I’ve ranted and raved before about how everything eventually breaks. I call them San Andreas products, named after the Californian earthquake on the San Andreas fault that WILL one day hit.

It’s not a matter of ‘if’, but rather ‘when’. Much like your dishwasher.

But what if I told you that this was not just the natural course of things, and that these appliances are purposefully built not to last?

It really is a mug’s game. We act surprised and feel it’s just a spot of bad luck when the fridge ‘packs up’ or if the washing machine door suddenly won’t open. Then you have the extra headache of having to find a washing machine repair guy, because we always think these things are a one-off and didn’t save the last guy’s number.

Granted, FIXITT has made it easier by giving a one-stop shop to fix all appliances, with a 24-hour quoting service – but I’m talking about before FIXITT hit the scene.

Back when you had the added stress of inviting a new stranger into your home every time something needed to be fixed. Not great when the missus is breastfeeding in the lounge.

I digress.

It is an absolute fact that all of your standard, regularly-used household appliances will give you hassles around one to four years after purchase – usually a couple days after the warranty expires. Unless, of course, if you’re dropping serious cash on the item – like a SMEG fridge or the like. Which brings us to our first point.

Appliances used to cost a full month’s salary for the average person. It was a serious investment and the result was a solid product that lasted a long time. The BBC covered this quite nicely, with this little video of a grandmother making cookies with her 40-year-old Kenwood.

Here she is with said Kenwood:

Touching stuff.

But what’s happened now is we, the consumer, expect trend-aware appliances for a small price. Big manufacturers simply cannot keep up with those demands without cutting corners or using inferior parts – or outsourcing completely.

Case in point would be the trend to buy more energy efficient products. Sure, these guys might use half the water of their previous generation (still operating) but, packed with electronics and fancy-looking (cheap) components, these things need repairs before you know it.

So when FIXITT tells you it’s the end of the road and you buy a new one, what happens to the old one? Correct – it’s left to pasture in a rubbish dump somewhere on the outskirts of town. Great for the environment! Apparently, in the UK alone, these throwaways could fill up Wembley Stadium six times every year.

So it’s our fault, really, and the shareholders of these mammoth companies – all insisting on annual growth and profits. We want to pay nothing and they want to earn more. What’s the result? Get used to getting your stuff fixed.

Enjoy these stats on how many household products die, as per Huffington Post:

Percentage of Appliances Breaking Within Three to Four Years

• Side-by-side refrigerator/freezers with icemakers: 36 percent
• Refrigerators with top or bottom freezers with icemakers: 28 percent
• Front-loading washing machines: 25 percent
• Dishwashers: 20 percent

Positively alarming!

Nine out of 10 products can be repaired fixed, but the issue is the price of the repair vs. simply buying a new one.

That’s a decision only you can make. The best advice we can give is to use that FIXITT 24-hour quoting service we mentioned earlier – then at least you won’t have to pay to make that decision.

Get it fixed or go through the whole process again. Or buy a SMEG 😉

[source:huffpost]