When Does It Pay to Buy Big Brand Names?

It's the moment every adult dreads. That clanking noise or worse, silence from that household appliance which you rely on which is apparently on its last legs or has actually crossed the appliance rainbow and as far as you know, it cannot be revived.

Kitchen with appliances:Photo by Dinh Ng. on Unsplash

I'm not sure what is worse - the death of a washing machine, dishwasher, refrigerator or freezer. All of these things are vital to the sooth running of my busy home. I mean, I could wash up by hand but with a large family, every meal uses as much crockery and cutlery and pots and pans as most people bring out for a dinner party so it's not a quick job. 

I have two fridge-freezers but they are mostly stuffed full, especially the freezers as I do like a bargain and discounted food generally has to be frozen unless you fancy cooking it on the day your buy it or collect it from your fave food waste listings app. (I like Olio)

The washing machine is in use every day of course with a family like mine although my elderly neighbour  managed her whole life without one and used to even wash and wring the woollen blankets from her bed by hand. On wash day I always offered to bung a load in my machine to save her the effort but she always refused saying she quite liked the routine and the satisfaction of seeing them blowing on the line.

socks drying on outdoor washing line:Photo by Nick Page on Unsplash

So being so reliant on my appliances I learned early on that buying brands I'd never heard of to save a few pounds was false economy. It is a good idea to buy home appliances from big brands like LG because you can always find experienced technicians to maintain or repair it for you.

It's usually much cheaper to repair an appliance than to replace it and you will be doing your bit to keep landfill loads down too. If you do end up having to buy a new machine it might be worth contacting your local scrap metal dealer to see if they will take it - they might even collect for free or even pay you if there are enough retrievable materials in your discarded item. We actually made enough money for a meal out taking our old boiler to a local scrap dealer!

Before buying any appliance do your research. You are obviously hoping the gadget will last for years so check several reviews, not just the ones on the site you plan to buy from. This is especially easy if you are looking at bigger well known brands.

All of them will have some negative reviews but think and decide if the reviewer was being reasonable in their expectations and how the seller dealt with their complaint. Try and go for items with at least 4 out of 5 stars.It's also a good idea to chat to friends and family about what brands they love, especially is they have had dealings with the brand's customer service.  Some brands are definitely better at aftercare than others.

Always keep the content details for your preferred repair service to hand so if the worst happens you can quickly get someone to sort the issue and you don't have to cope too long without your precious appliance.