Saving green
Sticker shock: During hard times, many repair old appliances, TVs

Manuel Vasquez replaces the timer on a washing machine at his shop in Grants on Friday. Fixing old appliances instead of purchasing new ones is one way to save money. — © 2009 Gallup Independent / Brian Leddy

Copyright © 2009
Gallup Independent
By Jim Tiffin
Cibola County Bureau

GRANTS — If you have shopped to buy a new washing machine, refrigerator, or especially a TV, you probably have suffered from sticker shock.

Repairing these appliances instead of purchasing new can save you hundreds of dollars.

Manuel Vasquez, of M&R Appliance Repair in Grants, said new Whirlpool top loading washing machines can cost between $399 to $525.

A service call is only $45 and repairs can be as inexpensive as $99.99.

“All repairs have a 90-day parts and labor warranty,” he said.

“A side-by-side refrigerator can cost $1,200 new and most repairs can save up to two-thirds of the cost of new.”

M&R makes home service calls for $45, and if the customer wants the appliance repaired, that goes toward the labor cost.

Calls are made within the Grants, Milan and San Rafael area.

Silvano Corral, owner of Pronto Plumbing and Mechanical in Gallup, said he will recommend the owner of an appliance replace the item if the repair costs much more than about a third of the cost of the unit.

“We want to keep things moving forward and be as friendly to the environment as possible, “ he said. “Newer appliances use much less electricity and are more efficient.

“Because of the economy we are giving free estimates right now,” he said. “A lot of people want to know if it will be worth the expense of repairing instead of replacing.”

Corral said he once worked on a washing machine in Chinle — about 10 years ago — that was 40 years old at that time and had a gasoline engine.

“The man’s mother gave it to him and he wanted it serviced,” he said.

Pronto used to sell appliances but could not compete with the big box stores that have come into Gallup, so the company concentrates on repairs now.

Pronto will make service calls up to 150 miles in a radius from Gallup.

TV prices outrageous

Have you seen the prices of TVs lately? You cannot purchase a TV from a retailer unless it is a flat-screen and the most inexpensive of these is $238, plus tax, and isn’t even 19 full inches diagonally, it is 18.9 inches.

Repairing TVs can be so cost effective that it pretty much rules out purchasing new.

The new digital TV transition takes place on June 12, and for those who use an antenna, buying a digital TV conversion box for $40 will allow TVs to receive the new all digital broadcasting. Analog, over the airwaves broadcasting, ends on that date.

One individual in Grants recently had to have a 10-year-old Orion TV repaired for $55. That is $190 less than new.

Pete Gonzales, of Pete’s TV Service in Gallup, said: “Parts for new TVs cost more than the TV itself.

“The new TVs don’t last long,” he said.

Gonzales is in his shop from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except when he has to go on a service call.

Pete Tipton of Tipton Electronics, in Gallup, makes only in-home service calls and said he has just about everything he needs in parts and rarely has to order.

Service calls are $25 and go toward the cost of repair if the customer gets the TV repaired, he said.

He said he will go out 100 miles in any direction from Gallup to make a service call.

“I can be there in the afternoon if they call in the morning, if they call in the afternoon, I can generally be there the next morning,” he said.

He does no warranty work because of the problems and length of time in getting paid. He said he has not raised his prices in years.

“A lot of people are wanting to repair their TVs now, with the slowdown in the economy,” he said.

“They don’t want to spend a lot of money and newer is not always better,” he said.

To contact reporter Jim Tiffin call (505) 285-4560 or e-mail: jtiffin.independent@yahoo.com.