Insurance is probably one of the most important aspects of our lives. You would find that Americans tend to apply for insurance when they buy a brand new car, or home insurance when they purchase a new home. Or even set a life insurance package that would be useful for the family in the unfortunate event of someone’s passing.
But what about all the electronics and appliances that we use on the daily? The refrigerator, the TV, the microwave oven or the washing machine. How do you cover the expenses of those should they ever get damaged? Do you always bear the hundreds of dollars’ worth of bills? Are there any appliance repair plans available?
The answer to that is yes – well sort of. There are certain ways in which you can minimize the repair cost of your home appliances, and there are also some plans available that could help too. Here’s how.
How to Minimize Repairment Costs
- Unplug Devices When Not In Use
Making a habit of unplugging devices when they are not in use can go a long way in protecting them from unnecessary damage. Often times we find that our appliances are damaged due to unknown reasoning’s, and that is usually because of power surges. If you must know, power surges are the unexpected spikes in the electrical voltage that tend to last for a few seconds. But it is within those few seconds that they can cause minimal to extreme damage to any electronic device connected to a power source.
That is essentially why we say unplugging devices when not in use is a habit that can save you from paying up hundreds of dollars’ worth of bills. Power surges tend to occur at random, which means there is no knowing, no predicting when they can occur, which is why to be on the safe side, you shouldn’t only unplug devices during thunderstorms – instead every night at least before you hit the bed.
- Surge Protectors
Surge Protectors are your one solution to preventing your home electronic appliances from getting damaged in the event of a power surge. As we already mentioned above, power surges can occur at any given moment. What surge protectors do is that they ground the excess voltage from passing through to any device that is plugged into it, allowing only the required amount to pass through.
So are surge protectors a permanent solution? Not exactly, they do have a lifespan of their own too and it depends on how frequently they take a hit. Some surge protectors can last you years while some just a few months. But they are your best bet at minimizing damage to your electronic devices and appliances, and hence having to pay for damages too.
- Appliance Insurance or Surge Coverage Plans
Just like there’s car insurance, there is also home insurance referred to as ‘Appliance Insurance’, or as a lot of local electrical companies like to call them ‘Surge Coverage Plans’. How do these work?
Appliance Insurance, or Surge Coverage Plans however you may refer to them, prove similar in the sense that they cover the cost of repairment or even replacement if necessary, in exchange for a monthly fee in the case for Surge Coverage Plans, and a service fee in time of a breakdown with Appliance Insurance.
Here are some of the appliances and devices that they usually cover under their associated contracts:
- Dishwashers
- Microwave ovens
- Washing machines
- Smart devices
- Televisions
- Computers and Laptops
- Stoves
- Refrigerators
- Gaming consoles
- Air conditioners
Here’s the thing though, these plans have strict policies on when they provide the monetary compensation, that means there are certain exclusions in the contract on when they do not provide coverage. So when do these contracts not provide coverage?
- If appliances and devices have a valid and active warranty.
- If the damage is caused due to misuse or mishandling of the appliance, negligence, or improper installation.
- If there’s any cosmetic damage – meaning if a button pops out from the laptop keyboard, or the refrigerator door has a scratch.
Each contract is different so of course it is recommended that homeowners read through them thoroughly, should they subscribe to any insurance or coverage plans.
Minimizing the repairment cost of damaged home appliances isn’t all that difficult. There is always a solution – temporary if not a permanent one to almost everything, including protecting your home electronic devices and appliances. And the source of damage isn’t always power surges – those can merely be the explanation behind a lot of unexpected and unexplainable damages, but there are other reasons behind damage to devices and appliances.
It all comes down to our habits of using and handling these devices and appliances, as well as what solutions are affordable. Surge Coverage Plans for instance come at a pretty cheap monthly cost to homeowners when provided by local electrical companies, whereas surge protectors, though they may look just like multi-plugs and extension cords, are slightly more pricey given the technology they feature to protect electronics.