I sometimes think that the entire C-level suites (and their families, heirs, and assigns) of most Fortune 500 companies should be sold into slavery to make reparations for what they've done.
Or, we could just follow Shakespeare and hang all the lawyers first thing...
Chinese appliances now. 3-5 year life spans.
Old fridge or washer/dryer would last 20-30 years.
Total ripoff!
He is comparing apples to oranges. His 2017 prices are for upper tier. You can get cheaper with more features than in 1976.
appliances are built to fall apart now too. It’s called “shortening the replacement cycle” or “planned obsolescence”. Everything you buy has a fatal flaw incorporated into its design which ensures that the product will become unusable at some point and things are being designed to fall apart faster and faster. Americans ought to be furious about this.
This article describes planned obsolescence, but misidentifies it as a problem with international trade. I just wish one manufacturer — and I don’t care if that manufacturer is located in South Bend or South Korea — would reject planned obsolescence and manufacture appliances meant to last 30 years.
He points out that: “Although most appliances are assembled in America, their “made in America” stickers are totally worthless,” then he concludes: “Help fix the economy, and do yourself a favor. Buy American.”
Where I live, we have several power outages during the winter. I have lost a TV, dishwasher, range and freezer after one of those power outages. The reason is there are IC chips running these devices and they fail if there is a strong power surge. I wonder if there is surge protection circuits in these appliances?
Also consider the impact of government regulations on appliances. For example government energy mandates could mean less robust motors built for efficiency not longevity. Federal water use restrictions have long meant that washers have more problems. Rugged top loading washers were almost eliminated for problematic front loaders as a result.
Many appliances have additional bells and whistles, quite literally. Try finding a “plain jane” appliance. Hard to find, but those are more reasonably priced.
blame our Federal Reserve. It corrupts our money on behalf of its banks and progressive government, and fills the world with American debt.
1980’s wage 4 to 5 dollars an hour. Today !2 to 15.. that is why things coast more..
I’m trying to buy a high end dishwasher now and can’t because they’re all junk.
Free trade is always good for the country that practices. All those agreements, NAFTA, etc. are NOT free trade. They are managed trade with government controlled benefits and liabilities for certain entities. Calling these managed trade agreements “Free Trade” is a device of the government controllers to make people think that actual free trade is detrimental.
I don’t lose sleep over this but I really would like to buy new appliances. Those I have are sinfully ugly. The washing machine is a youthful 15 years, the dryer about 30, my dad bought the fridge in 1976 and the stove I found in an old house I bought, it has to date to the 1930’s.
But they are reliable.
I can afford new. Then I start shopping and shopping starts with reading reviews and becoming informed.
After that, my old appliances are as safe as my grandparents. Not gonna be shown the door because they’re no longer shiny and sleek.
I wish someone would build a kitchen appliances that will last years and years. I would build it in the USA with 100% American parts...
Buy commercial washers and dryers, they are still made to last.
Commercial fridges and stoves and dishwashers are pricey.
Hot water tanks now last 3 to 5 years, they use to last 30 to 50 years.
Almost every problem I see ultimately comes from government taxation, or government regulation.
How can we make these things with less head count?
How can we shave a few more pennies off the cost of every part?
The mistake made by many on this thread is to assume that this trend is reversible.
would this apply to our military equipment?