Oven Repair - Revisited

Last week, I blogged on how I had broken the door on my oven and had gone online to Sears to make an appointment for a repairman to come and assess the damage. I waited 10 days for the repairman to come and when he did, he told me it would cost over $600 to fix the oven because it needed 8 hours of labor and the part alone would cost $165.

After that experience, I figured it might be cheaper to purchase a new oven since they were on sale that week at Sears for $720.

So, last Saturday I went to Sears and spoke to a saleswoman who told me the following:

1. The oven was not in stock in the store and she could not tell if me the hinge that broke on my oven had been replaced on the newer model with a better hinge;

2. The cost to deliver the oven would be an additional $65; and

3. The cost to install the oven by a separate appliance person would be another additional $189.

So, after adding all that together, I realized I would be paying over $1,000 for a new oven that only needed a new hinge on the door.

On Monday I called Frigidaire repair and was given the number of a local appliance repair company in the valley. When I called them, I was told they could come out the next day to assess the damage. Because I was working on Tuesday and Wednesday, I picked Thursday morning for the repairman's visit.




He arrived on time on Thursday morning and approached the repair in a completely different way than the Sears repairman. He went out to his truck, found the part and quoted me a repair price of $180 including the part ($53) and labor. The oven door hinge was installed and the entire job completed in less than one hour.



So, I need to refute my previous post touting Sears as an answer to appliance repair when you don't have an extended warranty on your appliance.

The small independent stores are still alive and well and ready to serve you.