Things that suck: having a washing machine that leaks onto your kitchen floor every time you use…read moreit. Things that don't suck: these guys. We finally realised the washing machine wasn't going to fix itself, so Graeme phoned to see when they could come around. Same day - WIN! He was a little vague with the time he gave us on the phone and said after 3.30pm which translated to arriving at 5pm but that's no big deal really. It took him about 15 minutes to diagnose and fix, and cost only £25. It's hard to rave about a repair service but when it's simple, cheap and effective then it's a 5 star rating from me. We'd definitely call these guys out again if we needed something looked at.

Cochranes Hardware is a family run business located in the centre of the town.Pleasantly presented…read morewith plenty of DIY products for the professional to the enthusiast alike.Staff are very friendly and knowledgeable and helpful with it.At times they have special promotions on so keep an eye out for the latest bargains.Just after Xmas they had all Xmas lights marked down to half price or less.For all your hardware needs you could not ask for a better local business,both for price and location.

So here I was sitting in my new flat in Glasgow, smug. Except the carpets were boggin. Hummin. So I…read moregot out the lovely Dyson and began to hoover. About half a second in, something small and round rolled across the floor, coming to an abrupt halt at the skirting board. "Hahaha" thinks me, "What is that?" Oh wait, it's the feckin wheel. One wheeled Dysons don't do the job. Off we toddle down to W. Crum & Sons to buy a new hoover. It's at the end of a fairly scary-looking row of shops at the eastern edge of Strathclyde uni's campus. In the windows prices are trumpeted in neon starbursts. It's a friendly wee shop, selling washing machines, cookers, hoovers, dishwashers and other such very boring but very necessary stuff. It specialises in repairs though, and it seems that is their main line of business. It is perhaps not as cheap as the likes of Argos, but I would rather spend an extra few quid if it's somewhere local. Especially when it's the letting agents' money and not mine.

W. Crum & Sons is a longstanding family business, situated on the corner of High Street on the edge…read moreof Merchant City, selling and repairing electrical home goods. I ventured in here when I was on the hunt for a washing machine for my new flat, as I realised how unpractical it would be to continue carting my washing around to my mum's forevermore, unfortunately. I was welcomed in by the owner who was friendly and knowledgeable about all of the electrical appliances and helped me pick out a nice white washing machine that was within my budget. It was delivered to my door the very next day, complete with a year's warranty. A great little locally owned business that prides itself on customer service and quality.

Sometime on Thursday night we discovered that our fridge had stopped cooling. The light was on, but…read moreno one was home. The butter was melty. I was sad. Losing a fridge and freezer full of stuff is so frustrating and you wouldn't believe me if I told you how many times this had happened to us. We've had one fridge die totally and numerous occasions of the door not closing properly. I now wake up during the night and check the fridge is closed. Yes, I'm a weirdo but you should know that by now. I called a few places this morning but no one wanted to seem to want to answer the phone. I found AMC and filled out their service request form (as they also weren't answering the phone) and quickly got a call back - within about 15 minutes. The guy confirmed someone would be out to look at it today. At 3pm I got a text saying the engineer would be here within 30 minutes and asking me to reply to confirm I still wanted the service. A nice touch which I appreciated. About 3.20pm the guy arrived and was pleasant and friendly. He got the fridge sorted (we had a few blackouts the other night which affected the relay or somethingorother) and it is now up and running again. The call out fee was £50 + VAT and the part was £12.50 bringing our bill to £75. While not the most bargain of deals, it was a hell of a lot better than buying a new fridge and his efficiency was really greatly appreciated. I paid in cash and got a receipt by email. By 3.40pm he was gone. Efficient, good communication and most importantly - fixed the fridge. I'm now off to the shops to buy a bottle of wine to celebrate.