OT - fings int wot vey yoosta be

[MadAmster]

Electrical products. Damned things don't last 5 minutes, it seems.

Recent examples. Whirlpool dishwasher. Advertised as good for 2200 washes, At one a day that's 5 and a half years, roughly. It croaked after 5 years and 7 months.

Philips Cafe Gaia filter coffee machine. 2 year guarantee. It gave up the ghost yesterday. Had it 2 years and 10 days...

Isn't it time we had a new law making manufacturers make things to last?

Not too long ago the Samsung washing machine broke down. Part of the electronics knackered. The quote to repair was higher than the cost of the replacement machine (Bosch) we bought. Ridiculous state of affairs.

[Trickytreesreds]

Electrical products. Damned things don't last 5 minutes, it seems.

Recent examples. Whirlpool dishwasher. Advertised as good for 2200 washes, At one a day that's 5 and a half years, roughly. It croaked after 5 years and 7 months.

Philips Cafe Gaia filter coffee machine. 2 year guarantee. It gave up the ghost yesterday. Had it 2 years and 10 days...

Isn't it time we had a new law making manufacturers make things to last?

Not too long ago the Samsung washing machine broke down. Part of the electronics knackered. The quote to repair was higher than the cost of the replacement machine (Bosch) we bought. Ridiculous state of affairs.

Actually true.

I'll tell you my gripe.

INKJET PRINTERS
When the cartridges run out, they cost a fortune to replace.
If you shop around, you can get a brand new printer(with cartridges fitted) for the same price.
So much for saving the planet.

[Geoff Parkstone]

Yup, the sell printers cheap in order for you to have to buy their print refills. Bit like giving a car away so that you buy fuel. But does anyone print stuff of nowadays??

[Andy_Faber]

Electrical products. Damned things don't last 5 minutes, it seems.

Recent examples. Whirlpool dishwasher. Advertised as good for 2200 washes, At one a day that's 5 and a half years, roughly. It croaked after 5 years and 7 months.

Philips Cafe Gaia filter coffee machine. 2 year guarantee. It gave up the ghost yesterday. Had it 2 years and 10 days...

Isn't it time we had a new law making manufacturers make things to last?

Not too long ago the Samsung washing machine broke down. Part of the electronics knackered. The quote to repair was higher than the cost of the replacement machine (Bosch) we bought. Ridiculous state of affairs.

Hmm, only partially agree, although I come from a family where the male side are all by nature 'fixers'

Small electrical goods, ie kettles, irons etc almost all fixable by a competent DIYer but the time and effort in doing so suggests no point

Washing machines, tumble driers, dishwashers, also fixable and usually worth the £ (spent at Andersons in The Strand) saving

Coffe machines i'll give you are a scam with too much electronics in them, although lack of maintenace (descaling) is a big user-driven fail

Cars, IMO 90+% is due to users a) wanting to stay current and b) those same users being toolazy to get under the bonnet. Admittedly a) is 'encouraged' by manufacturer marketing and b) has been frustrated to some extent by electronics but spanners still do exist

TVs, beJesus this one frustrates me, most fails are resolveable by swapping out motherboards or similar by a competent person (I'm not one) but this has been thwarted in recent years by a) manufacturers making parts unavailable and b) the same manufacturers, in collusion with broadcasters, declining to update firmware for older models (tens of thousands of Samsung Smart TV's in UK have stopped working for ITV this week for instance)

Phones, sort of like TVs, I have two old ipads in 'out of the box' condition that can't be updated now just through manufacturer tactics BUT I have numerous offers of cheap 18 month old iphones from nephews etc because they have been brainwashed into needing the latest model

I could go on.

[SithHappens]

I think things seem to last longer than when I was growing up, the 70s and 80s seemed bad for anything whether it was electric items or cars.

Stuff today lasts forever in comparison

[Andy_Faber]

I think things seem to last longer than when I was growing up, the 70s and 80s seemed bad for anything whether it was electric items or cars.

Stuff today lasts forever in comparison

....and when it breaks there is always youtube. Just fixed a dewalt drill using a youtube vid, AND I still have 8 and a half fingers left

[Trickytreesreds]

I think things seem to last longer than when I was growing up, the 70s and 80s seemed bad for anything whether it was electric items or cars.

Stuff today lasts forever in comparison

Not convinced about cars mate. Most of them rotted faster than a footballer moving to London.
Yes they were simpler, but were they really better?
You have to remember, certain manufacturers like Hyundai give you 7 year warrantys now.
I had some cracking 80's cars- RS turbos/XR4I'S/ Golf GTI's etc
But every weekend you was under the bonnet, tweeking everything. If you didn't have that sort of brain, your car ran like a dog.

[MadAmster]

Our clothes dryer, prior to the current one, was a hand me down. Friends had had it 15 years, bought a new one and bequeathed us the old one which saw another 15 years of service with us.

There's even a term for it. It's called built in obsolescence. I mean, if something will last 20 odd years, the owners aren't going to buy a new one in 3... most of them, anyway.

[swaledale]

Hmm, only partially agree, although I come from a family where the male side are all by nature 'fixers'

Small electrical goods, ie kettles, irons etc almost all fixable by a competent DIYer but the time and effort in doing so suggests no point

Washing machines, tumble driers, dishwashers, also fixable and usually worth the £ (spent at Andersons in The Strand) saving

Coffe machines i'll give you are a scam with too much electronics in them, although lack of maintenace (descaling) is a big user-driven fail

Cars, IMO 90+% is due to users a) wanting to stay current and b) those same users being toolazy to get under the bonnet. Admittedly a) is 'encouraged' by manufacturer marketing and b) has been frustrated to some extent by electronics but spanners still do exist

TVs, beJesus this one frustrates me, most fails are resolveable by swapping out motherboards or similar by a competent person (I'm not one) but this has been thwarted in recent years by a) manufacturers making parts unavailable and b) the same manufacturers, in collusion with broadcasters, declining to update firmware for older models (tens of thousands of Samsung Smart TV's in UK have stopped working for ITV this week for instance)

Phones, sort of like TVs, I have two old ipads in 'out of the box' condition that can't be updated now just through manufacturer tactics BUT I have numerous offers of cheap 18 month old iphones from nephews etc because they have been brainwashed into needing the latest model

I could go on.

Cars I would say are the one thing that do last longer than they used to - not sure about the latest models with their electrics and computers etc. But I drive a 15 year old car which cost me under £2 grand and in the 5 years I have had it it has cost me less than £500 over and above normal consumables, services etc.

But for a lot of tech stuff as MA says they have built in obsolescence

[SithHappens]

Not convinced about cars mate. Most of them rotted faster than a footballer moving to London.
Yes they were simpler, but were they really better?
You have to remember, certain manufacturers like Hyundai give you 7 year warrantys now.
I had some cracking 80's cars- RS turbos/XR4I'S/ Golf GTI's etc
But every weekend you was under the bonnet, tweeking everything. If you didn't have that sort of brain, your car ran like a dog.

No I was saying they were crap back then. 80s stuff was shocking.