FRIGIDAIRE & SEARS–WE ARE BREAKING UP. IT’S NOT ME IT’S YOU.

**UPDATE**

Electrolux has reimbursed me for the cost of the part only. That was about half of my bill. 

It is better than nothing.

I will say that this only came about once I took to social media with my complaint. Until I started discussing it on their Facebook page I was getting nowhere. Suddenly they wanted to look into it further. 

I am still not impressed by the whole situation and will not buy their products or deal with Sears any longer. 

The cheque came yesterday. 

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In 2009 we bought a new gas range from Sears. It was a Frigidaire Gallery series and it was not cheap. Today it is $1600.00 for the same stove with the same warming drawer and the convection oven which mine has. Within a few months of the warranty expiring we experienced problems with the keypad that controls the gas oven, clock, self cleaner, convection, timer etc.
Some of the numbers wouldn’t work no matter how you pressed on them. We worked around it for a while using the 6 instead of the 5 when setting temperatures. Then we called the repairman. He came by and checked it out. Unplugged the keypad from the back of the stove and when he plugged it back in it was working again. Just a reset apparently. This keypad has steadily been failing, number by number, since then.  More numbers. The convection button.Then the timer. The last straw was when we could no longer shut off the gas oven. The keypad was dead, other than the clock. In order to shut off the oven we had to cut the power to that part of the house so that when we turned the power back on the oven had shut down. I consider this to be outside of normal wear and tear. This is a faulty keypad. This has been confirmed by the fact that not only have they stopped using that original part, they are completely out of stock everywhere in Canada of the new part that replaces it. They don’t have it in the US either and if they did it isn’t certified in Canada so if our house burns down because of it we are not covered by insurance.
I have 2 weeks to get ready for Christmas. Two weeks to bake in preparation for Christmas and then of course to actually cook Christmas dinner and our Boxing Day party food as well. Oh ya, New Years Eve too.
Frigidaire says they have an agreement with Sears. Sears says it isn’t their problem. They can send a repairman out but they don’t have the part anyways. I have a repairman thanks. What I don’t have is any more patience with this issue.
We will be buying a new stove. WE WILL NEVER, EVER BUY FRIGIDAIRE APPLIANCES AGAIN AND WE WILL NOT PURCHASE ANY NEW APPLIANCES THROUGH SEARS. EVER. AGAIN.

LET IT SNOW…OH NO, NO!

I live in a rain forest area. There are times when we in the Lower Mainland of Vancouver, British Columbia complain that it won’t stop raining but we then leave the house dressed in pants and  a shirt and maybe, if it is really, really blowing rain sideways, we wear a jacket or sweater. Scroll down to see the photos.

SnowFrio_invierno by lorenglish

The odd time we get snow. Maybe once a year, an inch or two and it is usually gone in a couple days. We have had some years with lots more but mostly we escape the troubles of snow in the cities. Our ski mountains can sometimes suffer from the lack of the powder.
Snow at our cabin is a welcome thing for those who want to get on a snowmobile and blast around the mountains and trails.
Now I am reading about all of you getting lambasted with snow and ice. The temperatures are dropping and many of you are losing power.

• How much snow are you getting?
• Can you get to work or the grocery store?
• How much damage is being done in your area?
• What do you do to ride out the storms with your families?  

A PARKING LOT ENCOUNTER

There is a young man in our small town who is not coherent most of the time. He sits outside of either the 7-11 or a local Shoppers Drug Mart store.

He mumbles. He rants. He curses. He scares most people.

He may or may not have a drug problem. I don’t know. He appears to be more schizophrenic then drugged.

I have given him money. Not a lot. A buck or two. I give it with the understanding that what he does with it is his business. I know of someone who asked him once if he wanted to go to Subway for a sandwich. He said yes and then walked a completely different route than my friend to get to the restaurant and took his sandwich and left.

The second time I gave him money I introduced myself and asked him his name. He said it was D.C. Just initials. No name.

All he ever says is thanks…. until today.

I got to work in the same complex as the 7-11 he sits in front of at 7:15 this morning. Parked my car and walked to the sidewalk to get the company mail from the mailbox.

As I walked back to my car to grab my purse, coffee mug and lunch bag D.C. started yelling from across the lot.

“Hey, hey” he yelled as he came toward me. I wasn’t sure what to expect.

“Hey”

“Happy New year D.C.” I said. “How are you?”

“Good, Happy New Year”

I am not sure what else he said but it was a civil conversation and I joked about being old and managing to stay up until 2:00 am. He laughed a little.
“Well I have to go to work or I will be late. Take care D.C.”

“Okay, bye”

By the time I got to the door of my work he was back over by the 7-11 and he was again pacing back and forth loudly ranting about something.

I don’t even know what to think about this exchange. I have never heard of him harming anyone. Did he just have a moment of lucidity and recognized me? Did he recognize me? I have never seen him approach anyone before. He is always eyes down.

My heart is sad when I see such lost soul. Mental illness is a brutal thing whether it is organic or brought on by drug use. Again I don’t know his situation but because his routine is so set I don’t think it is drugs.

So many people refuse help that they desperately need. And for many others the help they need is not available.
I wonder what tomorrow will bring.

A FRESH START FOR A NEW YEAR

I don’t make resolutions for the new year. I don’t want to feel badly about not achieving some pre-set goal.

I do, however, get this feeling of needing change this time of year. Once all the preparations and excitement of Christmas are over it seems like time to clear things out. Personally and physically.

Time to clear out the clutter in my home and in my head. This spurs the changes in life that I may need to make.

Maybe it comes from the days growing longer each day even if only by seconds. Maybe it comes from the giant mess my home has been for the past month as the food preparations and decorations take over and the guests come and go.

So what am I going to do? Once all the Christmas items are put away I will only put back what I love. If I don’t love an item it will is time to get rid of it.

I will seek out good organizational tips and try to use them in my home. This should start in my pantry cupboard which is always a big mess by January.

All this is especially important this year because we may be moving. We are planning a downsize, not of our home size but our yard size. This is the year I hope this happens because I can no longer keep up with the large gardens I have set up.

I want to clear out the house as much as possible so it shows better but also because I want a fresh start in a new home.

So no resolutions but lots of incentive to make changes.

Are you planning on making any changes in your life for 2014? Do you commit to them out loud for all to hear or do you quietly promise yourself to make them come true? What is the biggest change or resolution you have ever kept?