The Short Life Span of Appliances Nowadays

One problem with buying from Home Depot and Lowes is the price points they negotiate. They get a cheaper made version of the product made and sold just by them, on many items, I’ve found.

All of these companies have bad track records, it’s just a matter of getting lucky with the one they deliver to you, and researching how much or how little neglect and abuse you can expect from the maker if you have a problem.

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Zackly.

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You are right. Same as items made for Costco and outlet malls. I was in the market for a new toilet and the plumber told me not to buy at Home Depot for that very reason.

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5 posts were merged into an existing topic: They don’t make things like they used to: Levi’s frex

I guess I am pretty luck. None of my appliances has died on me – before I decided to retire them. I do think fancier appliances have a higher chance of “dying” because they are more complicated. For example, an convection oven simply has more moving components than a traditional heating element oven, an induction stove is more complicated than a resistance stove.

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That’s so true, it’s just luck. Every time we research an appliance the reviews for every brand are filled with bitter comments from angry, frustrated consumers. So far our Samsung french door fridge is working ok. . . but the veg drawer fills with water! I try to be zen about it. Two LG dehumidifiers went kaput in the first six months. . . the neighbor’s Liebherr ice maker can’t be fixed, it’s simply junk.
Have been involved with old appliance boards. A whole nation of people out there are buying old things and learning how to fix them. Since the parts for many older appliances are still available and the technologies are straightforward, they are ok with the hassle, and a lot of them enjoy the process. But but but. . . has it really come to that??
The old fridge people are happy campers, but the machines are not energy efficient. However, I wonder about the sustainability of all this new junk hitting the landfill after a few years!!
PS: we buy our plumbing stuff from a local plumbing supply and they match internet prices. We buy our appliances from a local store, and they do their own repairs. When they can’t match a big box price we pay the extra $100 or whatever. Not a panacea for crap equipment, but it’s been worth the peace of mind for us. So far so good.

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[quote=“jammie, post:49, topic:4062”]
. Every time we research an appliance the reviews for every brand are filled with bitter comments from angry, frustrated consumers.

I know. We just bought the LG refrigerator to be delivered Wednesday and I made the mistake of looking at reviews.Maybe only people who are unhappy with their appliance review it!

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I’m getting scared about our upcoming repair now…April 6 is the day I have marked down to call them finally.

Be afraid. Be very afraid!

Hopefully it will be an amusing story at least.

The Sears best stainless plain old gas range I can’t wait to kick to the curb was almost new when we moved in here. It’s been losing parts and falling apart all this time. I’m not tough on things, either.

Much stronger motivation for such folks, definitely.

That is horrible. I have been a renter, and funny enough, all my renter stoves have been holding well (never had to call the managers to fix them).

you’re not alone. Our Whirlpool appliances are simply the worst. Oven broke down in 1 year and had it fixed about 3 times before they would exchange it. Now the fridge makes a noise like it’s about to give birth. STAY AWAY FROM WHIRLPOOL!

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The list grows. Stay away from Electrolux. I’ve also heard stay away from Kitchen Aid.

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Absolutely. Our dishwasher and refrigerator are both KitchenAid and both hot garbage in terms of quality and reliability.

My top of the line Kitchen Aid dishwasher never, ever worked right in the 12 years I’ve had it. I use it for storage only. They are part of another company anyway, can’t remember who…almost all kitchen appliances are made by just a few companies now. You can’t win.

I found that Whirlpool, owner of the KitchenAid fridge I’m getting soon is actually more reliable in terms of service than a lot of others, which played into my decision to buy the identical fridge from them instead of Bosch. Honestly, they all suck, Whirlpool sucks less than a lot of others, but it’s like being the Cream of the Crap.

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It cleans fine, but my KA dishwasher is something I’m not replacing. Over the several years I’ve owned it, it has not needed any repairs, but a lot of plastic rack holder replacements.

I think still worth calling them. I was in a same case like you, the deadline to file a claim was limited the appliance of 3 years old, my product was 4.5 years old and they fixed it for free.

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