Another Christmas gone (so quickly). Did the radio really start playing Christmas music in October?
Our kids and grandkids were here. It was nice to have them, we made memories. The only certain casualties were one refrigerator and three washing machines. Okay, it was three washing machines if you count the one that quit one week after everyone was gone. What are the odds?
We brought in the old garage refrigerator for a temporary replacement. I felt lucky to quickly find a used washing machine. It was the same model as ours, we could use the first one for parts if needed.
When we got home from dropping the last of our family at the airport, my wife gathered up all the sheets, blankets, pillow cases, comforters, bath towels and more, and began washing.
Just like our old washer,
our new – old washer suddenly refused to execute the spin cycle. I tossed the sopping wet load into the shower and front loader-ed the rest of Mt Laundry into the bathroom – which was now a giant laundry hamper.
We began searching for a replacement wash machine. I found that you can pay (almost) as little or as much as you would like for a washing machine. I also learned that beginning in 2015, new wash machines had to meet new government standards (an Integrated Modified Energy Factor) which mandated them to use less water and less energy. These restrictions were tightened again in 2018.
I discovered that quite a few people believe these regulations produce appliances that are more expensive and less productive (but they save water and energy – and so save the planet!). I can’t speak from personal experience because our machine was built well before 2015. Apparently, some folks are repairing and keeping their classic wash machines.
We purchased a new one (washer #3) at a well known Scratch and Dent Outlet, brought it home, hooked it up, and resumed mining our giant laundry hamper. That machine quit working and was returned in less than one week.
Did you know that a washing machine, much like a car, has a motor, a transmission, a clutch, and brakes? Thanks to some helpful on-line videos, I suspected, verified, and repaired the clutch of washer #2 for less than $10. We’re using it for now, and hope to sell it and do the same repair on washer #1.
If we need a new refrigerator
and we are on the verge of remodeling the kitchen (YES – REALLY!), we may as well take advantage of a 4-piece appliance package price – now.
We shopped around and found the best deal. There would be even more advantages if we made this purchase with that store’s credit card. With the sale prices ending soon, we applied for the card and were approved.
Although approved, we could not use the card until it arrived in our mailbox. The day before the sale ended, the card had not yet arrived, so we transferred funds to our debit card account and clicked the Process Order button to buy the appliances.
Our bank’s Fraud Department froze the account.
I appreciate the good work they do. We told them this was a valid charge and they un-froze the account. The store notified us our card had been denied, we said it is clear now, try again. They tried again and it was still blocked.
We called the bank again – banking hours have ended, call tomorrow (the last day of the best price). Reaching the bank again resulted in multiple phone calls over confusion about secret Key Words, and which Key Word was associated with which card holder.
This same day,
the store-credit card arrived. I signed onto my appliance order page and changed the payment method to the new card. While online, a store representative phoned me to try to clear up the bank/fraud/card issue. I told her I changed the order to use their new card. She said, “I see while we were talking, your order/charge was updated and approved.” Yay! (The yay was me).
Blog Post Disclaimer
Although they scored more ink – appliance issues are not the Christmas memories I will cherish.
My January Multiple Myeloma and Prostate Cancer test results showed no change.
I can live with that.
Thanks for reading…