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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to feel upset at the greed of some people

82 replies

happyfrown · 22/07/2018 13:00

this will get me thumbs down but need to vent.

ive had my oven for around 5 maybe 6yrs, well looked after and clean. was gutted when a few months ago the fan went on the blink and I have to prod the fan to start the spin. i looked on ebay for the part, around £30. but watching the youtube vid to fix it didn't make me feel confident to do it myself.
so went to my local appliance shop. not a branded place more like second hand goods. asked if they sell any parts and if they do repairs. was told no don't sell parts. so i said ok if i buy the part off ebay could they repair? then he said they do do the part to order in but was more then ebay price but wont fit it? he said to have a look around if he had any cookers to buy. told him i don't need a whole oven just that part. sorry and left.
so last week the grill decided to pack up Sad only half the grill works. looked up that element possibly needs changing. again not something i comfortable with.
went to a different place, again new and second hand type. walked in asked about parts and repair. got a arsey reply along the lines of ''ooh you looking at £90 for fan motor, how ever much for an element then the repairs fee your looking at oh i don't know £200 plus. your better off buying new''

yes of course cos that will line his pocket more! i said i aint got the money for a new oven. mentioned that i found parts online cheaper if i can just get it fix. got a straight up no. even suggest i ask my family for money to buy new. family i don't have.

i understand they are making a living, i get they might be struggling and need every sale. i just get upset that if i could help someone i would. they would still get some of my money but not money i aint got.

OP posts:
unicornfarts · 22/07/2018 14:32

agree with you OP that it is an element of greed, but on the part of the companies that design and market these things. Planned obsolescence I think they call it, and it's disgusting and wasteful and the planet can;t take much more.

I heard a radio programme a month or so ago describing how repair and recycle had become sufficiently trendy in Scandinavia that they have malls and places you can go with your old stuff and either skilled people will help/ teach you how to fix it, or they will epicycle it and sell it on in the mall shops. Sounds a brilliant idea. We're all too fixated on 'new'.

iklboo · 22/07/2018 14:34

Does your local FB page have a tradesmen or recommendation section? We found an electrician through ours and he was great.

abilockhart · 22/07/2018 14:35

The OP is BVU. There is nothing to stop the OP from doing the repair herself.

The OP always has the option of buying the part cheaply for £30 from eBay. There are plenty of youtube videos that will show the OP how to replace the part. There is no guarantee that the part will be correct or safe and there is no guarantee that the OP will do the repair correctly.

In fact, there are far more opportunities now to do home repairs than there ever was. Spare parts can be bought online and Youtube videos showing how to replace parts now mean that the task is now open to everyone.

However, if the OP wants a professional to do the repair, she should expect to pay the professional rate for the repair and also pay the proper rate for the certified part.

LagunaBubbles · 22/07/2018 14:38

but you know if i came across some one who needed help and i had that skill id help

I'm skilled at making cakes, doesn't mean I would do them free or cheap for people though!

Randyharrisonfan · 22/07/2018 14:46

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Bluelady · 22/07/2018 14:46

Find an independent electrician. We had some work done recently and when he told me the cost it was so little I asked him if he was sure. Not everyone is out for every penny they can grab. If you ask on your local FB page you'll find one name comes up multiple times - that will be the one.

DiegoMadonna · 22/07/2018 14:48

I don't know where people are getting the idea that OP wanted these people to do the repair for peanuts or for free. Did you actually read the OP??

Randyharrisonfan · 22/07/2018 14:48

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Original poster
happyfrown · 22/07/2018 14:56

no need to delete randyharrison post. just shows the type of people we live amongst.
I might be poor, thick as shit and an idiot. but I have respect for people and that makes me a better person than you'll ever be ...aint it!

OP posts:
Xenia · 22/07/2018 15:11

Try websites like taskrabbit where people bit for specific work and come out and do jobs for you.

NotSuchASmugMarriedNow1 · 22/07/2018 15:15

Also, see if there is a repair café in your town.

And for the people saying "watch a youtube tutorial" - that's all well and good and I try to do this where possible BUT I often don't have the physical strength to do something.

woollyheart · 22/07/2018 15:15

I have replaced grill element and fan on an old cooker. You just need to make sure everything is disconnected before you start taking it apart, and then follow the video. Amazingly it worked perfectly afterwards. I would get a friend to help you. If it doesn’t work, you can replace it then, but it will probably work fine.

HateIsNotGood · 22/07/2018 15:20

Tbh - many 'parts' are expensive - because there are so many different parts that only fit certain models, so many models, so many makes.

It really can be more 'cost effective' to buy new or a recon.

I used to do the 'books' for a second-hand appliance shop for more years than I wish to remeber.

Shumpalumpa · 22/07/2018 15:22

I mean this nicely, OP, but it's easy to say that when you're not in a position to give that help. My friend is a lawyer and she's like you say, helpful - people ask her for help, she gives legal advice, and no one ever wants to pay her.

She's a great lawyer working part time in a firm with young kids, but people still think it's ok to ask for often complicated advice for free/very cheap. I know she gets frustrated and I'm annoyed by all the people who take advantage of her, who know that she is not flush with cash given her part time salary.

but you know if i came across some one who needed help and i had that skill id help.

What kind of help do you give?

Xenia · 22/07/2018 15:24

I thikn a lot of us don't like the waste that goes with just replacing an item. I spent a lot on a car repair recently onlysoon afterwards for it to die off completely and have to get another which was really annoying but I always like to try repair first so as not to waste the original item.

sahknowme · 22/07/2018 15:34

How much do you think they should charge for their labour? The prices sound quite reasonable so far.

FatToni · 22/07/2018 15:36

but you know if i came across some one who needed help and i had that skill id help

Without being outing - I have a particular skill. I see people moaning all the time about problems that I could fix for them easily enough. Literally, a couple a day.

But I don't offer. Because I'd spend all my time doing nothing but!

smallchanceofrain · 22/07/2018 15:44

I agree that it's frustrating how many items seem to be regarded as disposable when a repair would make them usable for years to come. That said, many tradespeople won't use a part unless they've sourced it themselves or have seen a receipt to show it's from a known trade source. They won't want to use something that might be potentially unsafe or unreliable - so they're not going to want to use something you bought on Ebay.

3luckystars · 22/07/2018 15:44

When we were buying our oven last year the woman in the shop said you only get about 5 or 6 years out of them now without giving trouble. I was shocked at this, my parents had an oven for about 30 years!!!

I think she is right though, we have gone through 3 ovens, 2 dishwashers and 2 fridges in the last 12 years. I was thinking it was my fault for not being as careful with things as people in the past would have, but this made me feel a lot better about it.

Unless you have a really good oven then just expect the next one to last only 5 or 6 years too. Good luck.

TashaYar · 22/07/2018 15:48

I don't know where people are getting the idea that OP wanted these people to do the repair for peanuts or for free. Did you actually read the OP??

The OP wants to pay substantially less than the prices these businesses charge. If she pays less than would cover their overheads, they would effectively be working for free.

Shumpalumpa · 22/07/2018 15:55

These bad boys lasted decades

to feel upset at the greed of some people
PeckhamPauline · 22/07/2018 15:56

I heard a radio programme a month or so ago describing how repair and recycle had become sufficiently trendy in Scandinavia that they have malls and places you can go with your old stuff and either skilled people will help/ teach you how to fix it, or they will epicycle it and sell it on in the mall shops. Sounds a brilliant idea.

We have this in my town (in UK)—it's called Repair Cafe. They have a Facebook group if anyone is interested in looking it up.

PeckhamPauline · 22/07/2018 15:56

… There's also a separate group just for sewing and mending clothes.

Moominfan · 22/07/2018 16:03

Op I think your getting a hard time here. Trying to be economical and just getting grief x

DiegoMadonna · 22/07/2018 16:25

The OP wants to pay substantially less than the prices these businesses charge

Well, she's not really looking for parts, she asked two people if they will do the repairs with the parts she has (presumably for a fee that they could happily have quoted) and they both said no. So I think she's just asking the wrong people. She obviously needs to find a repair man rather than an appliance shop.