As part of our R2I preparation, we did away with almost all of our electrical appliances, much of our electronic equipment, and a sizable portion of our household items over the last few months leading to R2I. Even so, when we shipped, to our embarrassment we still filled a 20’ container to the brim that too after disposing off our 2nd bedroom furniture set! As frugal consumers, this meant we had amassed more than we needed. Further, a lot of the big-ticket items we had such as the Roomba 530, golf sets, ski sets, lawn mower, GPS, exercise equipment, bikes, etc were either not needed or were not practical in our new locale. With that in mind, rather than replacing every single item that we disposed off, our game plan was to acquire things on an as needed basis. Besides, it is not as easy to pass-on used items in India, the used market is not as developed compared to the US.
We started living in our new home in India the first week of our move despite the fact it was just a shell barely livable by modern standards. Our immediate needs were for appliances and we spent the second day purchasing just that. Pricing for appliances are all over the map: a basic top-loading washing machine can be had for around Rs 10K (~$225) while high-end front-loading models are available at Rs 50K (~$1125) or so. Refrigerators start around Rs 10K (~$225) and go well into the Rs 1L (~$2250) for side-by-side premium versions. In general, we felt selection was wider in Indian stores compared to its counterparts in the US such as Sears, Home Depot, etc. Pricing stretched differently though – the good news is that no-brand low-end items can generally be obtained at a 30% discount compared to low-end pricing in the US. The bad news though was that the high-end commanded a premium upwards of 50% compared to US pricing – our best guess is that some kind of additional taxes (levied indirectly) is at work here. Below is a list of appliances we purchased during our first week:
As detailed in the spreadsheet, we chose branded items in the medium-high range with good Energy Star rating for the most part. For bigger appliances, purchase includes delivery, installation, and demo. The delivery crew can sometimes be different from the installation and demo crew which can imply a delay – that should not deter one from starting to use it, provided you know the ropes. The experience so far with our new appliances have been positive – we had to call warranty service only for the refrigerator when we detected a manufacturing defect in the magnetic lining on the door a few weeks after delivery – they replaced the door eventually, it took about six weeks and several calls.
More recently, the Prestige Induction Cooker stopped working and the bummer was that it was fresh out of warranty. Reviews on that product online are at best average. In our experience, it is a great time saver, although energy consumption is high compared to cooking gas – it is 100% efficient compared to 70% of regular gas cooktop. The service center pleasantly surprised us by repairing it free of cost.
Related Posts:
We started living in our new home in India the first week of our move despite the fact it was just a shell barely livable by modern standards. Our immediate needs were for appliances and we spent the second day purchasing just that. Pricing for appliances are all over the map: a basic top-loading washing machine can be had for around Rs 10K (~$225) while high-end front-loading models are available at Rs 50K (~$1125) or so. Refrigerators start around Rs 10K (~$225) and go well into the Rs 1L (~$2250) for side-by-side premium versions. In general, we felt selection was wider in Indian stores compared to its counterparts in the US such as Sears, Home Depot, etc. Pricing stretched differently though – the good news is that no-brand low-end items can generally be obtained at a 30% discount compared to low-end pricing in the US. The bad news though was that the high-end commanded a premium upwards of 50% compared to US pricing – our best guess is that some kind of additional taxes (levied indirectly) is at work here. Below is a list of appliances we purchased during our first week:
As detailed in the spreadsheet, we chose branded items in the medium-high range with good Energy Star rating for the most part. For bigger appliances, purchase includes delivery, installation, and demo. The delivery crew can sometimes be different from the installation and demo crew which can imply a delay – that should not deter one from starting to use it, provided you know the ropes. The experience so far with our new appliances have been positive – we had to call warranty service only for the refrigerator when we detected a manufacturing defect in the magnetic lining on the door a few weeks after delivery – they replaced the door eventually, it took about six weeks and several calls.
More recently, the Prestige Induction Cooker stopped working and the bummer was that it was fresh out of warranty. Reviews on that product online are at best average. In our experience, it is a great time saver, although energy consumption is high compared to cooking gas – it is 100% efficient compared to 70% of regular gas cooktop. The service center pleasantly surprised us by repairing it free of cost.
Related Posts:
- R2I Housing – Landscaping, Balconies, Shower Doors, and Painting
- R2I Housing - Cabinet Work Experience
- R2I Housing - Shopping to Reacquire Appliances etc in India
- R2I Housing - Handing over to key transfer - a never-ending story
- R2I Housing - New Home Purchase Experience in Kochi
No comments:
Post a Comment