Remember the phenomenon of monotony-induced-speed-freeze? I suffered from the opposite, monotony-induced-slow-freeze. It’s because I borrowed a tool from my neighbor.
Our Bosch jigsaw was broken
We bought a good brand specifically to be able to go on and on and on – and Bosch has a good reputation – but it broke after just six months. It doesn’t give a sound when you press the button. Very annoying when you’re in the middle of a renovation. And we do our best to give our tools the best life possible!
Always dust or clean it after use, (almost) always under a cloth or in the case, be careful not to step on the cord too often, charge the batteries when they’re low… I thought it was unfair. The next day I asked my tech whiz/foster son Hugo to take a look, in the hope it would have magically restored itself, but alas: it still doesn’t do anything.
So Hugo isn’t going to do that either, because: “You still have a warranty, it can’t be that old, can it? If I open it now, the warranty will be void.” Yes, no, exactly, only six months old. Hmm. Blast. Not only can I not continue with my project, but now I also have to spend time figuring out how that Bosch warranty works.
I can’t find much on the website. So, I’ll just send an email to the online store.
We’ve bought things there before. Reliable people, apparently, because they were able to tell me what to do fairly quickly. Typically Portuguese: they didn’t mention one essential thingy, like that you have to go to the special Bosch warranty website, but that you don’t need a customer number. That took another email and a day.
A bit disappointed about your dedication, Bosch
Anyway, it’s been picked up, and now I’m waiting. A few days already. Not a word. Meanwhile, I’ve thankfully received permission from my neighbor Paulie, who’s on the loose*, to enter his house, and to have his jigsaw lying there-and-there. Of course, I’m extra careful with that, since the unwritten law says that if you break someone else’s, you have to repair the damage.
Hence the slow freeze.
Imagine, in the worst-case scenario, that would mean I’d have to buy two new saws; if the Bosch warranty doesn’t amount to much. Now, Paulie’s saw is a bit cheaper, but let’s face it: it goes on and on! And our expensive one doesn’t.
Now, I assume the Bosch warranty is worth something. We once had a similar issue with an Einhell hammerdrill, and they simply replaced it. That’s fine, but in our opinion, it was a minor issue but it’s cheaper to give away a new one than to repair the old one. Just like now: there’s probably a loose wire, but you may not fix it yourself in half an hour; apparently it has to be a complicated process that might take a week or so.
Good for us, but not so good for the planet, Einhell
Usually good experiences with the warranty providers. Parkside – Lidl’s house brand – once supplied a new hose for the pressure washer that, after a year, was spraying everyone except the one it was aimed at. Yes, exactly, that iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii pressure washer. We started with Parkside, and I’m still quite happy with it, but Broes had higher aspirations.
He’s right, because if you use products from better brands, they usually have more power, little things don’t break off as easily (handles, guides, buttons, and so on), the warranty is worth something, and you usually get much longer use out of them.
All true, but apparently loose wires happen everywhere …
On the loose is: getting in your car with everything you think you’ll need for an indefinite period, with an indefinite destination. Paulie is regularly on the loose in the summer.
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We moved here in 2000 from Rotterdam, the Netherlands, to the Termas-da-Azenha, Portugal.
We started to rebuild one of portugals cultural heirlooms: Termas-da-Azenha, an old spa.
You’ll find mosaics and paintings everywhere.
Since Covid we rent the houses for a longer period of time, not as holiday houses anymore.
Each week a little blog about what is happening around us. An easy read. A few minutes in another world. A little about what it going on in Portugal. If you plan your holiday to Portugal, it might be a nice preparation.
In the weekend we publish it on Bluesky, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram.