Why do appliance repairs (dishwasher, laundry, fridge, etc.) seemingly cost as much as the appliances themselves?
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You don’t live in a rough enough neighbourhood to have a ‘guy.’ The guy is like your uncles friend, usually in their 30s and their only job is fixing shit in the hood. They fix anything from the satellite TV to a dishwasher to a cupboard door hanging off in the kitchen for like 20 bucks. They always smell of something not unpleasant but strange, and you know their joggers have been on for more than a week but damnit they can fix shit. Usually found hanging around near a corner shop or walking to or from a place to get parts.
You don’t live in a rough enough neighbourhood to have a ‘guy.’ The guy is like your uncles friend, usually in their 30s and their only job is fixing shit in the hood. They fix anything from the satellite TV to a dishwasher to a cupboard door hanging off in the kitchen for like 20 bucks. They always smell of something not unpleasant but strange, and you know their joggers have been on for more than a week but damnit they can fix shit. Usually found hanging around near a corner shop or walking to or from a place to get parts.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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