Repairs are not often thought of when factoring the total cost of an appliance, however, they happen. In fact, according to Puls Technologies, the leading on-demand home service platform, it happens early on. But when these appliances break, and the question comes up whether a homeowner should repair or replace it, it seems as though most decisions are made without having the full picture to consider.
In the survey, Puls polled 80 professionals, many with more than 10 years of experience, and according to the results, 70% of all repairs have occurred in the first five years of an appliance’s lifecycle. Most of the time, they say, this is due to owner abuse and neglect.
The survey also revealed that in 90% of all calls, repair was far more cost effective than replacement. In addition, 51% of technicians say that 4-times-out-of-5, the appliance is repairable (the remainder say it’s always repairable).
According to Puls, findings like these highlight the importance of two things: better education on the treatment of appliances and having a home warranty in place to help appliance owners when self-repair is impossible.
“Our survey of technicians paints a shocking picture of home appliances breaking down much earlier in their lifespan than would be expected,” Gabi Peles, CEO and Founder of Puls.
“With this data in hand, we are seeking, firstly, to educate consumers about basic steps they can take to extend the lifetime of their appliances by avoiding common bad practices and teaching simple maintenance skills. Secondly, when an appliance does ultimately break down, we offer protection plans that can save consumers up to $1,000 on a repair.”
What is the Most Repaired Appliance?
The survey also dives into some of the more frequently repaired appliances, as well as the bigger headaches when it comes to repairs. Refrigerators, according to respondents, where the hardest appliance to fix (51%) with the main cause of a breakdown being lack of routine maintenance (50%).
Washing machines, meanwhile, suffer breakdowns the most frequently (41%) followed by dryers (38%). The most common reason for these failures is due to owners overloading the machine each cycle (40%). However, the silver lining behind this is that technicians rank dryers as being the easiest appliance to fix in the home (79%).
With supply chain issues and inflation continuing to drive up the prices of replacements, Puls expects that the option to repair will become an increasingly salient option for appliance owners. Having valuable home warranty options combined with proper education on the values of repairs and how to better treat appliances, will only help in driving more homeowners to pursue repairs when needed.
