Washing Machine Part 2

Yesterday there was a text message from AO (www.ao.com) confirming the new washing machine would be delivered today between 7am – 7pm.  That was promptly followed by a telephone call confirming our delivery details.  The caller went on to explain he had a special deal for us guaranteeing we could have a washing machine for life.  I Immediately realised he wanted to sell me extended warranty.  The machine already has a 2 year warranty and it cost us £199 (less Quido discount).  The extended warranty cost £5 per month.  If we had opted for the extended warranty we would have paid £120 in the first two years for coverage we already had.  Assuming the seller had a 10% profit margin (it’s probably higher) on the machine then it cost him £180.   So by the end of the third year we would have paid the equivalent of a new machine.  If the machine didn’t break down by the end of the 3rd year then we’ve paid twice.  Our original machine was 5 years old and I could probably have repaired it except for the confined space on the boat.  So it’s not hard to see why we declined the ‘great’ extended warranty offer.

The first challenge for the day was to get the old machine off the stern and onto the bank.  Fair division of effort.  I devised the plan and Jan the labour.  The stern (counter) of the boat is curved which meant there was a water gap between the boat and the bank. It was probably a bit much to ask Jan to carry the machine across the gap so I devised a strategy involving the folding gangplank and rubber floor mats.  The wheels on the sack trolley are wider than the gangplank which meant she wouldn’t be able to roll the machine.  However by tipping the sack trolley handle forward towards the bank she could move the machines centre of gravity halfway across the gap.  Then by pulling on the trolley handle in the horizontal position the rear of the machine was dragged down the gangplank on the trolley axle.  Job done!

I wheeled the sack trolley up to the road where the washing machine will be collected for recycling.  No doubt 90% of the passing drivers thought I was fly tipping!  Meanwhile, back at the boat another text message arrived from AO notifying us the new machine will arrive between 3-7pm.

An updated delivery time of 2.55pm was received and I walked up to the entrance to the car park at 2.50pm to flag down the delivery vehicle. Imagine my surprise wen I realised someone had nicked our old washing machine during my absence!  If I had realised it was going to be stolen we wouldn’t have paid for the recycling!

With that excitement out of the way I settled down to wash and polish the cabin port side.  It now looks nice but no doubt that will change after the next spell of bad weather.  It’s already happened to the cabin roof!   Jan took the shopping trolley and went of foraging in Tesco.

The delivery vehicle eventually arrived at 4.15pm.  A very cheerful two man crew kindly placed the new machine on the back of the boat and then departed to complete their next delivery.  I think they were pleased the old machine didn’t need to be handled as they were behind schedule.

The rest of the afternoon was spent unpacking the new washing machine.  We then used our small sack trolley to manoeuvre it down the rear steps and into the stern cabin where I made all the necessary connections before sliding it into the compartment.

  

As I write this Jan is reading the user manual for her new toy!