Why do appliance repairs (dishwasher, laundry, fridge, etc.) seemingly cost as much as the appliances themselves?
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I have a plumber, currently in my home, doing $1500 dollars of work that I would have easily spent a couple weeks of frustration trying to do on my own. He’s wrapping up as we speak and I have no leaks from what was a very frustrating issue. That’s why it costs so much. I hate to write the check, but I appreciate the expertise in an area where I have none.
I have a plumber, currently in my home, doing $1500 dollars of work that I would have easily spent a couple weeks of frustration trying to do on my own. He’s wrapping up as we speak and I have no leaks from what was a very frustrating issue. That’s why it costs so much. I hate to write the check, but I appreciate the expertise in an area where I have none.
My dishwasher has a small, intermittent leak coming from somewhere. I tried finding the leak myself with no luck.
Getting a technician to step in my home is $120 with no guarantee that they can fix it. If they can get parts, I pay for them too… plus possibly extra labor. Then I would end up with a repaired, 8 year old dishwasher that will likely have to be replaced in 5 – 10 years anyway.
A new dishwasher is $600.
My dishwasher has a small, intermittent leak coming from somewhere. I tried finding the leak myself with no luck.
Getting a technician to step in my home is $120 with no guarantee that they can fix it. If they can get parts, I pay for them too… plus possibly extra labor. Then I would end up with a repaired, 8 year old dishwasher that will likely have to be replaced in 5 – 10 years anyway.
A new dishwasher is $600.
The individual parts are quite cheap to make. It’s the overhead cost of giving each $5 repair part its own SKU in multiple systems and then the handling and shipping of those individual parts all over the country. Inventory at retail shops costs money in storage and taxes as well. Also it’s a bit of a profit center because repair laws say companies have to offer parts… they don’t say how much for.
There’s a reason all of Apple’s little “$2” accessories all cost $20 in store. At Apple Store’s low volumes it probably costs $10 just to pick up something and give it a UPC, ship it all over, a space on a shelf, and pay someone to keep it stocked, pay for a sales person to ring you up, credit card fees, etc, etc. there’s also a nice profit margin in there too because it’s got their logo in it.
There’s a reason Walmart and Amazon completely squash everything else… because they have those “handling” costs down to the barest minimum possible using advanced IT systems. Your local appliance parts store is probably using manual Excel sheets for inventory still.
The individual parts are quite cheap to make. It’s the overhead cost of giving each $5 repair part its own SKU in multiple systems and then the handling and shipping of those individual parts all over the country. Inventory at retail shops costs money in storage and taxes as well. Also it’s a bit of a profit center because repair laws say companies have to offer parts… they don’t say how much for.
There’s a reason all of Apple’s little “$2” accessories all cost $20 in store. At Apple Store’s low volumes it probably costs $10 just to pick up something and give it a UPC, ship it all over, a space on a shelf, and pay someone to keep it stocked, pay for a sales person to ring you up, credit card fees, etc, etc. there’s also a nice profit margin in there too because it’s got their logo in it.
There’s a reason Walmart and Amazon completely squash everything else… because they have those “handling” costs down to the barest minimum possible using advanced IT systems. Your local appliance parts store is probably using manual Excel sheets for inventory still.
Because the compressor in your fridge was jammed in on a production line by a lower skilled employee in a country with cheap labour, but the bloke who has to come out to your house, diagnose it, remove the old one and replace it takes a lot longerand costs a lot more per hour even though its the same part.
Same reason your parents probably arent surgeons: initial assembly is a lot simpler than repairs.
Because the compressor in your fridge was jammed in on a production line by a lower skilled employee in a country with cheap labour, but the bloke who has to come out to your house, diagnose it, remove the old one and replace it takes a lot longerand costs a lot more per hour even though its the same part.
Same reason your parents probably arent surgeons: initial assembly is a lot simpler than repairs.
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