I bought a Cuisinart Custom 11 food processor with lots of accessories years ago, because I believe in buying those things once and not again. Lately, though, I haven't been able to get the bowl on or off it very well, so I looked up the Web site and figured out I needed a new bowl.

It didn't say it fit my specific old model, though, so I called, and I'm glad I did. Ruth, on the other end, walked me through looking at all the parts of the lid, and I discovered that not only was nothing broken, that everything really worked fine -- it's just that, over the years, I forgot how to assemble the thing. (Bowl, lid, stovepipe food pusher). I'd been putting everything together and then trying to put it on or take it off, and that doesn't work.

Ruth saved me $40 plus shipping and handling. I wanted to buy a citrus juicer attachment with the money I saved, but they don't make them anymore, so I saved even more money. The thing is at least 13 years old and still works like a champ despite all the storage and moving it's been through. Buy Cuisinart.