After a 10 hr day on Thursday, I come home to get the car loaded up so I can run back out to get set up for the weekend flea market. I walk into children acting up and a broken microwave, one we've had just over a year which itself was a warranty replacement for another that broke. When I get home (again) two hours later, I discover that the microwave has those stupid torque screws w/ the pin in the middle so I'ld have to buy bits for it to see if I can fix it.
Friday. Another stressful day at work followed by going straight to the flea market. I get the bits but have absolutely zero sales. When I get home, I disassemble the microwave to find it's not the fuse and I can't find which part is broken.
Saturday. 13 hrs plus at the flea market w/ dismally slow sales. I talk to the appliance guy at Sears. The service center there is gone so my only option is to try and call the national hotline. Last time I did that, I fought w/ them for near two months to get the warrantied one replaced.
No. No more Sears. Every appliance I've bought from them the last few years have been junk including a fridge and a washer (the dreaded F1 fault needing a $200 part). Their service and quality have gone down the tubes and I won't spend my money there anymore. The C-in-C picked up an equivalent microwave for less than it would have cost me to have Sears even look at my other one.
People are worried. From what I've seen and heard at the last few gun shows, people aren't buying. I originally put it down to just overspending during the scare earlier in the year but now I've seen the same thing at the flea markets. People are holding onto their cash or just don't have it to spend on much extra stuff.
On a more positive note, I did manage to squirrel a way a little for 'extra' and picked up some goodies off of Ebay.
An original East German Shelter Quarter in 'Blumentarn', one of my favorite patterns. I've been trying to get ahold of one of these for my impression for some time.
T-72, ZSU-23-4, BTR-70, BMP These will look nice on my shelf w/ my WWII German collection (in a bigger scale though).
I have a few other cold war goodies on the way which will be for a later post.
3 comments:
Dude I can not tell you how many times I have pulled out this set and its bailed me out. Its the most complete set of bits I've seen in 15 years.
Look up harbor freight tools 100 piece security bit set. Item#68457 normally on sale every few weeks for 9.99.
The only other bit set I've had to add is the 6 piece mini star bit set Item#68458 For some mini screws on folding pocket knifes.
Those bits have paid for themselves many times over in the last few years.
We're done with Sears for appliances, too. Our dryer went out with a F40 error, meaning it's the thermal fuse, the blower, or the main circuit board. It turned out to be the fuse (the repairman was a WHOLE 'nother drama), but 2 days later got another F40 error.
Disassembled the damn thing again, cleaned it out, shortened the vent hose (it was slightly kinked from being too long for the space it occupied), and it's been working so far.
Still, a ~$800 appliance (we stretched our budget and sprung for the "good" one) should NOT be ready-to-replace after <4 years.
The Appliance repair guy behind me says: never buy the top line w/proccesser controlled cycles, they go bad quick. I bought the low manual setting washer and drier. They work. no problems. As for bits, I hate it when someone comes up with a "better" idea. As a auto mechanic, I have so much stuff that is used for a while then gets pushed to the back of the box.
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