Three men and a microwave.......... a rant.

[Shine]

...that is what I am looking at, as I type these words. Our 5 yr old microwave went on the blink a few days ago. Turns out it needs a new "magnitron", whatever the hell THAT is. Of course, it can't be fixed without removing the damn thing from its position above the stove. It's built into the wall, with slab granite along the bottom. So now, these three sweaty men, one of whom is my husband, are struggling to maneuver the damn thing out of there, without causing too much damage. The body odor was so gross I had to leave. I was getting too disgusted and worried, just standing there, watching them. They had to break the caulking and actually cut the electric cord, just to remove it. What an ordeal.

My rant: :wtf: is this damn thing breaking down for, after ONLY 5 years??!!?? According to the microwave repair man, this is a common problem for the "newer models", the older models last longer and can be fixed much more easily.

It's the PLANNED OBSOLESCENCE that pisses me off. :grr:

:rant:

[Oeditpus Rex]

1. All that testosterone in one place

can't be a picnic in the park, either.



But just think of the fun they're having with their power tools! :bounce:

[Shine]

8. Men and their tools....

:eyes:

[Porcupine]

24. Are doing a really nasty job for you. Thank them profusely.

Change-out of a built in microwave is one of the most dreaded jobs of my maintenance crew. One guy has to lie on the stovetop in some dreadful position and bench press the microwave while guy two puts his crotch next to guy ones face and does the wrenching. Drop something and you're out $200 bucks plus whatever labor it took to get you to that point. Back pain guaranteed.

These boys are owed some serious beef. And hubby should see the special nightie also.

[Shine]

25. LOL!!

My hubby really appreciated your idea. :thumbsup:

Yeah, I was big on the gratitude, believe me. They worked hard to get that damn thing out. It just pissed me off the magnitron thingy couldn't be replaced without having to go through all that hassle.

We have yet to receive the bill.

[SoCalDem]

31. I would get a new one.. The idea of fixing one scares me

It sounds like you got a lemon.. My son is still using the first one we ever got..It was the big ole Sears one that came out in 1980. It's still running fine..He uses it for rewarming stuff only.. It't not even powerful enough to make decent popcorn:)

[Shine]

33. At this point, fixing it is cheaper than buying a new one.

the older models (those built before 1995) supposedly don't break down as often. Ours is only 5 yrs old and the planned obsolescense of the magnetron is what really bugs me.

Oh well, too late now. It's in the shop. What's done is done.

We love our microwave and I pretty much use it everyday. It has lots of cool features.

The good news is, we're getting it back tomorrow and it's working fine now, with the new part. I'm hoping getting back up above the stove won't be too problematic.

We'll see....

[TK421]

2. May I ask what brand name it is?

[Shine]

9. GE brand.

basic "Spacesaver" model.

[TK421]

39. Figures...as far as I'm concerned, GE rates up there with Black and Decker

of all the models I've owned, they don't seem to be built to last

[Shine]

40. Oh well, too late now.

20/20 hindsight....

:eyes:

[hfojvt]

3. I have never owned a microwave

I understand that they can make life easier though

[Shine]

10. I can't imagine life without it.

esp. with kids. They're incredibly helpful and it's amazing to me how much I notice it not being available. I use it just about everyday...and yes, I even do cook sometimes, too! :)

[CaliforniaPeggy]

4. OH, my dear Shine, I am so sorry!

That is truly an awful situation for you.....

Planned obsolescence is just the worst.....

Do you read Consumer Reports? They can often give you good advice about which brands have the better frequency of repair records.....

We've been using them for nearly 40 years now, and only once did they lead us wrongly.....and that was over a car, IIRC...




:pals: :hug:

[Shine]

11. It's a hassle, but I can deal. All in all, Life is pretty damn good

I just need to kvetch every now and then about petty, mundane shit. Can you relate? :pals:

And no, I don't exactly peruse Consumer Reports. Not really my thang, although my hubby would be more apt to. That said, I don't remember much research going into the purchase of the microwave. It was just your basic, over the stove top model.

Who knew this would happen? Whatever. :eyes:

[pokerfan]

27. My microwave is over twenty years old

and runs just fine.

[Shine]

32. That's probably why it runs fine. It's one of the "older models"

it's the "newer models" that are specifically built to breakdown within a certain amount of time.

:grr: It's ridiculous.

Glad you're happy with yours, though. :hi:

[graywarrior]

5. Michio Kushi philosophy about microwaves: Wrap it up real nice,

put a beautiful big bow on it and give it to your enemy.

[Shine]

12. Good one.

:rofl:

although, I must say, I pretty much use mine everyday. Sad, but true.

[Willinois]

6. So your standing around watching while they do the work

and YOU'RE the one ranting? hmm... ;)

[Oeditpus Rex]

7. ...

:popcorn:

[Shine]

13. Hey, I'm happy to let them do the "guy thing". They were into it, trust me

Those men folk just looooove having a little project to exhibit their "manliness". heheh. I can dig it.

:)

[Willinois]

14. cool

I was just kidding around with you. :)

[Shine]

16. Hey, welcome to DU, btw!

Hope you like it here in the lounge. It's fun. We get to rant about stupid things like broken microwaves.
:hi:

[In_The_Wind]

15. Planned obsolescence sucks.

Everything needs replacing sometime but wouldn't it be nice if we had that information at the time of purchase.

[Shine]

17. Yes, indeedy.

One would assume a microwave would last longer than five measly years.....

:eyes:


Hope all's well on your end, Joan. :hi: Best to you...

[In_The_Wind]

18. One could expect at least that much.

Trust is important when you want repeat business. I guess you'll be looking for something a little different for your money.



Things on my end are doing pretty darned good.
I'm lookin' at snow but I'm thinking Beltaine.



Happy Holidays to you ~ Shine!

[Shine]

19. Same to you, sweetie.

May the warmth of a happy heart be yours this season....

:hug:

[hippywife]

20. Evening, Shine!

Long time no see! Let the PIG out and relax a little. Unless you gotta go out and sing somewhere again!

[Shine]

26. Hey, sweetie!

I've been rather caught up lately on my end with a huge 50th bd party for the hubby this past w/e, so I've been out of the loop. I've got an amusing KPIG story to tell you. Look for a PM soon...I'll tell you all about it.
xo,
Shine
:hug: :pals:

[hippywife]

38. I'll look forward to it!

And a very Happy Belated Birthday to the Hubband of Shine!

[jmowreader]

21. What the hell a "magnitron" is

The magnetron is the vacuum tube in your microwave that actually makes microwaves. Everything else in your microwave is there to either run the magnetron, point the microwaves coming out of the magnetron at the thing you're attempting to make hot, or keep the microwaves inside the unit.

It's breaking down now because everyone has gone to those cheap-ass Chinese magnetrons that seem to have a "best if used by" date on the side of them. They have to. The American-made tubes don't exist anymore. In the old days everyone bought Varian's magnetrons and never had a bit of trouble out of them. Now Varian's tube division is owned by Communications and Power Industries, who is interested in microwave heating (because it's the fastest-growing segment of the microwave-tube marketplace) but all their heating products are really big. The smallest thing they seem to have puts out 10 kilowatts of microwave energy, and that's a hell of a lot more than you want in a device that is cooking food you intend to eat. I can see the cookbook..."Roast Turkey. Step 1: put turkey in oven and close door. Step 2: set timer for three seconds per pound. Step 3: go to the neighbor's house and use your remote to turn the oven on. Step 4: serve dinner after you treat Uncle Edward's radiation burns and remove the cooked piranhas from your aquarium."

[Shine]

28. LOL!

:rofl: Very funny. Love the "cooked piranhas" line. :)

Thanks for the little lesson on the magnetron, too. Jeez, who knew? The guy says the part itself should only cost about $80, but I bet all that damn labor is gonna set us back a bit more than that. Bummer.

Oh well.

[DainBramaged]

22. Remember the vcr you paid x dollars for?

And it lasted forever, and when it broke, you gladly spent $100 to have it repaired down at the TV shop and they put new belts and capstan in it?

Now it's $49, hi-fi, as small as a loaf of bread, and you use it maybe once a year to record something you'll never watch. And when you put that tape in you made of little Margret at her first school play and it jams because bacteria eat the lubricant on vinyl tape or the iron oxide particles REALLY turned to rust you throw it away because the TV guy isn't there any longer and EVERYTHING is disposable.

That's just the way it is, some things never change, but electronics and appliances break now because the market(s) are saturated and they HAVE to keep those factories churning.

Imagine if you lived in New Orleans?

:rant:

[Shine]

29. Yeah, you got that right.

I bitch about my stupid petty stuff, but all in all, I have a pretty damn good life. I can't complain...although I do.

Oh well. I can only be so perfect. :)

[uppityperson]

23. I hate things breaking down. Are you sure it's not terrorism?

I HATE "don't worry about that plane crash, it wasn't terrorism, it just fell out of the sky on its own" stuff. And I hate appliances with planed obsolescence.

[Shine]

30. Yeah, I'm sure I can blame my microwave breaking on terrorism

In fact, maybe the gov't is trying to spy on us through it. It's not a broken magnetron, it's a hi-tech spy device!!

:scared:

[uppityperson]

34. seen any black suv's outside your house recently?

Note to self, when installing microwave, or oven, make sure it can be removed easily. I hope it gets fixed, replaced, repaired, reinstalled with not a lot more fuss.

[Shine]

36. Nope, thankfully, no black SUV's.

and thanks for your good wishes about the reinstall. Today's the day. I'm hoping for the best.

I miss that damn thing!!

:hi:

[Jamastiene]

35. THey want the money honey. It's what greed is REALLY all about.

They could make microwaves, light bulbs, and everything else last MUCH longer, but they decide that in order to make more money, they will make things break down or break or wear out faster so they can sell the same thing to the same people over and over again. It's a scam. It's highway robbery. It's capitalism gone wrong. It's greed. It's outrageous.

[Shine]

37. You're absolutely right, Jamastiene.

It's a total scam and it's totally outrageous. :grr: