Recent comments in /f/BuyItForLife

Doughymidget t1_jdrxsrs wrote

Reply to comment by kkngs in My Aunt’s GE Spacemaker Coffeemaker from 1988, used nearly everyday since by ME5SENGER_24

Now that’s just inexcusable. The CPVC plumbing in my 30 year old home is so brittle that I can almost break it by hand, but it doesn’t leak everywhere as long as I don’t go touching it. Even cheap-ass plumbing in a coffee maker should just hold. You’re probably not moving the coffee maker all that much.

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Doughymidget t1_jdrxeo4 wrote

Reply to comment by BoilerButtSlut in My Aunt’s GE Spacemaker Coffeemaker from 1988, used nearly everyday since by ME5SENGER_24

Just to defend the idea that it is a real thing, it has been a tactic used purposefully by cartels. Now, do most companies do this to this day? Maybe not. I think you are not wrong. But I do think that Apple soldering the ram memory in their computers so that you are unable to upgrade it and extend the life of your MacBook is planned obsolescence. Also, companies that restrict your ability to repair a product is planned obsolescence. So, it is a thing and is alive. It just may not always be the reason that a product is made cheaper or for some reason fails sooner than you’d like.

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palehorse95 t1_jdrve22 wrote

Reply to comment by Occhrome in My Aunt’s GE Spacemaker Coffeemaker from 1988, used nearly everyday since by ME5SENGER_24

That's part of planned obsolescence. Use substandard materials now, save money in the short term AND make more money in return purchases down the line.

I recently ordered some small marker lights for a friend's boat. The lights are led with the wiring coming out of a sealed plastic threaded post in the center.

The wiring is SO small and brittle that if it survives the installation process, it will definitely break down under regular electrical load, not to mention exposure to the elements.

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BoilerButtSlut t1_jdrvdil wrote

Reply to comment by palehorse95 in My Aunt’s GE Spacemaker Coffeemaker from 1988, used nearly everyday since by ME5SENGER_24

>Planned obsolescence is indeed a thing. > >I don't drink coffee but paid around $150 for one of those K-cup coffee makers for my brother just a few years ago.

This coffeemaker isn't a k-cup, so the $150 isn't comparable there.

Here's a drip coffeemaker that's about $150 that should last decades.

>Several months ago, the topic came up, and I asked how his coffee maker was doing, and he said that he is now on his now on his 3rd one, and that they simply stop heating coffee after a couple of years use.

Again, not quite comparable.

Also I said you have to buy a quality maker. There is also overpriced junk out there. Spending more on something doesn't necessarily mean you will always get the best thing, but spending less will always mean you aren't getting quality.

>The same is true for cell phones, televisions, and just about everything we purchase these days.

Consumers don't want durable versions of these. The models that are built to last 5-10 years aren't even in the top 10 selling phones. I doubt they are even in the top 50.

>They are all built in a manner that their parts break down under normal use.

They are built to be cheap. That involves cutting costs. Cutting costs necessarily means quality and durability suffer.

It is impossible to drastically reduce costs and end up with the same durability.

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BoilerButtSlut t1_jdrus4l wrote

Reply to comment by toTheNewLife in My Aunt’s GE Spacemaker Coffeemaker from 1988, used nearly everyday since by ME5SENGER_24

It isn't. I'm an engineer that works on consumer electronics. I'm frequently in meetings that decide the cost of these things.

Most consumers want cheap junk more than they want durability.

I've never been in any meeting where anyone was told to make things fail faster in some misguided attempt to sell more. We are given a cost target because we know many units will sell at each price cutoff and the overwhelming scale is at the lower end.

I also know dozens of engineers across multiple market segments. None has ever been told to make things fail faster.

The whole idea of planned obsolescence doesn't even make sense: when I buy something that breaks immediately or is shoddily made, I don't go out and buy the same thing again.

The whole idea only works if you have a monopoly on the market and literally can't buy anything else. But obviously that's not true since you can find quality versions of whatever you want. It just costs more. Most consumers don't want to spend more. They want to spend less.

You can literally have the long lasting version right next to cheap junk and even tell them that the longer lasting one will last decades, and consumers will still buy the junk one. I know because I've literally done this at the store. Still haven't had a single person I've talked to go for the long lasting one.

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5spd4wd t1_jdruhhj wrote

Reply to My Aunt’s GE Spacemaker Coffeemaker from 1988, used nearly everyday since by ME5SENGER_24

My 1980s GE clock radio and Spacemaker electric can opener are still going strong. The clock radio has no sign of wear or failure to the LCD numerals.

They don't make 'em like they used to. Probably because GE's small appliances were not made overseas then.

"In a period running approximately from the 1920s to the 1980s, GE small appliances were manufactured in Bridgeport, according to company officials. In 2016, Haier acquired GE Appliances for $5.4 billion from GE." Sep 27, 2021

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/business/article/GE-Appliances-returns-to-CT-plans-to-open-16491416.php

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palehorse95 t1_jdruhdv wrote

Reply to comment by BoilerButtSlut in My Aunt’s GE Spacemaker Coffeemaker from 1988, used nearly everyday since by ME5SENGER_24

Planned obsolescence is indeed a thing.

I don't drink coffee but paid around $150 for one of those K-cup coffee makers for my brother just a few years ago.

Several months ago, the topic came up, and I asked how his coffee maker was doing, and he said that he is now on his now on his 3rd one, and that they simply stop heating coffee after a couple of years use.

The same is true for cell phones, televisions, and just about everything we purchase these days.

They are all built in a manner that their parts break down under normal use.

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