CINCINNATI — It happens to every homeowner: Your fridge or dishwasher is getting old, and then something breaks.
Should you call the repairman, or simply go out to an appliance store and buy a new one?
Couple regrets trying a repair
Marge and Richard Walter wish they had bought a new one, when their dishwasher quit one evening.
"It turns on, makes some noise, but it won't actually start," Marge Walter said.
So they called a repairman they found on a local home contractor website, Queen City Appliance Repair in Cincinnati's Westwood neighborhood.
"He decided it needed some parts," Richard Walter said. "And to place the order for the parts, he needed $165."
A week later, Walter said, the repairman came back and replaced the circuit board.
"I paid him, he went on his way, and that was the last I heard from him," he said.
The total cost: $425.
But once the repairman left, they realized it was still broken.
"It still won't start," Margie Walter said.
And they said the repairman stopped taking their calls.
When to repair, when to replace
It's a dilemma so many of us face.
An appliance breaks down and it is out of warranty.
So should you pay to have it repaired or scrap it and buy a new one?
Todd Lahey is president of a top rated appliance repair shop,A-1 Appliance Service of Roselawn, and says while he loves getting work, there are three reasons he suggests tossing an old kitchen appliance or washing machine.
One: The repair cost is almost the replacement cost.
"If it's half the cost of a new one," he said, "we'll generally point them to a new one."
Two: You can no longer easily get parts.
"Some manufacturers don't make control boards as long as we think they should," he said, meaning you might have to buy a used control panel, which is never a good idea.
And three: The appliance is 10 years old, which means it is getting close to the end of its lifespan.
As for the Walters' repairman, Queen City Appliance Repair's two phone numbers appear to be disconnected.
We went to their address and just found an apartment with no one around, except for a sign warning about a dog inside.
The businesshas two similar complaints at the Better Business Bureau for money paid and work not completed. It has6 negative reviews on Yelpas well. WCPO has sent their case along to the Ohio Attorney General, in the event the office can look into these complaints.
Meantime, the Walters wish they hadn't paid over $400 for a fix that failed.
"We should have just bought a new one," he said.
That way you don't waste your money.
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