Does Quality Exist Anymore?

askme69 on 02/01/2017 - 17:02
Last edited 03/01/2017 - 07:45 by 1 other user

Bit of a rant, my BOSCH made in Germany washer has blown up after 12 months. I mentioned this to my parents the other day Dad got some toast out of the toaster and said see this Sunbeam toaster it is 53 years old and never missed a beat. The fridge in the shed is 30+ years old and has never been switched off, the washing machine is the same age etc.

All were made in the UK, USA or Australia.

Yes they were expensive, but nowadays even expensive is no guarantee that it will last. Not like the old days.

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  try2bhelpful on 02/01/2017 - 17:31

  +3

  I bet your Dad's toaster, and the fridge in the shed, represented a much larger proportion of your parent's wage than your current models. You can still get quality goods but you have to be prepared to pay for them. My Miele clothes washer lasted 13 years, the dishwasher was replaced after 18 years (still working but getting a bit noisy); I have bought Miele replacements. My Apple ipod is still working after 10 years; with the original battery.

  My experience with Bosch is that there is a certain level of infant mortality with their kit; but I did find their aftersales service pretty good. They replaced my Fridge with a better model; as my model had a design fault. A friend had a dishwasher that failed as well.

  We truly have come to "Brave New World" though. The mantra "end, don't mend" has never been more true. The world is drowning in rubbish because nobody considers what happens once the stuff is tossed out and another shinier one bought in it's place.

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  holdenmg on 02/01/2017 - 17:37

  Should be in a Museum.
  (and the Toaster too) lol
  http://www.toaster.org/t20.html

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  poboy on 02/01/2017 - 20:33

  +1

  That fridge in your shed is probably using more energy than your whole house.

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    RockyRaccoon on 02/01/2017 - 21:06

    +1 and that would mean most likely more cost than getting a new fridge every year!

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  askme69 on 02/01/2017 - 20:58

  That's the toaster

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  RockyRaccoon on 02/01/2017 - 21:16

  WE bought a house that had a globe with Edison's name on the glass, it was almost 80 years old.

  But what does that say? one globe out of millions made lasts 80 years?

  A friend had a Triumph Stag which never broke down, but most were completely unreliable.

  My F&P washer is now 15 years old and still going strong

  My dad's 1950's Austin A40 needed a ring job head grind, (engine overhaul) every 60K miles (100K KM's), the brakes needed replacing every 50k km's and needed new wheel cylinders.

  My Sons 2004 Camry has just done 300K and the engine still runs sweet (Not touched)

  As for the $20 toaster needed repair, it costs more to post it via AP to get repaired ratther than just buy another one

  Age has nothing to do with quality

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    roddy84 on 03/01/2017 - 10:11

    Did your dad get the ring job and head done at the same time or separate visits?

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      voteoften on 03/01/2017 - 17:41

      Dear heavens. TMI!

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  Vampyr on 03/01/2017 - 17:06

  Products these days are designed for failure. It is more profitable to make cheaper products that break after two years, meaning you will constantly replace and upgrade.

  Edit: I'd personally rather pay a lot more for something with a lifetime warranty..But that is not what consumers want.

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  outlander on 03/01/2017 - 18:27

  -1

  Yes, but you see, products now are a system of interconnecting parts, each usually coming from a different company, and each capable of bring down the whole system. Even the expensive brands, the mieles and the askos, still seem to be made up of the same parts, all susceptible to malfunction.

  They way I deal with it is by accepting that nothing is permanent anymore - EVERYTHING is in a constant state of change, needing to be repaired or replaced at regular intervals. In which case, the best machine is one that's easy to open, and has cheap freely available parts.

  What you'll find with consumer products is usually the core component, like a washing machine motor or a fridge compressor, is rock solid and unlikely to break, even on the cheap appliances. Its the auxiliary stuff, the water pumps, or a capacitor on the circuit board, that breaks.