You know what's not Smithtacular?

Getting your dryer fixed.

Our dryer went out last Saturday. Dennis had just washed a load of clothes and put them in the dryer only to find out it would run for just 10-15 seconds and then shut off. He and his dad spent hours taking the entire thing apart. While they couldn't get any confirmation, it seemed that the control panel had gone bad and needed to be replaced.

So, I called A&E factory services - the same company Maytag referred us to the last time our dryer went out 2-3 years ago. They sent someone out this morning explaining to me that it would be $129 for the service call and labor no matter what the problem was or how much time it took to fix plus the cost of whatever parts were needed. The $129 was charged the moment the serviceman walked in the door and that was that. Even if I decided not to fix it because the part was too costly, etc. it would still be $129.

So today, the serviceman came at 12:02pm (as I had the 8a-12p service window). He determined it was indeed the control panel and told me it would be $170+ for a new control panel. However, he said that once he put the control panel in there might indeed be ANOTHER part that needs replacing, but there was no way for him to know that without a working control panel.

I knew I was stuck with the $129 for the visit, but wasn't sure I wanted to pay over $300. My thoughts were:
1) Can I order this part for cheaper myself and try to put it in?
2) If they put in the control panel and it STILL doesn't work, can I return the control panel, just pay the $129 service call and just buy a new dryer?
3) Can I have a day to think about it?

OK so here is how I got totally screwed. #1, It would take me some time to determine where I could find and purchase this part and see if I could get it cheaper. The serviceman told me that I had to decide right then and there if I wanted him to order the part because he doesn't carry those parts and needs special authorization to order it. Even if I wanted just 1 hour to see if I could come up with a better solution or think about it, I would be charged ANOTHER $129 service call on top of this service call and then I'd still be stuck paying the part.

He then told me that if he put the control panel in and that didn't solve the problem I would not be able to return it. At that point I'd have already dumped over $300 into fixing the dryer, so I might as well just keep spending money to fix it so I am not throwing the $300 away - even though it would only cost $500 to replace the stupid dryer. In all reality I am not going to buy another $500 dryer that will probably cost me $500 in repairs over the next 5 years anyway. I would want to buy a better more expensive dryer and that just isn't in the budget right now.

I know that it is what it is, but I need to vent. When I called A&E services I asked how much a new control panel would cost because that is what I thought the problem was. The girl on the phone said she didn't have access to that information. If I had known ahead of time that I was looking at a $300+ repair, I might have said forget it. If they had also told me that I'd need to make the decision on the spot or I'd be charged for a 2nd repair visit, I would have definitely said forget it.

On top of this, I asked the dryer repairman how long dryers like this usually last. He said he didn't know. Seriously???? Your a freakin dryer repairman...you don't know? I mean come on! Dryers of the past lasted 25 years. Can you expect 25 years from today's dryers or is it more like 5 years? I mean, I was just looking for a ballpark number. I've had this dryer 5 years already. If the expected lifespan is only 6-8 years I'd probably just not repair this one and save up for a new one.

All in all, I am just irritated.

Sigh of relief

Last week I was getting worried that the terrible two's were starting at our house. Angelica wasn't sleeping well at night, was not taking her usual naps and was just as crabby as can be. When a fever broke on Easter night, I realized her problem was that she hadn't been feeling well. Three Dr's appointments, a bunch of lab tests, a shot and some antibiotics later, my little girl is finally feeling better and back to her normal self. She is taking 1 short nap in the morning, a long one in the afternoon and sleeping all night through again. Whew! I know it won't be like this forever, but she was REALLY giving me a run for my money last week. I was starting to have panic attacks about baby #2 arriving in less than 6 months! For now though, Angelica is better. We are back to our normal schedule and all is well. Hooray for modern medicine.