We're a repair-first business — if your appliance can be repaired economically, we'll tell you so. But we also tell customers when replacement is the better call, because a repair that costs more than the appliance is worth helps nobody. Here's how we think it through, using ovens as the example.
The faults that are almost always worth repairing
Some oven faults are so common, and the parts so reasonable, that repair is nearly always the right answer:
- Fan oven element failure — the classic "fan runs but no heat" fault
- Thermostat faults — over- or under-cooking everything
- Door hinges and seals — heat escaping, cooking unevenly
- Oven bulbs and internal glass
- Timer or clock faults that stop the oven switching on
The maths we use
A useful rule of thumb: if the repair costs less than half the price of a comparable new appliance, and the appliance is under ten years old, repair usually wins. Most of the element and thermostat jobs above land comfortably inside that line.
Where it gets marginal is on older ovens needing control boards, or where two or three faults show up together. That's when we'll give you a straight answer rather than sell you a repair.
The repair-over-replace bonus
Repairing keeps money in your pocket, but it also keeps a heavy lump of steel and glass out of the waste stream. It's one of the reasons we've stayed a repair-first firm since 2013 — most appliances fail on one small part, not all at once.
If replacement is the better call
When an oven genuinely isn't worth fixing we'll say so, and we can help with the next step too — supplying and installing a replacement, and recycling the old appliance responsibly.
Need a hand with yours?
We cover Colchester, Ipswich, Chelmsford and the surrounding Essex and Suffolk area, with same and next-day visits often available.