"They Don't Make 'Em Like They Used To"

The other day, I noticed my dishwasher sounding like it was washing gravel, not a sound you want to hear coming from your kitchen. The dishwasher is not that old either, I'm thinking probably 5 or 6 years ago we bought this one to replace the old girl we'd had for only ten years. Why is it that they don't make things like they used to? In the 16 years since we bought our home, we've been through 3 washing machines, 2 dryers and recently purchased our second refrigerator. Thank goodness for the microwave oven we purchased 21 years ago that's still going strong {Jinx!}.

In today's world of instant gratification, it seems like so many things are disposable.  It's cheaper to buy something new rather than pay to have it repaired. If you know me, you know I want to fix everything. My husband always wants to buy new. So, we discussed our options. Should we try and have it repaired or just go for the new model. Of course my husband says, just get a new one...I wanted to repair it.

I was heading to the mall anyway, so I visited my local Sears to see what the damage would be. Immediately, I was approached by a lovely saleswoman asking if she could assist me. I explained my situation and asked about the cost of repair vs. purchasing a new appliance. It turns out, it's roughly $100 to have a repair person come to the house. Most likely, they will have to return another day with the parts which could range anywhere from $40-$200 depending on the problem, plus labor. Basically, we were looking at $200-$400. The new model I was interested in looking at was on sale from $549 to $404. The internal battle began. Possibly spend around $200 to repair an appliance and then need to repair it again in the future, or buy a new one and have a shiny new dishwasher to admire. At this point I was pretty much sold on the idea of buying a new one.

She offered to show me some of the floor models and asked what I have now. I described it and said it was only 5-6 years old. Now, I know this is true because I remember the previous one being about 10 years old. We purchased it when we built our home. The sales woman was adamant in telling me it was probably 14 years old. She proceeded to argue with me but finally relented realizing I was probably going to purchase something that day.

Next she asked me if my husband was handy and if he were, he might be able to hook it up for me or else the installer, a licensed plumber could do it for $220! First of all, no, my husband is not handy, but I AM. Why should my husband be the handy one? I definitely wasn't going to buy an appliance at Sears anyway, but this lit a fire under my butt. I went home and fired up YouTube.

I figured it has to be pretty basic. Unhook this, hook up that...I was determined to do this myself. I searched videos of how to install a dishwasher. After the third video, I was sure I could handle the job and for free! But this little voice in my head kept saying "licensed plumber".  What if I installed it incorrectly and the basement floods? {Perhaps I should have a licensed plumber do the install.}

I still hadn't purchased a dishwasher yet. I had a feeling I could find one elsewhere and have it  installed for less than $220. In the past, I'd had a negative experience with Sears and ended up purchasing the latest dryer from Home Depot. Most big name stores have price matching anyway, so what really matters to me is customer service and delivery/installation costs.

I decided to check Home Depot's website and shop their appliances. It turns out, they offer the same options at the same price as Sears. Their install however, is only $79 plus $20 for a new hose and install kit, free delivery and they'll take away the old appliance! I went ahead and for the first time ever, ordered an appliance on line and scheduled delivery. Sold!

In the end, I spent $518.
Dishwasher-404
Install-79
Hose and kit-20
Removal of old appliance-15
Peace of Mind-priceless.

Three days later, Home Depot delivered my new dishwasher. I explained to the installer that I had considered doing the install myself and he offered to let me watch how it was done! I, of course, was thrilled. He walked me through the entire process and in the end, I certainly could have done it myself.

While I would have loved to have repaired or installed the dishwasher on my own, I feel good about knowing my limits and turning to an expert.  I just wish they made 'em like they used to.

You Can Do It!