"Planned obsolescence" my favorite line to quiet an obnoxious co-worker.

[Drahthaardogs]

Usually I ignore the little GOPer, but when he started complaining about his broken refrigerator, I had to toss "Planned obsolescence" out there for him. THAT I told him, is what happens when you allow the corporate capitalists to set the rules of the game with little or no government regulation.

They purposely build shitty products that they know you will have to replace in 5-7 years because it meas more money for them.

Then I told him to try purchasing a Miele if he did not want to buy shit. Those damned Germans have state-approved names for their kids, state approved requirements for breeding dogs and horses, and damned if they cannot build a refrigerator that will last 20 years.

[dorkzilla]

1. Yep! I buy Meile and Bosch whenever I can! Built to last! n/t

[kardonb]

8. miele

on the other hand ( and believe me , I am NOT a republican or a corporatist , by any means ) that means , if products last longer , fewer products are made , and fewer workers are needed , therefore , fewer jobs all around .

[Celefin]

12. Very reasonable point - but on the other hand...

Miele has a whole fleet of service people because they offer support for all of the product life.

Also, they give a standard two year warranty that you can extend to TEN years for a very reasonable fee.

I think that makes for quite a few skilled jobs as well. Oh, and they pay a decent wage and follow/exceed environmental regulations.

[sammytko]

14. But if it never breaks down,

Why do that need such a large fleet of service people?

I've had great success with " American" branded products.

I think the problem is that people buy things with so many features, yet pay so little. Yes, your washer dryer combo might be 1200 for the set, but if you want it to last, buy o e that is 1200 for the washer alone.

In the old days appliance purchase took a major chunk of a workers pay.

[dorkzilla]

16. MIELE, yes, pardon the typo

But I WANT quality and I don't want more products made--they'll end up in landfill. I mean no disrespect to you at all, but the government sold us this consumerist bullshit after WWII and a lot of people still beat that drum. So we ended up with overpriced disposable products that we polluted the earth manufacturing and are polluting the earth still.

No thanks, I'll buy things that are made well and are built to last. When they break, I will have them repaired.

[Sirveri]

23. Appliances are typically scrapped and all the metallic parts are recycled.

Parts of them may end up in the landfill, but a significant amount of those products is melted down and reused.

[Oilwellian]

18. Not necessarily

If you build a quality product, more people are going to buy it, hence more product made, and more workers are needed. Take the American car industry...people turned to Nissan, Toyota and Honda instead because they were FAR more reliable. You get far more for your money when you buy quality and pollute the planet far less.

[Sirveri]

24. Or, we could just spend our time doing other things.

If we keep making labor saving inventions, we will eventually get to a point where we don't need as much labor and we can divert ourselves to other pursuits.

And that is OK. I'd love to work 3 days a week and then be able to spend the rest of my time... writing a book, making a sculpture, or investigating philosophy.

But instead we have to fight against these scumbags who want to work us for 90 hours a week while only paying 40. Those who are in the best position to fix it are too afraid to fix it, and so here we are.

[Brigid]

19. I love my Bosch washer and dryer.

I am not sure how old they are or what they cost, because they came with the condo; but they are great. :hi

[Politicalboi]

2. I have a 20 year old Frigidaire

Still works, using it right now.

[nebenaube]

5. we once believed in quality...

but I bet it eats way more wattage then it needs to.

[Eleanors38]

21. My Sears Kenmore appliances dim the lights, but 40+ yrs & still going.

[gopiscrap]

3. No kidding, I'm from Germany and remember

growing up having the same coffee pot, toaster, radio, vacuum for years.

[xfundy]

4. "Planned obsolescence" was an idea during the depression

A temporary solution that became SOP.

The fact that it still survives is because of greed and an infestation of assholes.

[Triana]

6. I've got a Krups coffeemaker I've had for 10 years at least.

Still works perfectly (crosses fingers) and makes consistently great coffee. When it goes, I'm getting another Krups.

[reflection]

11. please don't think I'm one-upping you

But one of my favorite things is a Krups espresso machine I've been carrying from job to job since 1993. I brew 2 a day, every day. When I think of how many thermal cycles that machine has been subjected to, it just blows my mind. Great engineering.

Sorry. Had to chime in.

[Triana]

20. ...

Here's to great German engineering and German unions that protect their workers! It matters. A LOT.

[AtheistCrusader]

7. I've got a 12 year old Kenmore fridge,made in the US.

I doubt it's going to give up the ghost any time soon.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

9. Can't wait to see how much it's gonna be to replace the LCD panel on the LG.

[onethatcares]

25. $385.00 plus

the techs charge.

You will have to wait about a week for the part.

What happened? Did you try to use the self cleaning program like we did?

Freaking p.o.s. stove. We bought it because after 25 years my wife really deserved a step up to a glass top.

We should have checked the reviews.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

27. What's funny is our stove is a Frigidaire.

[blackspade]

10. I had a TV...

Manufactured in 1982 and bought by my father and then handed down to me.
It lasted until 2001.

[SteveG]

17. LOL

I bought a tv in 1986 that lasted until last year. I wonder how long it's replacement will last?

[HughBeaumont]

13. There's a Magnavox TV in my basement that I've had in my possession since 1991.

It still works just fine.

[dorkzilla]

15. My c1982 GE microwave just died. The replacement is 80% Chinese

and it got awful user reviews. I don't give a rodents arse about buying American products unless they're AUTHENTIC American products, which there seems to be precious little of these days.

I will stick with good old German engineering and gold old Japanese car manufacturing (my car is 10 years old this minth and Ive never done anything to it besides change the oil and tires) thank you. I work hard for my money and keep things a long time.

[Eleanors38]

22. Got an Amana Radarange. Truly ancient. Stop, Start, Defrost. That's it.

[Shrike47]

26. We've got a Whirlpool stove that was old when we bought the house in 1991.

We don't make changes lightly. The Sears vacuum's pushing 30. Little duct tape and it works fine.