Sunday, October 20, 2013

In Search of the Lost Cord....

Good evening everyone...

Last week was a week of bizarre repairs.  The oven went.  The microwave went.  The wire on the coffee urn started arcing and sparking.

It could have been worse.  I am not certain, but I think that the oven is older than the kids.  I was really worried that there would be no parts available to replace a broken piece.  I had great fears of "it is a $10 part, but no one has made it for 10 years.  You have to replace the oven."  It was a $10 part, but it was just a wire.  The oven works again.

I am not sure what happened with the microwave.  The only thing I know is that RCA is willing to replace the parts for free, as it is still under warranty.  I have to ship it to them, pay to ship it back, and tack on a few extra dollars for the return shipping so that they could insure it.  I have to pay labour.  After all that money, it is easier to replace the microwave.  Conveniently, a friend is getting rid of a microwave, so this could work out for the best.  By the way, do not buy an RCA microwave.  This microwave was new.  A microwave should last more than four months.

The wire on the coffee urn went.  The urn would only work if the wire came in at a certain angle.  Then it started arcing and sparking.  As luck would have it, we were able to replace the cord at a fraction of the cost of a new urn.

And last, my brother gave us an old Mac mini.  It had a wired keyboard.  The wire was only three feet long.  We hooked the computer up to the downstairs TV.  Still, it was a pain to use.  Staples had an extension cord on their website.  After two futile attempts to get to Staples, I got there...and bought the wrong cord.  It turns out that the cord I wanted was only available on line.  The shipping was 67% more than the cord.  I found the right cord at a computer shop on Yonge, and returned the wrong cord to Staples.  I can now sit on the couch in the den if I need another computer.

I humbly do not apologize to the Moody Blues for the egregious misuse and abuse of the title of one of their albums as title of this blog entry.

Good night.

R/SCG


1 comment:

  1. On your list of products not to buy....a Black & Decker toaster oven. Mom had one in her kitchen and after using it for the first time it started a fire in her kitchen. It burned the counter, the curtains and almost the entire kitchen. The fireman told my parents that Black & Decker is not known for safe products anymore. I'll say.

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