The commonest avoidable appliance expense is not a bad repair. It is a repair you paid for that the manufacturer would have done free, because by the time something broke nobody could find the invoice and nobody remembered when it was bought.
This is particularly true of air conditioners, where compressors and inverter PCBs frequently carry several years more cover than the rest of the unit — and those are the two most expensive parts in it.
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In this guide
1. Do this on the day it arrives
- Photograph the invoice and put it in a phone album called Appliances. Paper invoices fade — thermal receipts in particular can be blank within two years, which is exactly when you need them.
- Photograph the model and serial number plate on the unit itself, before it goes behind or under something.
- Note the warranty terms, including any longer cover on specific parts. Write the end dates down; on an AC there are usually two or three different ones.
- Register the product if the brand asks you to. Some warranties are shortened or complicated if you do not.
- Keep the manual, or photograph the error-code page from it. That page is worth a great deal during a fault.
- Note the installation date separately if it differs from purchase — for ACs the warranty often runs from installation.
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- Check the warranty first, every time. Especially on an AC compressor or an inverter PCB, and on a fridge compressor — the parts with the longest separate cover are the ones that cost the most. Our PCB guide and compressor guide both make this point because it is where the money is.
- If it is in warranty, go to the brand. Even if it is slower. Third-party repair can void what remains, and then a later failure is entirely on you.
- Note the exact symptom and any error code before calling. Blink patterns count — count them and write it down.
- Try the free checks. A great many call-outs are a clogged filter, a tripped MCB, a full drain filter or a socket that is not working. Our warning signs tips cover what to look at.
- Take a photo or short video of the fault and send it when you book. Almost nobody does, and it is the most useful thing you can provide.
3. During the service call
- Ask what was measured. “It needs a new board” is a conclusion; the readings behind it are the diagnosis. A technician who has actually checked will tell you readily.
- Get the quote before the work, with parts and labour separated.
- Ask what warranty comes with the repair and the part. Get it written on the receipt, not promised verbally.
- Ask to keep any part that is replaced. It is yours, and it is the simplest check that the work was done rather than described.
- Ask for the packaging of new parts, or photograph it. Prices for the same nominal component vary enormously.
- Get a proper receipt with the part named. A line reading only “repair” and a total is not a record you can use later.
Watch out a diagnosis given without opening the unit, without a reading and without an error code is a guess. Ask what was checked before agreeing to the expensive part.
4. Making appliances last
- Keep a simple log — a note per appliance with purchase date, warranty end, and every service with what was done. It takes seconds and it turns “I think it was two years ago” into a fact.
- Service before the season. AC in February or March, geyser in October. Booking in the rush costs more and gets you a hurried job — our saving money tips cover the pattern.
- Decide about an AMC after the warranty expires, not during it. Paying for a contract while the manufacturer still covers the unit is paying twice.
- Protect against voltage. Delhi supply fluctuates, and a stabiliser costs far less than the board it protects.
- Do the free maintenance. AC filters, fridge coils, washing machine drain filter, chimney filters, RO pre-filters. Most expensive failures are a cheap neglected part upstream — our appliance care tips cover each one.
- Keep the log with the flat if you rent it out. It answers most of what a tenant will ask — see our letting tips.
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Get free quotes →Frequently asked questions
How do I avoid paying for a repair that is under warranty?
Find the invoice before you call anyone, because the purchase date decides it rather than your memory. This matters most on air conditioners, where compressors and inverter PCBs frequently carry several years more cover than the rest of the unit — and those are the two most expensive parts in it. The same applies to fridge compressors. If the item is still covered, go to the brand service even if it is slower, since third-party repair can void what remains.
What should I keep when I buy an appliance?
Photograph the invoice on the day and put it in a phone album, because paper invoices fade and thermal receipts can be blank within two years — exactly when you need them. Photograph the model and serial plate before the unit goes behind or under something, note every warranty end date (an AC usually has two or three different ones), register the product if the brand asks, and keep the manual or at least photograph its error-code page.
What should I ask a technician during a repair visit?
Ask what was measured, because "it needs a new board" is a conclusion and the readings behind it are the diagnosis. Get the quote before work starts with parts and labour separated, ask what warranty covers the repair and the part and get it written on the receipt rather than promised, ask to keep any part that is replaced since it is yours and it is the simplest check the work was done, and get a receipt with the part actually named.
Should I buy an AMC for my appliances?
Decide after the manufacturer warranty expires, not during it — paying for a contract while the brand still covers the unit is paying twice for the same thing, and it is a common mistake. Once out of warranty, weigh the contract price against what you would spend on scheduled servicing plus the likely repairs for that appliance's age. Doing the free maintenance yourself — filters, coils, drain filters — prevents most of the failures an AMC would be covering.
How we put this guide together
This guide is compiled from common Delhi NCR service patterns and reviewed by the XpertWorker team. XpertWorker connects you with independent, local professionals — we never charge you a paisa, and each professional sets their own price and quotes you free.