They Just Don't Build Appliances Like They Used To Anymore

[launderess]

While quickly reading through the current issue of CR (and I mean very quickly as there wasn't much in it), was gob-smacked to see CR recommends chucking a washing machine after eight years and dryers after seven. Apoparently after that time period the cost of repairs can equal a new machine so why bother.

Is it any wonder why our landfills are so full of stuff the United States has to export rubbish? Think the United States should follow the lead of many European countries and mandate a tax on "discarded" appliances as well as recycling. Perhaps that would discourge consumers from buying "throw away" appliances, and in turn demand a return to quality built "major appliances".

What is really interesting is adjusted for today's dollars "major" appliances aren't that much cheaper than some of what is being offered, especially TOL models.

This throw-a-way mentality has totally ruined another segment of economy, the trusty local appliance repair person. With so much stuff not worth the bother and or cost of repair, unless under warranty repair persons cannot seem to make a living unless they happen to have a good market of older appliances that people wish to keep running.

L.

 

[DADoES]

Lord Have Mercy.

 

[neptunebob]

Laundress you are so right about Consumer Reports, it takes me only five to seven minutes to read it nowadays. Used to be I could take it to bed with me to fall asleep with but those days are gone. Oh and I think it is appauling they tell you to throw out a major appliance after only 7-8 years, and actually promote doing so.

 

[launderess]

To be fair, CR only gave the typical lifespan of said appliances (as reported by their subscribers), and leaves it up to the reader weather or not to repair or chuck. However CR does say that on many major appliances the cost of repairs can equal or exceed replacment.

L.

 

[pulsator]

Laundress, I agree 100% that the market should try and make machines that will actually last! All of my friend's parents ask me what machines to buy that hold a TON and will last forever. I tell them all about the wonderful machines that WILL hold a ton and last forever, then I tell them that they have to be bolted to the floor, cost $4,000 to purchase and you hav to pay $1.50 a load after you buy it! That usually convinces them to stick with their trusty Maytags!

 

[laundryshark]

They Don't Make 'Em Like They Use To!

You got that right! I also totally agree that, when it comes to environmental concerns, we should put our money where our mouths are and improve the quality of all major appliances so as to not make them so disposable.--Laundry Shark

 

[launderess]

No one has to "try" and build machines of top quality, the knowledge is out there and has been for ages. This is shown by the many "vintage" appliances that are out there, many happily chugging along giving good service with little or no repairs.

Problem is manufacturers have long turned major appliances into a mass consumer good instead of a durable one. Despite being in the called "durable" most of these appliances are anything but. However the blame is not totally that of appliance makers. Consumers just do not seem to be interested in long lived quality appliances enough to pay. If one took at MOL or TOL major appliance from say the 1950's onto perhaps late 1970's and adjusted the price for inflation, it would come to about a thousand or so dollars. This is the exact price point of many commercial and uber TOL appliances such as Miele, which is about the only place one finds any sort of quality in terms of performace and durability.

General Motors, and many other appliance makers from the "golden days" saw what was coming down the pike when they sold off their appliance divisions. Really was a pity some priviate investor with a love of producing quaility appliances couldn't bid/persuade Maytag's shareholders to give him the company. It would have taken lots of capital and perhaps shedding of non-core lines, but a private appliance maker that concentrated on building one or two lines (such as Maytag for laundry), maybe could find a market if conditions were right. Would have to be a small company but think once a repuation was built, people who wanted more substance than flash would graviate towards such a company. Certianly if a Maytag run along those lines could woe back the many customers who remember Maytag from it's heyday, it could make money.

L.

 

[selectomatic]

Sad facts of life

I heard somewhere a while back that the average length of tenancy for homeowners is around seven years. Since then, I've seen a number of big-ticket items which claim to last about seven years.

Since most people sell their appliances along with the house, there's no incentive at all for manufacturers to make anything which would last longer. Brand-loyalty is so low as to be statistically insignificant these days, and manufacturers lose money on support and service, so corporations need to make money selling equipment which is barely acceptable.

The good old days weren't always good, but progress isn't all it's cracked up to be either.

-kevin

 

[portendere]

Like it's 1999....

Eight years ago would be 1999.

Suppose you're John Q. Public and you have an average 1999-vintage washer. Probably a direct-drive Kenmore/Whirlpool, or a Norgetag, since those have been the biggest sellers for a while now. Does anyone seriously consider that to be worth the $150 that a tech would charge to repair it, when a newer version of the same is $400?

For those of us who can do our own diagnotics and put up our own labor, maybe. But for the average guy, no way. You'd spend $150 and then you'd still have an eight-year-old washer.

 

[gansky1]

This follows the same rant I've been on for about 24 hours now...

I did a vacant house-cleaning yesterday in a house that is about 18 months old. It's a fantastic looking home with large spacious rooms, great views overlooking a lush golf course and more cupboards than any person could ask for. During the course of cleaning this "starter castle" I kept thinking "well, there's another feature I don't like about new homes..." and by the end of the job, realized that I was almost disgusted by much of the quality of not only the craftsmanship (if one can even call it that) but even more sickened by the quality of materials used to build the house. The "wood" floors were thin layers of veneer over composite goo, the cabinets were OK on the outside but made of more composite junk and fluff with glued-on trims. The siding, decking and trims outside were more composite/particleboard junk that is foil coated to look pretty at first glance. The windows were mostly wood, but had signs of condensate damage to the inside frames & finishes. Most of the trims around the baseboards were composite or plain plastic-covered plastic that looked like woodgrain. Now, don't even get me started on the Jenn-Air/Maytag appliances!

I would love to bring in a team of chemists in to analyze the air quality - all those plastics and composites leaching toxins into the air. The sad part is, this home would be cosidered "upscale building" and would command roughly a half-million dollars in this new construction market. (this particular home is listed at $415K as it's a relocation corporate buy-out and typically priced under market to move fast) I think I'll keep my 55 year-old home and redo the kitchen, bathrooms, floors, etc. as needed!

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[whirlcool]

Like I said in another thread

homes these days are like Hollywood sets, just a facade with no substance at all.

 

[andrewinorlando]

But unless the American consumer demands better, and makes those demands with their wallets, it ain't gonna change! And let's be honest...most people are too damned lazy to take a stand when it's just easier to pony up the dough for something new, and continue to perpetuate that cycle. Imagine a modern washer lasting for 25 years as was common with GE, Maytag and Whirlpool of yesteryear????? It's a sad commentary on American business, and this whole manufacturing mindset that is common today. Quality is just a word now, it has no meaning anymore. And that is truly sad.

 

[launderess]

Yeahbut

Often more times than not people aren't ponying up real cash, but paying on credit cards. Worst of all most use retail cards like PC Richards or Sears that charge VERY high interest rates. Sears charges some customers 28% annual interest on purchases. On about $500 that is something like $200 a year interest if one does not pay the thing off at once. At those rates carrying a balance for several years one has paid for and could have bought two or more of the same machine, or a TOL machine with everything on it.

L.

 

[gocartwasher]

being a repairman of many machines

I DO AGREE WITH YOU ON THOSE THINGS!! everything we buy is substandard now days ,I mainly work on lawn mowers, they are throw aways to..everyone knows the fate of Bic lighters & pampers?
major things have become as disposable as them.

 

[johnb300m]

that's funny cuz i have a Toro Super Recycler [Al deck] mower at home. My aunts' gave it to us when they moved into a different house in 1999, and it's been "mine" ever since. But the engine on it is ....aging. the lawnmower itself is perfect. so...someday, i'm going to just buy a new Briggs & Stratton engine for it, and it'll be ready to go whenever I get a yard of my own.
The original lawnmower was purchased by my aunts in 1996, and besides the scuffs and scratches, it operates fine.
The engine needs a rebuild...but I figure, why rebuild it when I can get a new engine, and keep my bullet proof mower, instead of toss it and get a "disposable" mower today.

 

[cbosch]

I wonder

Do they really build apliances to be much less sturdy now or is it just the case that our washing habbitts have changed. Years ago it would be one or two washes a week of shirts towels, bedding and underwear with woolens being washed far less often than now. Further man made fibres would be far less common. These lads would be far less wearing on a washinmachine due to their ability to balance etc compared to todays heavy laundry? Just a thought but maybe its not them u us that ave changed and they have failed to adapt to suit our needs.

 

[launderess]

No, love, it's the machines, not us that have gone down hill! *LOL*

Look inside and out of most major appliances and you'll find, plastic, plastic, and more plastic; held together with yet more plastic. Parts are for the most part all sourced from China or someother low cost labour Asian market, and designed to be just of enough service to get through the warranty period, if that.

Design as also gone down hill, as few if anyone makes major appliances built to last, which was the origianl intent and the reason such things were labled "durable goods". Maytag started going down hill when it replaced it's famous product lines with cheaper to make, washing machines. Loyal customers who sworn up and down by Maytags, including those who came from brand loyal families were gob-smacked by how shabby some of the newer appliances were. Did Maytag learn it's lesson? Oh no! They launched the Neptune washing machine before totally working out the bugs and only made good with consumers when their feet were held to the fire. The rest is history, Maytag joined GE as yet another brand of appliances people swore off of, and make jokes about.

L.

 

[gansky1]

There is quality out there...

I would love to have a brand new Miele washer right next to your older model Miele, Laundress, and take them apart to compare components and construction. I suspect that we'd find many similarities. Now compare both to a GE Adora on the market today and we'd probably all fall over laughing or be repulsed by the sight of it.

You are so right about the easy credit dollars sloshing around out there now, almost anyone can get credit for almost any purchase. The personal savings rate is lower now than it was during the Great Depression of the 1930's and actually fell to -.5% last year. Credit card offers come everyday, you can mortgage your house beyond it's value and then, pay only the interest on the loan. Since it's so easy to live a disposable life, the manufacturers are falling in line with not necessarily what the consumer demands, but with the demands of shareholders and a totally profit-based business model. Maytag's board did this and it worked, I'll bet their parachutes weren't sewn from the curtains in the lobby!

 

[johnb300m]

Neptunes

Is there a difference between the commercial laundry Neptunes and the Residential Neptunes?
Because I regularly use a Neptune at my laundromat. They wash wonderfully. Management said that they've been quite reliable and don't break any more than the Dependable Care TL's they have [which is not often at all].
So is there a difference? I know of the pesky resistor, and sometimes the bearing fails.....is there REALLY any other issue with the Neptunes? I know FL machines always have bearing issues. All of them.
Because, to date, they are my FAVORITE FL machine. I think they're fantastic. I want one someday. I don't mind soldering resistors once in a while.