How many cycles is too many?
I think that companies may use cycle counters in conjunction with an acceptable (to them) usage rate to determine machine use. In my experience, 2 cycles per week is not enough. I could overload my washer and dryer and keep the cycle count down, but that wears the mechanical components of my machinary, doesn't clean my laundry well, and causes my clothes to wear out faster. Also, a large family will do lots more wash per week than a small family, or even a single person household. If companies are relying on cycle counters to determine if the machine was used appropriately, I think it means that they (the laundry equipment manufacturing companies) know they are building a shoddy product and will only garuntee their products for the lightest use possible. I define household use as use in my household. I take good care of my equipment, but I do make good use of it regularly, like any household would. If no one can build machinary that can stand up to moderate to heavy residential use, please say so, don't rely on sneaky cycle counting to evaluate my housekeeping. I parted with money to buy my macines and I expect them to perform the tasks after which they are named, if they consistently fail to do that, then I blame the company who designed and built them.
I love vintage machinary, so simple, so reliable, so easily repaired, no cycle counting, and a garuntee doesn't matter at this point! In the past companies like Maytag had garuntees to lure in the customers. The garuntee wasn't a liability because the machines were designed to take the abuse of household use. Now, with quality drowning in the toilet, a garuntee is a huge liability for the company, a necessity for the customer, and a royal pain-in-the-(insert region here) for everybody involved.
While many things are better now than they were in the past, progress is not perfection,
Dave