Murphy’s Law is still out there working its mystic ways. A subject that belongs in the Murphy stable, if it is not already there involves warranties. Why is it if you don’t get one, you need it, and if you do, you never use it? On other hand if I had taken every warranty offered, we would probably be in the poorhouse. However, The Blonde in the house has a tendency to recall the ones we ended up needing (she would have bought them all).
An example of a need not met through a warranty occurred to us just this week. Nearly four years ago, we purchased a treadmill. It has been a good treadmill as those things go. We never had a whisper of a problem with it. That is, until the other day when we went out to the garage and it refused to tread. It just sat there like a big metal and plastic dummy. We did, by some good fortune, still have the instruction book which had a place to call if you wanted a warranty. That organization was most happy to help us out even without a warranty. They just required that we pay a suitable (to them) sum and in three or four days someone would come out and figure out the problem.
Once that was accomplished they would get the necessary parts (paid by us) and then a “slight” charge to install such parts. The above is one problem that we have never discussed at a Husbands United (a secret society), but I will add the subject to the next confab for future use. In case anyone is wondering, I have an ace up my sleeve on this one. If we had purchased the warranty, it would have been for three years and would have expired by now. Therefore, I figure that we saved the warranty costs which now mitigates the cost we face today. Good planning is very important in life (heh heh!)
Warranties do have a habit of expiring before needed. I will admit that we were fortunate on another matter that hit us recently. We had purchased a fan for our garage to keep it cooler. The fan involved had a two year warranty – for which we paid not a farthing (always wanted to use that word). The said warranty was to expire on June 27th of this year. On June 23rd the fan stopped dead in its tracks. The firm from which we purchased the fan was true to its word and replaced it without a charge or a complaint.
Some day when I really retire, I may conduct a scientific study. It will involve having folks indicate whether they buy all warranties, buy some, or never even listen to the sales pitch. It will most likely provide a provocative report that would be discussed in many circles. I would not bother giving The Blonde in the house a form as I already know which way she would fill it out. Of course, she wouldn’t let me fill one out either.
I wonder, if Murphy was married?
Barry Evans writes about Life in The Villages for Villages-News.com.
