Sunday, November 30, 2008

Exorcist Wanted

My kitchen is possessed.

As noted in the last post, the fridge freezes things. Not always, mind you. Only when repair people aren't around.

The first repair visit was a fiasco. The guy reshuffled the top shelf and left.

I called back. On the advice of the Sears phone rep, I bumped up the temperature in the freezer and waited for the return of the repair guy, promised for the next day.

He never came. Sears had several versions of why not, but it's clear that he just blew me off. Would next week be good for me?

Unpleasantness ensued, punctuated by decidedly unladylike language.

So they rescheduled for the next day, when Younger Son would have to supervise again. By then, the fridge temperature was fine (because the freezer was set too high) and there wasn't any frozen food (because it's in the trash) so the guy left without touching it again. He offered to order a new thermostat, probably just to shut me up.

I don't know what to do now. I'd love to return the thing, but there's a scratch already, probably from Gatsby jumping on top of it, plus a hefty restocking fee.

Whatever its issue is, it seems to have infected the new stove. That was working great until Thanksgiving day, when the oven started overheating. Between the too-cold fridge and the too-hot oven, I ended up with fifteen pounds of turkey jerky. If you soaked it in gravy long enough it was edible, but this was not the holiday experience I was hoping for.

In the process, the nonstick finish bubbled and chipped off my Kitchenaid turkey roaster pan. I loved that pan. It's never been used on the stovetop, and the oven wasn't that hot.

Meanwhile, the first time I tried baked potatoes in the new microwave, it overheated and burned out. Lowe's said they'd never seen that happen before. I'm afraid to use the replacement.

We've also had to exchange a dehumidifier that wasn't taking accurate readings ... and a carbon monoxide detector that wouldn't light up ... and curtains that weren't actually the length the package said they were. Even a loaf of bakery bread I bought for the holiday was solid, inedible dough inside.

So what the hell? Am I under some kind of appliance curse, or is everything just made like junk now?

P.S. We managed to have a great Thanksgiving anyway, which just goes to show you that it's not about the stuff. As long as there's family and love, the rest is just gravy. So to speak. Hope your holiday was wonderful too!

7 comments:

spookydragonfly said...

We had a bad storm once here, and there was a power surge. It messed up our SEARS oven, we were told we should've installed a surge protector. I'm no spring chicken and have had several stoves without a surge protector that survived power outages. Well, we now have a power surge protector and an oven that's always fifty degrees too hot. Even the Sears guy scratched his head when he came out. It's good to hear you and your family still enjoyed the day!

Martha said...

Either everything is just made like junk now or my kitchen is posessed too! Sorry everything has gone all weird on you. Sears is the worst, I'm convinced!

Kathy said...

I think you need the exorcist. I used to know a good one until the renovations on this house forced him out of business. Ran scared and for the hills.

So sorry you're struggling with your new fridge, stove, microwave ... oh, gee, I'd better stop.

Seriously, my new fridge conked out two days before Thanksgiving a few years back. Had been delivered and installed in October. The problem was the compressor. Not once, but twice. After that, it was all 'chill babe, we're good.'

Good Luck! And I am so glad you had a nice Thanksgiving.

Anonymous said...

Sounds possessed to me. Have you considered trying to propitiate the ghosts by making cookies for them?

Actually, it's probably just a shakedown, getting used to everything and having it all get used to you.

I'm glad things turned out wonderful despite all of your frustrations.

MyMaracas said...

Spooky, a surge protector on a stove? I've never had to do that either, but it's worth looking into. Thanks for the tip. This is a GE Profile, but I bought it at Sears.

Martha, I'm sorry you're having troubles too. I wish I had heard about Sears before I bought there. I won't make that mistake again.

Kathy, wow -- you too?? Apparently they really don't make stuff like they used to. The last fridge I bought a good 20 years ago, and it never needed anything but the ice maker replaced. It's still going strong over in the old house.

Sally, I didn't think of cookies, but I did consider holy water. Thanks for the encouraging idea that it's all just a temporary thing. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

I'm going to need a dishwasher pretty soon, too, as the current one is making an alarming amount of noise. But I really, really don't want to buy anything else right now. I can only take so much aggravation.

Anonymous said...

Oh no..appliance hell..and it always goes in sets of three....You only have one more to go....sorry... @:{

Anonymous said...

Noted: Sears service less than ideal. Cripes almighty - when it rains, it pours, right? I feel like I've been there too. Last winter our oven (old, came with the house) stopped working just as I was putting dinner into it to bake. At the same time, our water heater stopped working, we ran out of wood for the wood stove, and I think we were also dangerously short on propane. Then we waited a month for our new stove to arrive and shortly after, the oven door glass exploded when I set it to clean. Looking back, I think it has to do with being in a new house, still getting your sea legs, and not yet in full karmic control of the space. Sure. That sounds legitimate. :)