Expensive Mistake

 We all make mistakes but they aren't always expensive. My latest one, was. My washer is relatively new and not one of those cute window types. What I wanted is not to watch my laundry go round and round but for it merely to be clean. No high fashion in my utility room. The other day, wishing to add a damp tea towel to the washing machine, I was denied access due by the automatic door lock mechanism. It annoyed me because when someone doing laundry comes across a small item missed and wishes to add it to the working machine, one can't. It is touted as a safety feature and that's fine but why not when the lid opens, the machine merely stops and begins again when the lid is closed. What is this lid lock nonsense? Some designers of appliances are people who don't evidently use them before they manufacture them. Sure the engineers design efficient products, but are they built to convenience the customer? Too many are not. The person purchasing has to put up with a machine that forces them to comply to the machine rather than the other way around. Aha, thought I. I can fix that. I'll just snap off the little gizmo that locks the lid. I did. The machine's red light flashed at me saying "ha ha, you'll be sorry". I was. The machine stopped working. Very politely it did empty most of the water first. That feature, I loved. I hauled out my sopping wet laundry, a full load, and set up the drying rack in my walk in shower. Drip, drip, drip. After hours of drip, it all went into the dryer for two rounds. The service tech came next to the tune of a large fee just to enter my place. These days you pay first to have a look at the service person. The rest of the actual work, is added. My tech was great and very helpful. But unless I replaced what I ruined, I'd have to buy a new washer. It was a cruel and costly lesson. From now on before I do anything as rash as snapping off even a tiny bit of plastic which is all I did previously, I will research to find out the effect. Lesson learned. Ouch. Bill paid.