Tangent from your latest DCT article, Splinter - -
I’ve always admired the Argentine practice of repairing rather than automatically replacing appliances and equipment. I hate the Use & Discard culture prevalent in the US, but we are almost forced into it.
Seized with a crazed moment of domesticity earlier in the month, I was in the middle of making peanut brittle when the (relatively new, but naturally no longer under warranty) microwave oven stopped dead.
We spent more than an hour doing an internet search for repair shops and calling all in the city, finding that only three would do microwave repairs. One could give us an appointment in 4 weeks, and a second, in 3 weeks. The third gave us an appointment the next week, but then called and canceled altogether. All three have a US $95 charge just to come out, then the meter starts running on charges. Two bluntly told us it would be cheaper to buy a new microwave than to repair it (purchase price around $600).
Hooray for Argentine repair people! Although I realize it’s not by choice that Argentina isn’t a Use & Discard culture, I hope the attitude of repairing broken appliances, worn furniture, ripped clothing, tired shoes, etc. is never lost.