Life hit as important electronic gadgets at homes break down

Manoj Badgeri | TNN | Updated: Apr 4, 2020, 16:08 IST

Picture for representational purpose only.

THANE: An ailing elderly Sampat couple from Thane is facing the heat, quite literally, in these days of lockdown after their air conditioning unit suddenly conked off as the lockdown was enforced. Similarly, the Ratnam family from Malad is also facing a double predicament after two essential commodities in their home- the television and microwave- gave away during the lockdown period.
The Sampats and Ratnams are one of the many families in Thane, Mumbai and Navi Mumbai who would be facing a hard time due to gadgets malfunctioning at the ‘wrong time.’ With the lockdowns in place, these families are facing problems as no technician is available to repair these damaged gadgets forcing them to meekly adjust to the situation.
“The microwave oven, the most used appliance in our house stopped work the evening the national lockdown was announced. We are a family of seven and it’s constantly used to reheat food and even cook occasionally. It’s made things very inconvenient. We have no way of fixing it and this has made us jittery about durability all other appliances including the fridge. Our television too is out of repairs and there is no way of getting it back,” says Naina Ratnam.
The Sampats say that they are now spending the time at the mercy of the ceiling fan and hope the situation eases out fast and the crashed AC unit is repaired in time.
Meanwhile a couple in Kolshet, Thane that is working from home is facing a problem after one of their laptops developed problems and non-availability of technicians has left them to share the other machine. “We have the facility to work from home but often it is difficult operating using a single laptop. My husband and I have to schedule our times to use the gadget now,” says the resident.
Several residents claim they are now forced to either accept the situation or take up the repairs themselves as technicians have refused to turn up in these days of lockdowns. Rohan Nair, a resident of Hiranandani Estate in Thanehad to mend his air conditioning unit after it suffered damage Sunday night. “Technicians refused to come despite requests, but one of them was kind enough to instruct me over a video call to ensure that my unit was made operational for the next few days,” he said.
In another part of the city, Vijay R, another resident said he had to fix a TV along with drilling its stand in the wall in his bedroom by himself as no technicians were available to execute the work.
Dahisar resident Neela Joshi has been trying to call up technicians after the discharge pipe of her washing machine was damaged but in vain. "My daughter, son-in-law and grandchild have moved in with me till the curfew lasts and the laundry basket overflows on most mornings. With no chance of getting a new discharge pipe anytime soon, I've been trying to plug holes in the existing one with cello tape," she said.
While residents are a harried lot, several gadget repair technicians including those associated with companies and even freelancers complain of facing a barrage of calls from customers requesting to attend to faulty and damaged gadgets.
A mobile repairer from Mulund said he gets lots of calls daily from anxious clients querying to fix their damaged mobile phones that developed snags. “I try to convince my clients that it is not feasible to repair their gadgets as most complaints are hardware related like screen damage or software issues which can be sorted out mostly at the workshops. People are ready to pay more but we are helpless,” said the technician requesting anonymity.
(Inputs from Yogita Rao and Nitasha Natu)