€88 to replace belt on washing machine

[Luckycharms_74]

Hey people

My sister was charged €88 to replace the belt on a washing machine. She has not paid it yet. Does anyone think this is a bit steep in todays economy. I'm guessing he charged €80 call out fee and €8 for the belt.

[MarkR]

Reasonable enough I would think. How long did it take? How much do you think would be fair?

[Cabaal]

Seems reasonable enough alright, in fairness if you think its that easy why didn't you fit it for your sister?

[Luckycharms_74]

Originally Posted by Cabaal

Seems reasonable enough alright, in fairness if you think its that easy why didn't you fit it for your sister?

OK point taken

[Davidth88]

Seems a reasonable price to me.

80 call out always seems steep , but put it in context , the person has to drive from where ever , check the machine etc, and in this case fix it.

Compare this to a car main dealer who charges a similar amount per hour in their workshop.

[mcaul]

That's the problem with repairs. The cost of call out & time for a small issue can make it more worth while to buy a new machine.

I've been quoted €2600 to do repairs to a van to bring it up to scratch. Its got 230k mileage, so it off to the scrapyard and down to the garage to buy a second hand van with 50k mileage for about €7,000 with 12 month warranty.

[Cabaal]

This raises an interesting question, problems like
- wiriting a new switch
- replacing a timer etc

They are all pretty easy with a little bit of knowledge, given how things are going will we see a massive increase in people educating themselfs on how to fix things?

I know with myself I had a problem with my water tank not filling and rather then calling out a plumber I sorted it with about 30min work and a spanner,

[legend73]

Rule of thumb never pay 50% more then it would cost to buy brand new.

For e.g.
New appliance = 380

Repair = 80 call out, leaves you 110 for parts = 190 = 50% of new.

So the call out can be a deal breaker. If you buy a new appliance it usually covers parts/labour for at least 12 months, some have parts for 5 years.

Persoanally I think 80 Euro is steep, its not highly skilled labour, you dont need a degree for it and you can learn it quickly enough. 50 would cover call out expenses plus a 15 min fix which most of these repairs take.

I use to do field engineer work and our call out fee was 20quid and 35quid per hour + parts. And only 20quid if the issue could not be resolved was not refundable.

[Xcellor]

Replacing a belt in washing machine is easy. I would never call someone out to do that.

[rubadub]

The place I work in has charged more for callouts to PLUG IN a machine. And this is after their own service engineers have been looking at it for ages.

I have had idiot qualified service engineers on the phone too, with the same problem.

me-whats the problem
-my XYZ machine is not working
-is the light on the power button on
-what button
-the big orange one on the front with POWER written under it.
-hmmm I think I fixed it now.

These guys are obviously at it a while, have to search for a rating plate for a phone number and everything.

[blossom180]

got nixer done on the brushes of my machine,total cost 60 euro,watched how it was done,my mates machine went and it was the brushes,total cost 12 euro,happy days,other mate moved to new house last week all fittings were there 4 machine plumber wanted 80 euro as a nixer just to connect,got it done in 20 mins ,no charge,woman power.

[Blue_Wolf]

Good point. Irish people don't know or have forgotten how to do things for themselves. Celtic Tiger has made us lazy and we pay someone else to do the work.
My girlfriend is polish, she thought I was lazy when I said I would get someone in to tile the floor and kitchen wall.
She got her housemate to do it for me who isn't a professional but did a dam good job at it!

Hopefully we will learn something from this recession that may change us as a nation for the better.

Originally Posted by Cabaal

They are all pretty easy with a little bit of knowledge, given how things are going will we see a massive increase in people educating themselfs on how to fix things?

[cuddlycavies]

Back to the point. You're assuming the belt was €8? Say callout was €30, labour at €30, belt €15 Total €75 plus vat. Totally reasonable. I would have thought. He also provided a diagnosis. During the tiger years people routinely threw machines out when anything went wrong. Yes the current conditions will improve us in many ways but lets not start by being petty with service providers.

[marinbike]

Originally Posted by nslattery1974

Hey people

My sister was charged €88 to replace the belt on a washing machine. She has not paid it yet. Does anyone think this is a bit steep in todays economy. I'm guessing he charged €80 call out fee and €8 for the belt.

Did she shop around before calling out this person? If not, then I have no sympathy.