I have just renewed my 'Household Combined' insurance policy for another year. Gone up? Of course, hasn't everything?
In all my seventy years of married/widowed/married adulthood I have always - like any good, sensible citizen - been insured. Even my hearing aids are insured. And all those countless sweaters that my Carer complains are so numerous that she can't possibly accept another one to hang on the rail - and in any case I have no unused hangers. (I wonder if they are insured against clothes moth which I read is on the increase - I doubt it. These rich insurance companies who make it sound as though you are important to them("your call is important to us, we are so sorry to keep you waiting - and listen to the god-awful music another twenty times before we break in to tell you just how important you are to us again - ) and then look down the stocks and shares pages to see how well their shares are doing and realise that you are not quite as important to them unless you never make a claim.
I can't tell you how many pages there are attached to the letter telling me the date I must renew by because the pages aren't numbered but I can tell you that I have just measured the depth of the pile of pages and it is 3 cms.
When I rang to renew she asked whether everything was in order and whether I was happy with the details I admitted that I hadn't read through it - I have had the policy with my Insurance Broker for the last don't know how many years so I am sure it will all be alright - I did set it up in discussion with the Broker. She did say before taking my card details that I really must read through (all our calls are recorded for training purposes) - then I read out the card details and- Bob's your uncle - file the whole 3cms and that's it for another year.
And, while I'm at it, I will admit I have just bought a new vac - thick instruction book in twelve languages and tiny print that I should be able to read once my cataracts have been 'doctored'- and I haven't read that either. I did start but after peering at page one and trying to match B with 'how to recharge after use' I gave up in despair. When D, my cleaner, came she vacced through and without picking up the instructions picked up a box-like thingy, slotted it in, switched on the power and little blue lights flashed up and down -eureka! done and dusted. I have a special drawer for instruction booklets for all the devices I have bought. I went through them the other day as it was getting hard to close the drawer, and threw out into the paper-recycle bag half of them which were for mixers, cleaners, printers (15 differerent languages - how do the Chinese and Japanese and Russians ever learn to read?) and such like that long ago went the way of all flesh. (and don't get me started on the television manual).
Am I alone? Does anyone read the manual or does everyone use the 'trial and error' method when using new equipment? Please reassure me that I am not the only one who just trusts to luck that it will all be alright in the end - even if it does mean deciding I didn't really want to watch the programme on iplayer - really felt more like switching off the tele and going to bed.
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28 comments:
I also have a drawer full of manuals for household stuff - they only get looked at if something goes wrong as I tend to believe that most things are just switch-on-and-go these days. Husband is the opposite, and will annoyingly read every word, so I've learnt over the years that the best thing is to just get on with it before he gets his hand on the manual!
Sorry, Pat, no reassurance from me.
Of course I read instruction manuals. Front to back, and again, before I even so much as touch the new purchase. I wouldn't be me if I didn't. People make fun of me. They are welcome. Don't read now, repent later. Just don't expect sympathy when you run your new washing machine on empty first time with all the foam and stuff still in the drum (true story). Needless to say, my friend had to buy another one. Oh did his long suffering partner laugh. I didn't [laugh]. I just raised an eyebrow considering how supremely intelligent this guy was/is otherwise. One thousand pounds Sterling later ... all good.
I am convinced that, over the years, I saved myself (and others) a lot of grief and damage by being preemptive, erring on the side of caution and READ. Naturally, and this happened only a few days ago, manuals can be pretty opaque; not to say incomprehensible. So (playing Damsel in Distress - which I was) I phoned an electrician to advise what the hell I was supposed to do without either damaging the goods nor electrocuting myself.
Anyway, good luck,
U
Sorry but...I also read the manuel...magnifying glass and all...lol
hugs
Donna
I take out insurance that is legally necessary and I insure my property against fire and damage and insure when I travel. In particular I regard insurance of household appliances as not worth the paper it is written on.
I so agree with you on this. I find reading instructions boring,and they make me feel inadequate. At 86 with the usual failing sight and hearing I have a ready excuse not to
bother. I love your blog weaver - you are my first stop every day. Delphine
I read the manuals, use the appliance, then throw out the manual.. they are all online if you need to read again.
Nope, never read instructions, I can't see them to read them.
I have house and contents insurance but I never insure individual appliances or clothes.
90% of the time I never read the instruction booklets, just assume I know how something will work and switch it on - that sometimes backfires on me.
Car insurance is the one that seems to be soaring at the moment, mine with Direct Line has gone from £530 last year to £850 this year.
I too have a drawer full of instruction manuals - just in case. I scan each one quickly when it arrives to make sure I have the hang of things, then probably never look at it again. Perhaps I should clear the drawer out in case there are manuals in there for which I no longer have the appliance!
I usually find that the section I need is just a paragraph long, so the rest is useless. I really hate the ones with diagrams for fitting all the extras to vacuum cleaners, etc., which I can never master, so never use them.
Is it my imagination or is small print getting smaller?!!!
I rarely read the instruction booklets and on the odd occasions that I do I can't make much sense of them!
Generally, I skim the manual to get the gist of things. I never read from page one to the end. If something goes wrong, I consider the manual but am more successful going to YouTube, watching a video and finding a fix. YouTube is brilliant with "how to" video instructions. My insurance policy is about 3 cm too. Lately, I read discounts listed for security and safety features at my home and then pay the total due. When the deer ate my 15 Aborvitae bushes (from the ground to the height of a deer), I filed a claim (with pictures) and was told this was an "act of nature" and not covered. Your moth eating jumpers are likely considered the same.
I don't carry insurance on appliances. Cars and houses, yes. Instruction manuals. It depends. If it is an appliance I am familiar with, no. If it is a new to me technology, yes, I do. Like you and many of your commenters, even after reading them, I often have to ask questions of people who are familiar with the device.
I'm not good with reading or understanding user manuals, but I do keep the important ones. I just bought a new vacuum as well, a Miele, which fortunately came with a very short user manual. I figured out how to put it together but the rug attachment wasn't working well. I went online to figure it out. It has so much suction, which I like, that if the carpet head is set too low, it could burn out the motor, so it turns off. I just had to raise the head.
My husband actually reads and understands manuals, so that's good. If something doesn't work, I hand it over to him:)
Most household appliance manuals seem to be full of drivel.
As regards insurance, they rip you off on renewal and it is usually work getting alternative quotes. My MiL renewed her home insurance policy for over 20 years. Equivalent alternatives were a quarter of the price.
Ps: have you ever tried putting a small bag or two of cedar chips in your closet?
I only turn to the "instructions" if and when I truly get stuck or take a nap, whichever sounds best...usually a nap wins over anything else.
House and car were my only insurances. Household goods just remember to keep the cardboard boxes they come in just in case they have to be sent back, they are guaranteed for at least a year.
I have a folder of instruction manuals but before putting in a manual I go through it and rip out the parts written in other languages which reduces the bulk considerably. But no I don't bother to read the instructions past the How to set up/start. Beyond that You Tube is much more helpful.
My favorite part of instructions manuals are the safety precautions ("don't use this blender in the bath", "don't immerse this printer" etc).
Ceci
Reading manuals sends me around he bend. First the same manual is for a number of similar machines and then the original was written in a foreign language and translated. add to that my limited knowledge to begin with. It's a pain.
Trusting my luck sounds good to me!
I confess I resort to the manual--often.
Librarian,
The devil hides in the SMALL print (be it insurance or any other legal contract). Of course, it's tedious (try and work in law - if ever there was precision) to read through it all but you can hardly blame companies, indeed anyone, trying to cover their backs. Alas, the customer/client can't be arsed. HA! Fast forward ... to when things don't work out/don't go to plan. Well, as my mother used to say: "Dummheit schuetzt vor Strafe nicht" (Being stupid doesn't mean you'll go unpunished). I'd replace "stupidity" with "ignorance". Ignorance aka not keeping yourself informed/in the loop may, potentially, lead to tears and loss. Save time now, waste it later.
People who don't read manuals (I'd say the majority) know it all. Good for them. I don't [know it all]. Neither am I supremely arrogant. Or, maybe, I am. Other side of the coin.
And remember,
Vorsprung durch Technik,
U
Another interesting blog Weave, with comments across the board, many of which I agree with.
For the first time in ages I read the instructions - this time for a jet washer - last week.
A piece of machinery that combines water and electricity should be approached only when one is fully informed.
My husband normally uses it to avoid falls on our sloping leafy paths but as we get older we know that jobs shared out may need to be done by one person.
Like a lot of men, I tend to read the manuals when trial and error fails, but I am getting better at following instructions. If clothes moths could be insured against, H.I.'s premiums would be as much as the payouts.
Tom - it is my cashmere sweaters I fear for always - clothes moths go for cashmere like some folk go for Wagyu beef.
Librarian - interesting to read what you say and to read 'from the other side' - thank you for that.
Red - you mad me laugh - so thank you for that.
Tasker - as farmers we were running a business and had a Broker who searched for the best deal - I have stayed with him because i trust his judgement and know him well - and it saves me a lot of bother.
The saying goes .. when all else fails then you read the manual.
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