GE Spacemaker Microwave Oven JVM1430: A Poor Investment
I was pleased overall with the features of the GE Spacemaker Microwave Oven, which include Express Cook buttons, a popcorn and beverage button, a fan and a space light. However, after only a short time of use the Spacemaker microwave oven’s magnetron went bad. Choice Homes decided to replace it with a new microwave oven. I was hoping that I would get a white oven this time, but they gave me another black one this time as well. Sure enough, the magnetron on this one went bad after very little use.
I complained to Choice Homes, and their repair people came out and replaced the magnetron this time. The Spacemaker microwave oven worked well until we sold our home in 2004.
When we purchased our new home, a fixer-up foreclosure, in that same year, I decided that I was willing to take a risk and buy the same model GE Spacemaker Microwave Oven and have it installed. We purchased the new GE Spacemaker Microwave Oven at Conn’s for a slight discount. The total cost was around $350, including the professional installation. The only thing I didn’t like initially about this particular microwave oven was that you had to press the beverage button twice to heat eight ounces of liquid. Also, it didn’t come with the charcoal air filter. Other than that, the microwave oven seemed to be essentially the same microwave oven I had previously.
After three and a half years of trouble-free use, the magnetron went bad on this microwave oven, as well. I had a spare microwave oven, but I didn’t invest in a GE Spacemaker to have a very large, very expensive clock hanging over my range. I had to call GE repair to fix the Spacemaker microwave oven at a cost of nearly $200. The part was still under warranty, but this didn’t help me much because of the hefty service call fee and labor charges.
It seems to me that these consumers end up paying for these lower-cost appliances with greater repair costs in the end. In the long run, I think it’s better to invest in a higher-end, better quality appliance in the first place. The investment will pay off in the end with lower total repair costs and a lower frustration level. Whatever you do, be sure to get the longest warranty the seller offers.
