While calls to fight against planned obsolescence are becoming more insistent and deconfinement is taking place in a context of great economic uncertainty, household appliance repairers say they are busier than ever. A look at an old profession that is still relevant today.
Yan Candie arrives at her first client of the day. On average, depending on the complexity of the cases, he visits a dozen each day. “It’s crazy, it doesn’t stop. If we could work seven days a week, all year round, we would have work. »
Having been in this profession for 22 years, he is today president of Vincent Robillard inc., a household appliance repair company founded in 1920 in Montreal by his great-grandfather.
This washer he is about to examine, he has already repaired it a few times. With the spinning problems described by his customer, the technician does not have a good feeling. While he dismantles the washer panel, the lady talks about how her fridge died during confinement. She hopes to have better luck with her washer, a 22-year-old Eurodesign appliance.
“I don’t have any good news,” says Yan Candie after a few minutes. It’s going to take a new transmission. » Cost: $735 for this part only. With gasket and bearing (bearing), it calculates $1000. And that’s without counting the labor. Unsurprisingly, the customer decides to mourn the loss of her washer. Given the age of the device, the bill is excessive. She will nevertheless have to pay the technician for his travel.
Yan Candie notes, however, that people are increasingly inclined to choose repair, sometimes for ecological reasons, sometimes economical or because they do not want to get rid of their old but faithful device.
PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, LA PRESS
Michel Parent’s dishwasher no longer turns on. Water stagnates at the bottom. Yan Candie dismantles the door of the appliance and quickly identifies the problem: a blown fuse.
“Why throw away something that may still be useful? », summarizes Michel Parent, a customer who called on Yan Candie to repair his dishwasher which no longer turned on. A fuse problem which was resolved quickly. “Another one saved!” », then launched the technician.
But to what extent is it worth it, economically speaking, to save a household appliance? “Up to 75% of its value,” believes Yan Candie. But it depends on the type of device. » He cites the example of a front-mounted washer, from a Korean brand, whose electronic control apparently broke after eight years, a repair costing around $450, according to him. “As a technician, we know that these washers last about eight to ten years. In cases like this, I will explain it to the customer. There are other devices for which I would say: yes, spend $400 and see you again in five years. We have to live with that, it’s not easy. »
Later in the day, he will explain to a customer whose 20-year-old dishwasher doesn’t clean well that investing even $125 to replace the defective part is a decision that is not immediately obvious. “If you stayed here, I would say why not,” he explains to the woman who will have to move shortly. But devices don’t like to be lugged around. If you hit the engine and it breaks…And the part could be discontinued…Think about it. »
PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, LA PRESS
Household appliance repairers often attract the curiosity of household members.
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PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, LA PRESS
Customers sometimes take advantage of the technician’s visit to have more than one device repaired. Here, Yan Candie repaired the gas stove recently and he returns to change the belts of this dishwasher, whose door had become heavy.
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PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, LA PRESS
To be able, as much as possible, to resolve the problem immediately, Yan Candie carries in his car the parts he deems necessary for the day’s repairs.
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Unavailability of parts is sometimes a barrier to repairing household appliances. And this doesn’t just concern older models. “Are manufacturers organizing themselves so that their devices are not repairable? asks Yan Candie. Almost. So much for brand new devices. We make devices still under warranty and part X is defective, but is not yet available. The machine has been on the market for maybe a year. »
And when electronic components are involved, it happens that the parts, although available, cost the price of the machine. “That’s where it irritates customers,” he says. Once a customer told me: “I haven’t even finished paying for it and I have to scrap it.” »
In addition to the warranty offered by the manufacturer, the law provides for a reasonable duration warranty which states that a good must be able to be used for normal use for a reasonable period of time. If the negotiation with the merchant fails, it is possible to contact the Consumer Protection Office (OPC).
Soon a law against planned obsolescence?
PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, LA PRESS
This washer, a 2015 model, no longer spins. “It’s the tank support, called “hub”, which is the cause, diagnoses Yan Candie. It’s a piece of plastic and it’s worn out. It’s rare that we see this on a recent washer. »
Last year, independent MP Guy Ouellette tabled in the National Assembly a private bill to fight against the planned obsolescence of goods, developed by students from the University of Sherbrooke concerned about this issue. The CAQ did not follow up, but mandated the OPC to conduct a public consultation on “the durability, reparability and obsolescence of consumer goods” such as household appliances, for example. This should include the minimum operating life of certain goods, the availability of parts and repair services as well as the imposition of criminal sanctions on companies that use processes to limit the lifespan of their products. .
The consultation having been completed, the OPC is analyzing the points of view submitted to it and must make its recommendations to the Minister of Justice in the coming months, said its spokesperson, Charles Tanguay.
But already, household appliance repairers have no shortage of work. At Oxebo, a company located in Longueuil which serves Montreal, Laval and Montérégie, demand has started to rise again after a slowdown at the start of the pandemic. Although the company has 20 technicians, delays for a non-urgent call can be up to a week.
Same reality at Couture Électro, also on the South Shore.
Since the end of lockdown, it’s been crazy, crazy, crazy. I do not know how to explain it. During confinement, it was quiet. Maybe people waited.
Christine La Frenière, owner of Couture Électro
This situation highlights a reality that is hitting this sector and which is not new: the labor shortage. “It’s a tumult of battle that we are experiencing at the moment in the profession,” notes François Pelosse. We have requests to expand, but we are forced to slow down. Just to tell you how the labor shortage is there. »
François Pelosse deplores the fact that the profession is not more presented to secondary school students. The Sectoral Committee for the workforce of the electrical and electronics industry (Élexpertise) is also working, through various initiatives, to restore the image of the profession.
“I don’t know where it’s going,” says Yan Candie. There is no succession. It’s not a very well-known profession. Everyone knows that they may have to deal with a repairer for their washer. But to talk to your children about this job? »
Between conducting this interview and publishing the article, Yan Candie had to say goodbye to the only technician who worked alongside him, a subcontractor. “It’s the perfect reflection of what we experience in the profession,” he says.
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