It pays to keep your receipts for a year!

[disneydreamersx4]

My microwave started to smoke this morning and I knew I had saw the receipt the other day. Sure enough I had it and it's less than a year old (bought in 9/09 from Kmart a Kenmore microwave) So I called the 800 number on the microwave and they are sending a tech out and if I have the receipt there is no charge

 

[SandrA9810]

that's awesome. It's also important to seperate receipts so you don't get cluttered up with candy and soda receipts...

 

[starrzone]

My parents taught this to me from a young age; I now have a filing cabinet and label folders with the various stores/credit cards/large appliances, etc. that I keep receipts in. It helps SO much if something goes wrong, as you have seen!

 

[branv]

Good for you! Love those "whew!" budget moments, especially when you can pat yourself on the back.

Keeping track of your receipts is especially useful for those whose credit cards extend the warranties. So far I've gotten my money back on a camera and a Roomba that stopped working through no fault of my own, but were about a month or two past the manufacturers warranty.

We always keep our receipts for years, but it can be a pain to go through a years worth of receipts looking for the right one. SO, I have everything organized for easy access. I have a file drawer just for all our product instruction manuals (or if I don't have one of those, I cut out the portion of the box with the model # and sku). When the item purchased is on the pricier side, I make a copy of the receipt, and staple it to this item. That way, not only are my instruction manuals easy to find when I need them, I'm set when I need to return for warranty. (Another good option for electronics is to organize your "accessories" with a receipt. When I get, for instance, a new phone or camera, it has about a zillion extras like cables, CD's, etc. I put everything into a baggie and write the name of the item on the outside, then it goes into a drawer just for all those items. It's good for storing the receipt copy for that item).

P.S. for large purchases, making a copy of your receipt is a good idea anyway, as those thermal receipts can fade pretty fast.

 

[A Mickeyfan]

You are lucky it happened prior to the year being up... mine from K-Mart/Sears died just over the 12 month period.. it started sparking that turned into what looked like the start of flames. I had to throw water on it to stop it. It happened on the inside top part of the door where it hits the top portion of the microwave.. The plastic on the inside of the door was all melted from it. I was so upset. I still have my first microwave that my Mom gave me for my first Mother's Day, 1986. It still works. I keep it as a spare in the garage, so far I have had to pull it out two times in the last 4 years! In 4 years, 2 microwaves have died on me.. yet the old one, no bells or whistles, is still running

 

[Mom21]

You are lucky it happened prior to the year being up... mine from K-Mart/Sears died just over the 12 month period.. it started sparking that turned into what looked like the start of flames. I had to throw water on it to stop it. It happened on the inside top part of the door where it hits the top portion of the microwave.. The plastic on the inside of the door was all melted from it. I was so upset. I still have my first microwave that my Mom gave me for my first Mother's Day, 1986. It still works. I keep it as a spare in the garage, so far I have had to pull it out two times in the last 4 years! In 4 years, 2 microwaves have died on me.. yet the old one, no bells or whistles, is still running

You threw water on an electrical fire??!!

Glad you are ok.

 

[mrsklamc]

you threw water on an electrical fire??!!

Glad you are ok.

mte

 

[Deb & Bill]

I got a microwave oven from Sears in 1990 and it still works great.

 

[WheelCEO]

i also use my amex or visa black, they extend the manufacturers warranty.. has saved me a few times

 

[plummer925]

That's great!

One thing I make sure to do on receipts is write on the top of them just what the item was if it doesn't clearly show. Sometimes the item lines are a store's name for something and I just wouldn't have a clue later on.

Also - if you have something with longer than a year warranty, make sure to photocopy the receipt and staple the original to the copy. The thermal papers that most places use fade badly and you wouldn't want that to prevent you from claiming on a warranty!

And on that note - make sure you store the receipts somewhere where they will not be too warm as that will also ruin thermal receipts.