Monday, October 19, 2009

The booboo ...

... has been kissed and all is well again. I'm talking about my garbage disposal situation, of course.

"The man" came from ARS this morning, as advertised. Boy, do they ever have efficient and nice people! I think - over the years, and I've had various ones here from time to time - I might have had only one that I had kind of mixed feelings about.

[In fact, before I continue on with this post, I just have to call ARS to commend them for their service.]

Done.

He couldn't have been here more than 40 minutes from start to finish. We jabbered almost the whole time, mostly about him fishing out in the Gulf yesterday and the pretty good-sized sunburn he had acquired because his friend had forgotten his hat and my serviceman loaned him his because he 'didn't need it'. lol

We visited some about Ike's effects over there where he lives (Anahuac .. look it up on a Texas map, it's east of Houston), about my dad's fishing "prowess" ... about all sorts of things, actually, but mainly we talked about garbage disposals.

When I had called ARS last Thursday to inquire about possible charges to replace a garbage disposal, the gal at the other end of the line was reluctant to give me any kind of quote because "Sometimes," she said, "the whole sink has to be replaced."

I thought, "Oh, Lord!" Well, whatever it took, I was going to have to do it.

Do you guys have any idea how long garbage disposals are supposed to last? I certainly didn't, altho I was fairly certain that I was probably setting some kind of world's record with mine!

My second husband and I bought this townhouse in - let's see, 1977? 8? - something like one of those and the house was only about two or three years old at the time. Certainly less than five.

My 30+ year old deader-than-the-proverbial-doornail garbage disposal was majestically carried out of the house by the ARS repair guy, and I'm hoping that plans are underway for a burial befitting such a royal one.

I asked - just as kind of a curious question - how long garbage disposals are supposed to last, theoretically. His answers?

You're not going to believe this, folks. At no time did any of his answers exceed ten years. Just incredible!

Even more incredible, however, is that he replaced my original 30+ yr. old garbage disposal with one of the same brand. I find that extremely funny!

What is not so funny is that this garbage disposal has a warranty of only two years. I repeat, two years! (For another $200, I could have gotten a warranty good for five years. "My man" did not recommend that I spend the extra money.)

You know what? If this all wasn't the God's honest truth, it would be hysterical!

I don't find it hysterical at all. I find it a terribly sad sign of the times, actually.

SO, how are all your appliances/gadgets working these days?

3 comments:

Chuck said...

Don't you just love planned obsolescence? Maybe the new one will also last 30 years, so I hope you'll be able to stick around to find out!

Barry said...

Strangely, garbage disposal units are almost unknown here in Canada. I only know of them from watching American TV shows.

I wonder why that is?

Maybe we're too cheap to have them installed?

Goldenrod said...

"planned obsolescence" .. rrvit, Chuck! Trust you to well turn a phrase.

Your comment, Barry, got me to thinking about when I first had a garbage disposal. I was born and raised in the far north (US). None when I was a kid or first married - Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I'm pretty sure we didn't have one when we lived in Indiana. Ohio? No, I don't think so.

I think my first exposure to a garbage disposal was here in Houston. That would have been in the 1970's. Now, my friend Jacky still lives in Indiana. I wonder if they have a garbage disposal? If I remember, I'll send her an e-mail and ask her. (She did NOT have one when we lived there, but that was a whole other lifetime ago.)

Maybe it's just a 'Southern' thing? An interesting question.