Lose-lose proposition
I have been awfully cranky lately. Everything seems to be breaking. The washer, which cost about $400 a couple of years ago, broke. No sense repairing it, which would cost maybe $200. So I bought a new one. My computer! the non-functioning CD burner made it impossible to download the software for my new camera so I tried to get Nikon to download the drivers, but they couldn't do it, because the computer was 64 bits, apparently something which had not ever happened in the history of the Nikon company and they were sorry but it was getting late and customer service wanted to go out for a cigarette anyway, so I sent the camera back to Amazon. I must admit I felt a twinge of satisfaction when I got rid of it. Take that, Nikon!
The small television/DVD player that cost $300 and will not recognize a CD inserted in it any more is at the repair shop. It would cost too much to replace, as well as too much to fix. Heads you win. Tails I lose.
Did I mention the hinge on the dishwasher which is causing the door not to close properly unless you twist it to the left? Probably not. Another appliance that costs too much to fix and too much to replace, so that whatever I do--get a new one or fix this one--I feel like a sucker.
I'm not claiming that manufacturers are deliberately making things that are so shoddy they break down. It's not a conscious decision on their part; it's just the result of them all taking their I Don't Care pill every day upon arising. They're hoping it won't break, but if it does, so what? Not their problem--the warranty just ran out.
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A few weeks ago my wife told me the washer wasn't working. The hot/cold mix was wrong - sometimes hot when it should've been cold and and vice versa. Great. Here a visit from the repairman cost $69 just to get him to the house. Then you pay parts and maybe add'l labor. So, after checking to be sure the water lines hadn't gotten swapped somehow, I took my model number and went down to the Fox appliance store - this is where all the repair guys get their parts. Described the problem, and the man at the counter told me it could be one of two things - a $35 part or a $72 part, but it was most likely the $35 part (the switch behind the temperature dial). I paid him, installed the part and it worked!
So yes, I agree that things are made cheaply - but a lot of those are modules that can be swapped out - cheap only if you can do it yourself. With a visit from the repair guy easily approaching $200 with parts and labor, I too start considering whether to replace the whole thing before I call.
Frustrating, isn't it?
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