On the death of major home appliances…

I have always thrown away, and buy a new one. I can't remember any time in my life where I had any appliance repaired. Back in the 50's, my Dad had TV's repaired. Sometimes he repaired them himself. My mother had insurance on her refridgerator at one time. So if she needed a repair on it, a repairman would be sent to her house.
 

They don't build things to last for the years that they used to. The plumber who replaced the water heater when I owned that house told me so. And I believe it.

When I purchased a fridge for that place, I wanted something simple and basic. I got the cheapest refrigerator that had glass shelves.
 
I think that Consumer Reports advises that if a repair costs a third or more of what a new unit would cost, you’re better off getting a new one, especially if the old one has had years of service. Repair services run high for both labor and parts, plus they tend to add “diagnostic fees.” The diagnostic fee on my ailing fridge was $100. It would be waived if I then elected to have the repairman do my work. He tried really hard too to get me to buy a “whole house appliance warrantee,” but I didn’t bite…

With additional electronics being added to major appliances, we’re starting to enter new territory, as well. Some new fridges come with a camera inside so you can view on a screen what’s inside the fridge without opening it.- -How did we ever live without that feature?! 🤪
 

Fyrefox said:
With additional electronics being added to major appliances, we’re starting to enter new territory, as well. Some new fridges come with a camera inside so you can view on a screen what’s inside the fridge without opening it.- -How did we ever live without that feature?! 🤪
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What really annoys me is that most new appliances come with so many bells and whistles. The more there are, the more that can go wrong. If I need a camera to see what's inside the fridge before I open it, it's time to pack it in. 🙄
 
Today, at least in my neighborhood, you aren't getting anybody to come to your house for under $100, just for them to walk in the door, never mind fix anything. Plus, today, there aren't that many repairable parts, they have to be replaced. Getting the right replacement part can be hard- and expensive. Of course, it depends on what's wrong with the appliance.
I had a 33 year old washing machine that was more duct tape than machine-it still worked. But it went to washing machine heaven.
 
My appliance saga continues. My clothes washer seemed to be taking a long time to finish, so I checked on it. It was discharging water on the floor, so much that water was invading my basement, a crawl space, and an adjoining bathroom! I freaked out, thought that I had a broken pipe seal, and called a plumber who fortunately came quickly, and determined that the washer was itself the problem. Should have known, but I was in panic state. I’d never had multiple rooms flood before…

I then called Sears Home Service, who had fixed my fridge. The repairman came, and found that the washer needed a part, which of course had to be ordered. A $129 “diagnostic fee” would be charged if Sears didn’t do the work. As the washer was only about five years old, I decided to repair rather than replace, especially since $129 would already be gone if I didn’t elect repair. Sears wanted their money up front, of course!

So a week later, I’m still waiting for the part to come in, and haunting the local laundromat. It’s clean, and the sound of the machines is soothing. Maybe I’ll just move there, but I’ll need lots of quarters…
 
Remy said:
They don't build things to last for the years that they used to.
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Why should they? Manufacturers need to keep selling new stuff all the time. It's all about 'economic growth' and keeping millions of poor suckers like us keeping the capitalist hamster wheel spinning round...
 

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