The dysfunction of vital household appliances like refrigerators, microwave ovens, washers, dryers, and cooking-tops, etc. often becomes a major roadblock in the regular everyday activities of a household. Therefore, it becomes important to take control of the situation at the earliest and get the issue fixed.
However, when it comes to appliance breakdown, most users often face the dilemma, – whether to go for getting the appliance repaired, or opt for getting it replaced altogether? Each of the two approaches has its own pros and cons.
Benefits of Appliance Repair:
- Going for appliance repair saves you the hassle of shopping and selecting a new product for your home.
- Appliance repair takes lesser time and hence saves a lot of time for you.
- Appliance Repair is economical and costs less as compared to buying a new appliance altogether.
Benefits of Appliance Replacement:
The only apparent benefit of appliance replacement is that it lets you have a brand new appliance with the latest features and technology. The charm associated with buying a new product may be a major pushover.
However, the decision with regard to appliance repair and replacement depends on a number of factors. Let’s discuss, in detail, some of these factors.
Degree of Damage
The first step towards deciding whether to go for appliance repair or appliance replacement is to thoroughly evaluate the degree of damage to the appliance and the nature of the glitch. Once you are aware of the extent and nature of the damage, you will be in a better position to make a decision.
Look for the following things:
- What are the components affected?
- Are these vital components or the fringe elements?
- Are our original spare parts available for the appliance?
- Can the appliance be repaired at your place?
After pondering over these quick points, you will begin to shape a decision regarding whether to opt for appliance repair or replacement.
Time Required for Repair
Another important factor to consider before going for appliance repair or replacement is the time required for the repair of the appliance viz-a-viz the approximate time it will take you to go out, raki the market, evaluate, select and finally purchase a brand new appliance. In most cases, you will find that repair takes far lesser time than the whole exercise of making a new purchase.
Therefore, the time duration involved plays a major role in your decision whether to go for appliance repair or replacement.
Age and Longevity of the Appliance
How old is your electronic appliance? What is its average shelf life? Has it already outlived its time? What is the technology that the latest appliances available in the market working on? Is their a major drift in the technology? ….These are some of the questions, answers to which would influence your decision whether to repair or replace your appliance.
The criteria are simple. If you have recently bought the appliance and it has developed a fault, or if it is within the guarantee/ warranty period, there’s no question of buying a new appliance. Simply go for getting it repaired from a good appliance repair company. On the other hand, if you have been using the appliance for ages, and it has begun to develop faults frequently, going for the replacement of the appliance with a new one might be a better idea.
Expenses Involved
Finally, your decision to repair or replace also depends upon the expenses involved in it. Here, you may have to determine the approximate expenditure that you would have to incur in getting the appliance repaired, and what is the cost of a brand new product of similar kind in the market.
If the appliance in question is not a very expensive one, and the expenditure on repair is at par with the cost of a new appliance, then going for replacement might prove to be a good idea. However, if your appliance is an expensive one like a refrigerator, freezer or a washer, buying a new one would be far more expensive then the repair costs. In most cases, you will face the former latter situation and not the former one, and hence from an economical point of view, it is always advisable to go for repairs than to get the appliance replaced with a new one.
So, the degree of damage, the time period involved, age and longevity of the appliance, and the expenses involved – these were some of the key factors that would influence your decision of appliance repair or replacement. Though its always a personal choice on a case to case basis, more often than not, the repair is found to be a more viable option as compared to replacement.
So, the next time any of your electronic appliances break down, and you are facing a dilemma, keep the above factors in mind and take a wise decision!
