When a second opinion saved the day

RECENTLY, there was a nasty voltage fluctuation in my house. Lights flickered, fans stuttered, and one by one, the circuit-breakers started tripping. I quickly unplugged most of the appliances, but the fridge — poor fellow — was packed with groceries, leftovers and essentials. I thought, “Let it run. What’s the worst that could happen?”

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Well, the worst did happen.

The next morning, I noticed the fridge wasn’t cooling. Panic set in. The milk had turned sour, vegetables were “sweating” and frozen items were beginning to thaw. I did what most of us do in such moments of crisis — I called the ‘fridge doctor’.

A seasoned-looking technician arrived, complete with his toolkit, tester and yes, even a mechanic’s stethoscope — his version of a magical wand. After poking around for a while and muttering a few things under his breath, he stood up and made his grim diagnosis.

“The compressor is gone,” he declared solemnly.

“Oh no! What now?” I asked.

“We’ll have to replace the compressor — the heart of the fridge — and inject gas into it. Fresh blood, you can say,” he told me.

“Kharcha kinna?” I asked hesitantly.

“Around Rs 9,000,” he replied, almost casually, as if it were spare change.

My heart sank. Nine thousand bucks? And for a 10-year-old fridge? I had already started browsing e-commerce sites for a new one by the time he packed up.

But something didn’t sit right with me. Maybe it was my gut feeling or just plain stinginess, but I decided to get a second opinion. It was summer, and all AC and refrigeration guys were either booked or overbooked. The second technician made me wait a full day. Meanwhile, the fridge contents were turning into compost.

After multiple follow-ups and reminders, the new guy finally arrived. He looked like someone who knew his job but didn’t have the airs of the first mechanic.

I explained, “The compressor hums, but there’s no cooling.”

Without much fuss, he went straight to the back, pulled out the relay switch, gave it a few shakes and replaced it with a new one. Two minutes later, the fridge was alive and humming back to life, cooling better than ever!

“How much do I owe you?” I asked, bracing myself.

“Rs 600, sir,” he said with a smile.

That’s it. Rs 600. I almost did a dance in my kitchen. Not only had I saved my fridge, but I had also saved at least Rs 75,000, which I was all set to blow on a new one.

The lesson? Always take a second opinion, whether it’s for an appliance, your car or even a health issue. The world today is full of overconfident ‘experts’ ready to make a quick buck. One honest technician saved me thousands, and more importantly, restored my belief that good professionals still exist.