Extended Warranties

 You all may recall the Christmas present I was given last year. Remember, the new stove. In anticipation of the delivery, we removed the old stove and received a defective stove that had to be picked up BEFORE they would even reorder a new one to replace it. And then another defective stove arrived and had to be sent back while they (Lowes) still had the money from TWO stoves tied up while they tried to pull their heads out of their butts to issue a refund.

I am sure you do! Well, guess what? The oven has already stopped working. The irony is that the old stove's oven worked, it just needed a new thermostat. I kept a thermometer dangling from the rack and adjusted the temperature to what I needed. Inconvenient? Yes, but it DID work. I don't even use the oven during the hot days of summer to avoid heating the entire house. But, as the cooler nights lead to some downright cold days, I like to be able to bake. I love a dinner that is cooked entirely in the oven. I like to prepare my multitude of tomatoes in the oven at the end of the season.

I was doing just that ..... or trying to. I had a cookie sheet full of cherry tomatoes doused in olive oil with onions and garlic I wanted to roast, then seal into jars. I had a casserole ready to pop in the oven and some bread to bake. I was patting myself on the back as I turned the oven on to preheat while I shelled beans. I had an ear out to listen for the ding that would let me know the oven was ready.

I finished the beans and rinsed them, waiting for the water to boil to blanche them before freezing them. I decided to check the oven. It was cool enough for me to pull the racks out with my bare hands! It had been preheating for 45 minutes!

Annoyed beyond belief, I alerted HeWho knows about propane and electricity. He asked me stupid questions as we went into the house. "Are you sure you turned it on?" "Do you think we are out of gas?" He reached the offending appliance and verified that I had, indeed turned it on and that propane was flowing, as the stove top had a flame under my boiling water pot. 

He fiddled with this and that, asking more stupid questions (or questions that would indicate that I was stupid). "Did you try turning it off and back on?" Well, it is not computerized, but I did try that. He finally announced that "something is wrong with the oven".

I used an iron skillet to prepare the tomatoes and the microwave for the casserole and was suitably irritated that I had to do so. The next day, HeWho knows nothing about repairing stoves, entered my tiny kitchen with a screwdriver and a look of resignation ....

"What are you doing?" said the woman of the house and chief cook. Deep sigh, "I am going to try to fix your stove." Standing between him and the stove I declared this to be a bad idea and reminded the man that the stove was under warranty. He had insisted on purchasing an extended warranty, and besides that the stove is under a year old.

This was two weeks ago, on a Sunday evening. A call to the powers that hold the warranty and we were scheduled for a visit from a certified repairman for today. He will be here tomorrow, since they don't take calls on Mondays. The fact that whoever scheduled this appointment did not know that makes me wonder what surprises might be in store for me tomorrow between the hours of 8 and 5 ........