I am very annoyed with myself. I have had a Sharp microwave for the past 15 years—it was one of my first purchases when I arrived in London. It's served me quite well for most of that time. Oh, there were a few annoyances: the directions are so arcane that I never used it to defrost food or anything of that nature. But, overall, it worked fairly well. The "instrument panel" had gotten loose, though, and I was wondering whether I needed to replace the thing. We also used it for storing bread out of the reach of the mice that have plagued us for years.
Well, now I do need to replace the thing. I heated up yesterday's mashed potatoes in it so we could have it with our sausages and peas and gravy. I took the mash out, put it on the plates, then replaced the bread in it and shut the door, somewhat forcefully. The microwave went on! I pulled the plug and tried to open the door to investigate, and the door would not open. The spring that latches the door had obviously sprung.
I went online, looked at
Which! magazine's website (nothing like keeping it in the family as it provides our bread and butter now as HWMBO works for them as a data analyst) and selected the second Best Buy for £116 pounds. £2.95 shipping and handling, from
Lasky's, It should arrive within 3 working days. Meanwhile we won't be able to heat things up in a microwave.
I pried the microwave open with a screwdriver and retrieved the bread. Then HWMBO held the flat door open as I carried it out and tossed it in the bin. I expect that the people who scour bins for "salable goods" will find it and remove it. Recycling.
After spending more than £1000 today on our holiday in the US, I think we will probably need to be a bit frugal for a few months.
The first Best Buy was more than £550 (a Zanussi). I didn't feel that spending that kind of money was a Best Buy for us.