. Surveys show that only 15 percent of appliances that break down were covered by the manufacturer’s regular warranty when they broke, and about 10 percent were under a service contract or extended warranty. People who had a service contract or an extended warranty weren’t any happier with their repairs. They actually were more likely to have had repairs done incorrectly the first time around and waited at least two weeks for the repair than people who didn’t have those contracts.
They actually were more likely to have had repairs done incorrectly the first time around and waited at least two weeks for the repair than people who didn’t have those contracts.
Even the 77 percent of people with those contracts who were offered a free repair or replacement for their product didn’t save much money overall. The median cost for the contract or warranty was $136; the median cost for repairs was $152.
Replacement parts are available!
The internet has opened up so many resources to us when it comes to appliance repair. Here’s a website that we use frequently for replacement stove burners, oven racks, dishwasher racks and refrigerator bins just to name a few.