subject: Dont Hang Around For A Spare Part [print this page] Ok, if youd still class your household appliance as new, then hanging around for a spare part to get it fixed is definitely worth your while but if youve had your washing machine, dishwasher, fridge or freezer for more than a few years and it breaks, its probably on its way out.
The make do and mend attitude thats slowly crept back into some households since the credit crunch began and the recession kicked in is a bitter pill to swallow when weve had years of unrestrained spending. Its a bitter pill for the consumer but even more so for the manufacturers as all they really want to do is make money. They want to do this by bringing out version after model after upgrade of everything they sell, staying ahead of the competition, being competitive in price and attracting the consumer.
While its undoubtedly a difficult time in terms of money for a lot of people, people are increasingly aware of false economy and running an ancient, rusty and energy hungry household appliance into the ground definitely falls under that heading. Its tempting to keep an old washing machine or dishwasher that seems to be functioning perfectly well but if its more than seven to ten years old, the chances are that its far from energy efficient and could be costing you a lot of money on your monthly household electricity and water bills. So while you might be thinking youre saving yourself a packet on not buying new and not trading in your old one, you might actually be costing yourself money hence the idea of false economy.
The big brands are putting more and more emphasis on energy efficiency and recycling, meaning if you buy a Beko washing machine or a Hotpoint dishwasher you can be confident that youll be getting the latest and most reliable in technology. This is in turn will mean your household bills should be lower and your carbon footprint reduced all good in the long run for you and the planet.
Think of your white goods like cars except instead of trading them in every two or three years, have them regularly serviced and consider trading them in every five to ten years. In this time, if your washing machine, dishwasher or fridge freezer breaks, make a call as to whether this is a small problem to fix or an expensive one, your decision on when you spend money on repairs and when to buy new is a crucial one. Hopefully regular servicing during the first few years will keep your machine problem free until its time for a new one.
