Fridge-freezers only last 4-5 years?!

[KeyboardMash]

Our four-year old fridge-freezer has just died. The bloke who came to fix it basically said that the bit that's broken (compressor relay? I may have got that wrong) cannot be replaced and that's it - it needs replacing. His first question was "what is it - five years old?" Because apparently that's the machine's lifespan - four to five years. Just been to Currys today and the guy we spoke to about a replacement said the same thing - current ones last about four to five years.

AIBU to think this is ridiculous?! I'm sure my parents have had ones go for 10-15 years. It is beyond ridiculous - and I think shady as hell - for new machines now to last less well than they used to. And I think only a small exaggeration to say humanity is doomed if manufacturers are deliberately churning out appliances that have to be junked every five years! I am in a very bad mood but I don't think I'm the one that's being unreasonable here.

We've had ours for around 15 yrs.

I've inherited a Daewoo one from the previous owners. As they went bust in 2012 and were taken over I'd imagine it's at least 12 years old more like 15-20 judging by when the kitchen in this house was replaced. It's makes a funny noise from time to time and the storage is crap in the freezer but it's still going.

Ours is 10 years old still working. I find washer dryers last about 5 years

Mine is 25 years old (hope I'm not tempting fate!).

Similar story here with the boiler. Got it serviced & the bloke was impressed it's 15y old.

Apparently boilers only last 12y now!!!???!

What brand was it? Was it a better quality appliance or a cheaper one?

Ive had my large bosch fridge freezer for 9 years, no issues at all with it.i think my parents ones are more like 15 years+

I have Bosch fridge & freezer (separate items) which were installed in 2018. The freezer did have a fault in 2019 while still under warranty which got fixed but they are both goong strong age nearly 7. I very much hope they last more than another 7 years they were fucking expensive but I paid happily on the assumption they would last for many years.

My cheap MFI fridge freezer is 26 years old. Granted not as efficient as it once was but still does what it needs to.

My fridge freezer is 25 years old. My washing machine which has just given up the ghost is 30 years old. They were both on the bottom end of the price scale. I doubt the new one I'm buying will last that long.
My hoovers never last longer than three years.

He was talking rubbish. The UK has still the same regulations and the CE marking. Nothing gets “re-certified”.

We just got rid of ours, it was still working but was actually leaking water and it was about 14 years old 🤯

I think they were just talking about the energy ratings changing, which I explained why above. (But if he was, he was wrong anyway because it happens within the EU too).

CE might have been replaced with UKCA? But it seems to be exactly the same thing, so it doesn't matter - they just print an extra 4 letters on it.

I have fridge freezer I in garage that must be at least 12 years old

I bloody hope not. I had a new one yesterday to replace the previous one from 1999.

Yep. The last sentence.

I remember discussions about ridiculousness of short warranty for these things. Quite a few of us in my circles had things break in month 13. I managed to still get ut under warranty arguing reasonable expectations of how long should product last even though it was after warranty (just about).
Martin Lewis is a star, he was how I learned about it. Dishwasher life expect is 10 years. I had not a cheap one. Like fuck is it reasonable to having to change it or pay for pricey repairs after 13 months.

Is it beige?! The beige microwaves last forever, my parents had theirs for 25 years before it broke!

For something as basic as a fridge freezer is it worth shelling out on a Miele?

That's planned obsolescense, and yes, that's a deliberate thing. YANBU at all. Maybe if you research more "niche" manufacturers, you can find something better. But it's insane. Late stage capitalism for us all to enjoy...

Beko reckon their fridge freezers will last 10 years on average, and provide a 10 year parts guarantee on many models. They're not the worst brand, but hardly premium.

https://www.beko.co.uk/support/faqs/fridge-freezers/how-long-do-they-last

It's mad. It's my back up in the garage but my (Bosch) fridge freezer is still going strong after 27 years.

My last one I'd had for 13 years. I have a new one and fully expect it to last the same amount of time, it will definitely last more than 5 years as it as a 5 year guarantee. My washing machine is 12 years old, my dishwasher was the same age but just packed up. My tumble dryer lasted for 18 years.

Mines 10 years old. We bought a high standard one though. I think with electricals you often get what you pay for and cheaper brands reduce the longevity.