Isn't It Sad

[bwoods]

Isn't it sad that a three year old Whirlpool Cabrio washing machine has bad bearings already. This was no cheap washer either.

Many of us have 30 year old GE Filter-Flo's and Frigidaire 1-18's that have wonderfully quiet bearings, the tubs spin freely, and they function like the day they were purchased.

Is there such a thing, anymore, as quality control? It seems like manufacturer's (excluding Alliance) design things to last through the warranty period, and that's about it.

http://lexington.craigslist.org/app/3927878352.html

 

[arbilab]

Last through warranty about says it. And often fall short of that. If they can downgrade a part and save 2c, they will.

Another example: Compressors used to last 20-30 years. Now they last 7-10, a 66% reduction in longevity.

Are the products cheaper to buy? No, they are more expensive. Even when you take inflation out.

Do corporations care what their reputation is? No. Most just leased their name from a trademark attorney. Besides, "they're all doing it", as in cutting corners, so there is no longer such thing as brand reputation.

Most crap bought today will fail before most customers today finish paying for it on Visa/Master. Helluva way to run an economy. If you're Visa. [eyeroll]

 

[bwoods]

Rick, you and I are old enough to remember when companies cared about their reputation and tried to foster loyalty.

Remember when new houses for sale would have Open House signs (see link) in the yard that said "Equipped by General Electric" That was a big selling point.

The pea brained former CEO of General Electric, Jack Welch, got the official company named changed to GE because he didn't want to be associated with electrical products.

Not only do the appliances not say General Electric, but sometimes you have to look just hard to see the little GE logo on the machine. It's almost as if they are ashamed of having their name being on the appliance. (And with the poor performance because of trying to meet the government's Energy Star requirements and the poor reliability, I don't blame them, ha.)

And, of course, as you say names don't mean anything anyway. For example, GE small appliances in WalMart have never seen a GE employee. Some company is paying General Electric a royalty just to stick their logo on their appliances. That is dishonest and deceptive.

 

[bwoods]

Oops. Sorry Here is the link I mentioned.

Pardon Our Interruption...

 

[laundromat]

In my experiences, other then the Neltunes,older Frigidaire front loaders, and older HE's,In normal home use have had fewer major repairs than the plate type top loaders. I use my older Duets most because they have three full rinses with a spin inbetween each.My older red LGs are sold and being picked up tomorrow.The newer set is going where they were but stacked to save space for my Amana bottom freezer frig. I own two. One outside for beer and overflow,the other for everyday groceries in the kitchen.

When I had the Calipsos,I was glad I got three because the recirculating hose got loose and the friction tire up the outer tub.That happened three times in four months. My brand new Maypool had a bad board and I returned it .The seven month old GE top loader my friend had broke by the suspension spring snapping off.

 

[arbilab]

All too true Barry. Even just the difference between appliances 15 years ago and now, should be obvious enough for everyone older than 30 to notice. And most GE home electrics carry the name but nothing more.

I just moved from an apartment with 1980s GE to one with 1995 GE and the difference is appalling. The oven has next to no insulation and won't hold temperature for squat. The fridge shelves are non-adjustable and not tall enough for gallon water jugs or a quart of milk. I can hear Jack Welch cackling, "they won't find out until they get them home".

No craftsmanship, no pride, no value. Isn't that special? And by no means limited to GE.

 

[tolivac]

Whats worse that bozo Mr. Welch has sent the GE X-Ray division to China-Would you want to be radiographed in the hospital with a Chinese X-Ray machine?Mr Welch should be strung up by his thumbs!!!

 

[pierreandreply4]

i think its sad me i remeber the time where washer dryers where built to last a long time just look at my profile picture its my grandmother old vintage inglis dryer lasted her 40 years with no single repairs as those where qualaty built appliance

 

[aptone1]

I do not believe appliance cost has really increased. Sure they have gone up in dollars but so has everything. I have seen several articles on this subject and a fair number of them cite an appliance industry group, so let's throw those out. This is an argument based on the sears catalog. http://cafehayek.com/2012/11/the-future-back-to-the-past.html
I believe the current day wage numbers used in this are a bit high but the hour worked difference is huge.

The unfortunate reality is that each appliance coming out of a factory is slightly different. Some break after a few months or years and others seem to last forever. New models can have design issues not understood but on the whole the new machines are as good or better. The reality of old appliances is that if you look at the ones still out there they are the outliers. If every machine lasted as long as these there would be few new appliances. Sure some people would still buy upgrade models but the old ones would still be worth something.

 

[dj-gabriele]

I do not believe appliance cost has really increased. Sure t

Totally second this!

My Candy WD16 washer-dryer from 1985 cost 639.000 Italian Lire, in Euro, adjusted to inflation it would be the whopping amount of 850€.

Now you can buy a Candy washer dryer for less than half that amount.
The cheapest W/D, the GOW 475 can be had for 430€ delivered!
The most expensive, the EVOW 4107 4L-S can be yours for 690€, delivered too.

Has price gone down in real terms? Yes, a lot! Has quality followed? You bet, my old beast works perfectly after 28 years with only a door boot change and a new blower that corroded because it was in a wet location, with a new machine I consider myself lucky if it lasts 10 years!
But you can't have have your cake and eat it!

 

[qualin]

Well, it's just that we're not buying quality anymore.. The article is a little misleading in that they're comparing cheapest then to cheapest today.

Consider that in 1956, a Maytag Supermatic washer cost $275.95.
(Cited from http://nlj.stparchive.com/Archive/NLJ/NLJ04121956p14.jpg )

Adjusted for inflation, that washer would cost $2,363.28 in 2013 dollars. Kind of hard imagining paying that much for a top loader, eh?

Even the most expensive top loading washer these days sells for half as much.

Then consider, a Speed Queen Imperial costs just as much, but look at what you get in comparison! Now, it's debatable which washer would last longer, the Maytag or the SQ!

 

[ovrphil]

..not to interrupt the flow here ....can't say enough how good G.E. used to be (esp. growing up in the 50's and 60's) compared to G.E. today with Mr. "Profit-at-any-Cost". Providing maintenance isn't too out of reach, the value/cost ratio is very high..and no comparison in design...for the most part. (meant to just say, "I agree" to all of the above)

 

[pulltostart]

Same Song, Second Verse

I realize this Forum should relate to washers, dryers, dishwashers, but I ran across this Craigslist ad about a Hotpoint refrigerator that expresses the same frustration and anger as has already been expressed here.  Makes you wonder if ANYONE is listening to the consumer

 

lawrence

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/wat/app/3938108589.html

 

[norgeway]

This is when..

You buy a 50 year old fridge that you have to defrost, and you have no more troubles, When I find a nice Norge to go with my stove, that noisy Hotpoint will be history!and it is only 3 years old,

 

[twinniefan]

Similar to my G.E. S.B.S.

That fridge looks similar to the G.E. S.B.S I bought at one time and like the person selling this one, mine lasted 6 years as well and like his one mine was going to cost $700 odd dollars to repair.
Most disappointing given that the thing cost me over $3000 Au dollars.
I replaced it with a top mount L.G. which has been going fine for the last 5 years, but I guess time will tell with that one, also own a Kelvinator bottom mount about 2 years old also going fine so far.
I won't go into the dreaded Bosch F.L. washer which lasted 3 years.
Quality seems to be secondary these days and I guess to an extent I can understand when the average consumer only wants everything as cheap as possible.
Cheers.
Steve.

 

[qualin]

I would say that one thing that we have to face as consumers is globalization.

In other words, imagine back in 1956, a company like Maytag has to source all of their components from US owned businesses using the only method available to them, Telephone and postal mail. All of the labour to assemble these components into a larger machine all has to be done in some US factory somewhere.

These days, manufacturers use the internet to keep in contact with Asian manufacturers who can build components on the cheap, resulting in a better bottom line. I mean, it would make sense for a company like GE to source their motors from a Chinese company where they can be built for a fraction of the price. (I'm not sure where GE sources them, but it wouldn't surprise me!)

Then, imagine that all of these lowered component costs bring down the price of a machine to something very affordable, not to mention the scale of manufacturing is much much larger.

So, it only makes sense really.....

 

[fido]

Yes, I used to get regular visits from the Homespares rep. Homespares mainly sold aftermarket, replica parts for appliances. He told me one week that they had been getting quotes from a firm in China to make washing machine door handles and other plastic mouldings. When the prices were mentioned it was not clear what quantities they were getting for a given price but the figures were consistent with perhaps 1000 or 10,000 units. They asked for clarification on this and it turned out the quote was per shipping container full! As you can imagine, their existing UK manufacturers were never going to compete with those prices.