BUYING a new appliance always causes me so much grief. And I’m guessing others who keep a home also experience the same amount of trepidation when purchasing a new kitchen gadget, personal computer or even mobile phone. My latest trip to the appliance store involved a microwave oven. I had inherited my last unit from my late mother, so since she’s been gone for five years already, I assume the oven is about five to six years old. So I guess it having given up the ghost after all those years shouldn’t have surprised me.
I already had it repaired last January when it first conked out, and spent P2,050 to replace its magnetron (the hell I know what that is!), and a second repair, just four months after, was rebuffed by my wallet. (I was being charged P2,900 this time, to replace a capacitor and other doodads in it. No thanks!)
I don’t use the microwave oven for anything except to reheat food. Usually when I cook my meals at home, there will be leftovers. So those are what get torched in the unit.
But like I said, it’s difficult to select a new appliance. Or maybe I’m just more anal than the average consumer or shopper…I need to study the specs of each gadget candidate to death. How much is the power output? What are the unit’s dimensions? Will it fit in the tiny space on my kitchen counter? How much food can I load in it for reheating in microwaveable containers? And so on and so forth.
Of course, there are also price considerations.
I wasn’t after anything complicated because, as I said, I just use the microwave oven for reheating food. So definitely, digital units were out. I visited about five appliance centers in my neighborhood, and after having studied a number of brands and their specs, I opted for one of the cheaper ones, which was fully manual.
Inputs from Big Sis and her family regarding this particular brand had been encouraging; this was also a significant factor in my decision to choose it. Despite the low price tag, for instance, my niece said she has been using her microwave oven from that particular brand for the past six years already.
Also, it was important to me that it was orange-tagged by Meralco. This is one of the services most consumers overlook when dealing with the power utility. An orange tag usually means the appliance has been rated by Meralco, and advises consumers how much money they would be spending with every use of the electronic product.
If the tag isn’t visible immediately on the unit’s façade or body, consumers can always check the Meralco web site for a list of appliances and other electronic gadgets it has rated. In my case, the unit I bought would cost me an estimated 79 centavos per use, when placed on maximum setting for five minutes. The unit had a 20-liter capacity with a power output of 700 watts. And after comparing all the brands in the category, I safely concluded that not all mircrowave ovens are created equal.
For sure, the smart consumers among us would rather save on additional expenses when using kitchen gadgets, appliances and other consumer electronics. If we can have these repaired, so much the better. (I, for one, will use the same old mobile phone until it conks out, or a new unit under my retention plan becomes available. My TV, for instance, is more than six years old and my Macbook, 11 years old. I am not one to ride on the latest consumer product just because everyone has it, or it’s trendy.)
But when one realizes the cost of repairs far outweigh the purchase of a new unit, then it’s time to haul oneself to the appliance store and study one’s options. There are a lot of factors to consider before making a final purchase. And unless one’s financial resources are limitless, it’s better to be a smart shopper and get your money’s worth on an appliance you purchase.
TRANSFORMING ENERGIES
SPEAKING of Meralco, May 31 marked the last day of Oscar S. Reyes as president and CEO of Meralco. Lawyer Ray C. Espinosa, who was the power utility’s general counsel and Meralco deputy CEO since January this year, assumed Reyes’s post. Espinosa has been with the Manuel V. Pangilinan (MVP) Group for over 20 years.
Reyes has had a sterling career in the private sector—I met him when he was still with Pilipinas Shell—and spent the last nine years at Meralco, first as its chief operating officer, then as president in 2012. In all that time, he worked at improving the power utility’s services and whipping it into a better financial shape.
“I think from 2009, our core net income was a little over P7 billion. We have since grown that core income to P22.4 billion; so we tripled the profitability of [Meralco] in a period of less than 10 years,” he said in an interview.
Under Reyes’s leadership also, Meralco is now back into the power generating business, and has expanded its services to other countries.
The most pressing issue he encountered, said Reyes, was trying to get the best out of people. “You have excellent people, but you know people’s capability to create, deliver is significantly more than what you can see…. You can stretch the productivity, the ability, the competence of people [and] make them better than what they are.”
He managed to achieve this, he said, by fostering the right environment for the employees to be motivated and work together.
Asked if he had any advice for his successor, Reyes averred: “Mr. Espinosa doesn’t need any advice. He was right there from the start. He knows Meralco very well; he’s been chairman of the finance committee, and he’s had extensive experience. So I think, throughout the whole history of Meralco under MVP’s leadership, he’s been at the core of the organization. I think he has a full grasp and I can only be extremely confident that he will bring Meralco to greater heights under his leadership.”
Cheers and best of luck to the two gentlemen.