Guarantees

The usual rule observed in everyday life is that the higher the cost of a guarantee, the less likely you are ever to need it. A by-product of this is that when something goes out of guarantee, or you don't extend the warranty for a further year for some astronomical sum, the appliance fails.

Just at the moment we're living in the middle of an exception. 3½ years into a free 5yr warranty the Smeg* dishwasher gave up. Error code 6. Someone came, checked it out, ordered parts, came back, replaced parts. Next wash error code 6 is flashing. Canny engineer on 3rd visit spots that error code 6 came up 1 minute after the first error code (8) has flashed. Nifty concealment strategy from dishwasher is now thwarted. Parts are on order. 4th visit awaited.

It doesn't quite match the best warranty claim I've ever been involved with. At St James', Whitley we had a flat roof on the main body of the church, and one morning water was pouring through near the pulpit. Church roof + leak usually = large bills and an appeal. However Pete, the church warden, had the presence of mind to check the filing cabinet. The roof had been resurfaced and had a 10 yr warranty. Luckily the work had been done 9½ years previously. Result: a free repair.

Why can't it always work like that?

* I feel the need to point out this is a bog standard, white box dishwasher, not a v expensive retro-style brightly coloured one!