Save time! Find user manuals online

Search for product information for your appliances

By Kama Lee Jackson

Doesn’t it seem like there is always something around the house that isn’t working properly? If it’s not a toilet that won’t flush, it’s a VCR that won’t play or an appliance that is on the fritz. You may have had a user manual for that disobedient item at one time, but now it’s disappeared into the same abyss as those darn socks.

Instead of paying someone a small fortune to come and push a button, why not learn which button to push yourself? The solution to what ails your broken appliance could be a Net search away.

Replace paper virtually

Online user manuals have virtually replaced the print manual, especially for software and electronic devices, says Jay Adams, web producer for TechTV Canada. Though many products still come with printed manuals, Adams predicts that as the “Internet generation becomes the dominant buyers, this situation will gradually change to favour the online user manual.”

Learn to fix your appliances from home

The benefits of online user manuals are many, says Adams. Along with providing information on how to repair a broken item or how to use a product properly, online manuals are fully searchable, can be updated easily and often, and can be interactive with troubleshooting questionnaires and online discussion forums.

When Toronto editor Mitch Cooper needed to find the manual for his universal remote control, he decided to take his search online. “In the time it takes to navigate a telephone help service and listen to endless Kenny G songs while on hold, I can usually acquire the manual or information I need, and have the product back in service,” he explains. “Really, it’s a self-help sort of approach.”

Find the best user manual site

The first step is to come up with as much information as you can about the problem. Next, jot down the brand, model number (version number for software) and serial number. You are now prepared to go online.

“Search engines can provide the most important help,” says Adams. “Do a search for the product online with the term support or manual [after the name].”

In all likelihood, Adams says, one of the first results on the search engine page will be that of the product’s manufacturer or distributor. You should visit this site first, since it is the main reference point for all types of information on your appliance.

Go beyond the manufacturer

“If you don’t find what you need, try visiting some of the user communities that have been built around your product,” says Adams. “These sites will often provide valuable links, which may lead you to the correct manual.”

Cooper struck gold when he did a search for his universal remote control manual. “I entered the product number and description,” he says, “and found a guy who’d scanned in his manual for the same remote and published it online.”

Assess the quality of the repair information

When you do find what appears to be helpful information, keep a few things in mind. “Ensure the content is the most up-to-date information,” advises Adams. “Check that user-submitted information is from a reliable source and fully sanctioned by the manufacturer or distributor or, at the very least, audited by a reliable third party or verified by other users.”

Lastly, make sure that you are looking at the manual for the exact product you own. Adams says minor differences in a product can result in variations in the technical support of that broken appliance or item.

Keep a list

Be sure to bookmark manufacturer web sites for the appliances and products in your home for easy reference. You can also create a folder on your hard drive to save manuals for offline use.

Before you know it, you’ll have developed your very own electronic encyclopedia of user manuals and how-to information for everything in your house. And your wallet - not the repairman’s - will be all the bulkier for it.