Fed up of household items not being built to last

[GreenLunchBox]

I'm prepared for people to tell me AIBU, but I moved into this house three years ago and it had two AEG ovens, barely used but out of warranty. Literally barely used as I could tell from how clean they were and all the pizza delivery boxes in the bins when I moved in. Fast forward two years and one of the ovens tripped the fusebox and has been out of action for 6 weeks while two technicians came out . The third technician is due tomorrow and they don't seem to have a clue what is wrong with it so I'm expecting them to say they can't repair it. I paid £165 for the repair and apparently if they can't fix it they just give you money off an AEG appliance. Well, excuse me but I won't be taking them up on their offer because their oven is obviously not fit for use. I will be buying something else.

We also bought a sofabed which after three years of careful use is broken so I will be buying something else. It's very annoying when you spend hundreds of pounds and the thing lasts three years. Are my expectations too high, or should products last more than three years? Gah!

I had an cooker a couple of years ago. Thermostat went, was like fine, replace it please to repairman. Repairman said he would if he could get the part, he couldn't and said go back to manufacturer. Which I did, was an argos own brand thing. Argos said, nope we don't make that oven aany more and no part available. Oven was 2 years and 1 month old.

Kicked off enough to get 50% refund for a new cooker via argos but chose a known brand. Also candy washing machine and candy tumble dryer absolutely shite. Only lasted as long as they did because took extended warranty. Was on first name terms with repair man.

Replaced them all with samsung products and not had a problem for the last 3 years with any.

I bought a Delonghi toaster and kettle about 12 years ago and they're similar prices to Dualit. The toaster is still going strong but the kettle died years ago.

Same experience with Dualit, tbh. The kettle was replaced 3 times before I gave up and went with something else. The toaster goes on and on and on...

@chocolateorangeinhaler

Well.....in ye olde days appliances were built like tanks, basic, lasted for years, could be repaired but were very expensive. So they absolutely had to last.

The race to the bottom has been going on for years. Cheap poorly designed appliances wearing a posh frock depending on the brand and all at affordable prices. What do you realistically think is going to happen to the quality.

AEG and zanussi are both owned by Electrolux and ovens made in Germany. The element would have gone low resistance to earth so needs replacement. Quite common on any oven that's not used much. Have the engineers replaced that yet?

Yes I think it was the element. Not sure what an element is but they replaced the grill thing 🙄😬😳

@HighlandCowbag

I had an cooker a couple of years ago. Thermostat went, was like fine, replace it please to repairman. Repairman said he would if he could get the part, he couldn't and said go back to manufacturer. Which I did, was an argos own brand thing. Argos said, nope we don't make that oven aany more and no part available. Oven was 2 years and 1 month old.

Kicked off enough to get 50% refund for a new cooker via argos but chose a known brand. Also candy washing machine and candy tumble dryer absolutely shite. Only lasted as long as they did because took extended warranty. Was on first name terms with repair man.

Replaced them all with samsung products and not had a problem for the last 3 years with any.

I bought a Samsung pyrolytic oven in my last house. It had a five year warranty and boy was I glad about that! Called them out three times in the five years

@Welshiefluff

Literally barely used

What does this mean?

Pedants corner is that way >>>> 🙄

[quote MattyGroves]I have discovered this site recently which is really helpful

uk.buymeonce.com/collections/bestsellers[/quote]
Thanks for the tip.

•There is a new EU rule to make new appliances repairable for 10 years.

https://eandt.theiet.org/content/articles/2021/03/eu-introduces-right-to-repair-rules-for-electrical-goodss**/*

I was just about to post this. Indeed: another bit of "red tape" from the EU, eh? That products should be made to last and that companies will be legally required to continue to provide replacement parts so that they can be repaired.

Oh.... yeah. That won't apply to us now.

Thanks again Brexiteers! Another own goal.

@Bagelsandbrie

I’ve learnt the hard way that there’s no point paying more for white goods as it makes no difference whatsoever. I paid £800 ish for Samsung eco bubble washing machines and tumble dryers only for them to break so many times I ended up emailing the ceo of AO to have them replaced (which they did, very good customer service). I have an Indesit dishwasher which we paid £190 for that is still going strong nearly 12 years later….!

Not always true. Miele stuff tends to be really well-built still. But I agree that most other brands are not.

@mafted

I'd never buy anything from under the hotpoint umbrella of brands. We bought everything except our oven from one of their ranges years ago and every single appliance broke down multiple times. Since then we've had Bosch, Miele or Neff and all have been very reliable. My toaster is dualit and at least 35 years old, it's had one element replaced in that time.

Yeah. Hotpoint is awful for safety and reliability.

I think it was one of their fridges that started the Grenfell fire, wasn't it?!

My best long living appliance is my food processor (Mulinex) which I bought in 1979 as a student. It's still going strong.

There is a new EU rule to make new appliances repairable for 10 years.

If only we were in the EU eh?

@thenightsky

My best long living appliance is my food processor (Mulinex) which I bought in 1979 as a student. It's still going strong.

👀

@TheEvilPea

•There is a new EU rule to make new appliances repairable for 10 years.

[[https://eandt.theiet.org/content/articles/2021/03/eu-introduces-right-to-repair-rules-for-electrical-goods]]s**/*

I was just about to post this. Indeed: another bit of "red tape" from the EU, eh? That products should be made to last and that companies will be legally required to continue to provide replacement parts so that they can be repaired.

Oh.... yeah. That won't apply to us now.

Thanks again Brexiteers! Another own goal.

😳🙈

My Dualit toaster is still going after 27 years. At this rate I'll die before it does. Magimix kettle doing well at 10 years. Panasonic microwave also 10 years (bought in Hong Kong so more powerful than we're allowed in the UK so long may it continue!) and Sebo vacuum at 11 years.

@meadowbleu

I had a look at the buy me once website but some of the stuff recommended is so expensive, tights 'from £28' a knife for £125. Wow.

It is a complete lottery and I'm dreading having to replace appliances because we've been pretty lucky up to now. It's most lightbulbs and taps we've been having endless issues with. The lightbulbs isn't any kind of fault of our electrical supply, they just don't last and are so expensive.

Our energy company is UW. When you sign up they come to the House and give you new LED bulbs for every bulb in the house. Lifetime guarantee that if one breaks you call a number and they send you another one.

After my latest Bosch hob/oven fiasco, I have decided the replacements in our new kitchen will be from a company that supplies to catering businesses.

Commercial grade stuff has to be good quality and easy to clean. That's what I want!

Sympathies op. I'm moving into dm's today to look after her for a few days after a long hospital stay. Her Bosch oven is 34 yrs old this year. The bulb needs replacing I think but otherwise still going strong....

my parents still use their miele washing machine that they got for their wedding over 50 years ago.

Kettles generally last a couple of years in our house, we have hard water so constant scale and descaler doesn't help, I generally buy a decent brand in the sale for about £20, if I bought a nice Smeg, Kitchenaid, etc brand for £100+, I wouldn't expect it to last any longer as you are paying for the style/name not any better actual kettle. Present one is a Russell Hobbs, Which Best Buy which I bought on Amazon deal of the day for £20.

I treated myself to top of the range AEG washing machine and tumble dryer when I moved house.
My previous Beko washing machine and dryer came off a scrap lorry when my son was working in a recycling facility, lasted me 8 years, I gave them away when I moved and they're still going strong 4 years later. The Beko dishwasher that I got at the same time is just starting to die.
I got a free 5 year warranty with AEG, the washing machine needed a new heater on the 3rd year.
Three weeks ago the washing machine tried to escape across the kitchen, my partner thought it was a leg loose and just needed rebalancing but the whole frame on one side has rotted away from a slow leak.
Now despite having a year still on the warranty AEG are giving me the run around, claiming that I didn't register the warranty (why did they repair it last year then?), that they haven't received the service report (why did one agent say they had it in front of them?), that I hadn't sent proof of purchase (again an agent has seen it, plus the automated receipt of email backs me up) but I've emailed it three times and now sent it on their facebook messenger.
I've been phoning every day since the engineer wrote it off. It's really hard to actually speak to someone, who then puts me in hold girl up to 40 minutes whilst they speak to "someone", and then I get promised a call back which never materialises.
I've used the chat function to no avail.
I've asked to speak to a manager with the ability and authorisation to sort it, but I'm told managers only get involved when things need escalating. I said I do want to escalate it but got brushed off.
My tumblr dryer is rarely used, just occasionally for sheets and towels when it's raining, and I'm worried that will go kaput when it's out of warranty.

That's awful cherrytree. Puts me off them. However, the one thing that has lasted brilliantly is my AEG tumble dryer. MIL bought it as a present when we had DC1- he's now 17 and all it's needed is a quick, local repair for the element which cost £35.

Unfortunately we've not had the same luck with fridges/ ovens/ washing machines.

I had a Candy washer-dryer which was 18 years old and still working fine when I got rid of it because a relative was giving away a then seven year old Zanussi washer with a bigger capacity. Admittedly for most of those 18 years the Candy had an easy life because it just had to wash for one single person, but the Zanussi is now over 15 years old and we have two pre-school age DC, so it gets a hammering. It's also been moved twice, which is rarely good for domestic appliances. Neither machine has ever needed a repair.

I had a Whirlpool dishwasher which worked for 15 years without a hitch until the mechanical dial simply wore out, and couldn't be replaced because the part was no longer available. That was annoying because it was otherwise in showroom condition and still fully functional.

I suspect that how long appliances last is partly down to luck, but also partly down to use. Just because a washing machine says it can do 9kg doesn't mean that it is going to enjoy being stuffed with 9kg of denim which it then has to spin, wet, at 1400rpm several times a week.

Similarly, my wife is one of those people who boils the kettle as a matter of habit when she comes in through the door, then walks off and leaves it. If When she comes back to actually make the tea 15 minutes later, she has to reboil the kettle. That's another cycle of expansion and contraction in metal and plastic which won't tolerate it forever. When she moved in with me she threw out a (working) 20 year old Philips kettle and replaced it with a Breville one which lasted two years.

Hard water also kills machines.

@thenightsky

There is a new EU rule to make new appliances repairable for 10 years.

If only we were in the EU eh?

Indeed.

In France it is actually illegal to shorten the lifespan of a product with the intention of making a customer replace it. Not particularly helpful for domestic appliances, but for much tech where 'updates' slow things down or stop them working it is a step in the right direction. Apple got fined €25m a while ago, although this was for failing to warn about the effects of updates rather than planned obsolescence per se.

Miele products are designed to be repairable for life. Doesn't mean it won't break down, but you'll never have to throw a whole appliance away because one part is not repairable or replaceable, or because a panel has been welded or glued on rather than screwed. I remember reading a few years ago about someone in Europe who needed a new part for a pre-WW2 vacuum cleaner. Obviously they didn't have one on a shelf so they actually custom made one.

I had a microwave which was on its third owner and lasted twenty years . I don't think the new one will last as long...

Bosch dishwasher is from 2012/14 and still going, Siemens washer/dryer is five years old. Russell Hobbs kettle must be over five years old as I was going to replace it when the lid stopped popping up, I've now decided to keep it until it dies completely. The Dyson is still going despite a random small part flying off whilst hoovering, I wouldn't buy one again as it isn't easy to use.