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Inevitable Wikipedia link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Market_for_Lemons#Asymmetric_information https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Market_for_Lemons#Asymme

by ronaldx 12y ago

Inevitable Wikipedia link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Market_for_Lemons#Asymmetric_information https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Market_for_Lemons#Asymmetr... It's impossible for a consumer to know that a supposedly high-quality washing machine will last longer than a cheap washing machine - longevity reviews are impractical with a changing market. In the past, manufacturers have overcome this by offering a guarantee. But, does a manufacturer guarantee even act as a true guarantee? How many claims are brushed off with an excuse? How many white goods manufacturers will exist in their present form in N years time?

danieltillett 12y ago
There is kind of a downward spiral here in regards quality tolerances that is driven by price. As items become cheaper then it costs a manufacturer less to fix or replace an item if it fails within the warranty period. This then allows a further fall in quality tolerances and so on.
tim333 12y ago
It's impossible to know how long they will last but you can make some sort of guess - my repair guy said don't buy Indersit, they all pack up in no time and suggested Electrolux which I went for - fingers crossed. We could do with some better info on average life - someone like Appliances Direct who cart away a lot of broken machines could benefit the world by publishing how old different models were when they croaked.
- speeder 12y ago
  Heh, I am from Brazil and own lots of eletrolux stuff, and I had been telling people to.not buy eletrolux, their stuff breaks really fast, is badly designed, and their service people are rude and not interested in helping at all.
  - tim333 12y ago
    Ah well. I just googled and found a few reports of my model's controller card packing up. We'll see.
    - speeder 12y ago
      On my case: I own several microwaves (that frequently start to work with the door open... seemly shitty quality switches) and a fridge. The fridge in particular has a "easy defrost" button, what it do is turn off the fridge until the fridge is defrosted, the problem is that there is no way to undo it, and the button is in a place that is easy to bump, if you press it accidentally, your food still spoil... Also the button is prone to get stuck, when I called a technician, I started by saying the problem, and he figured that it was a eletrolux fridge on his own, the problem is really common (and let's say, that a fridge that shuts down is one of the worst problems to have on a fridge, much worse than failing lights or door hinge issues, those are annoyances, but don't waste food). Also eletrolux never fixed my stuff, both the fridges and the microwaves I ended fixing myself, every time I contact eletrolux it is a sad thing, they are so bad that I don't even get disappointed anymore. Also when I disassembled the fridge, it was one of the most shoddy constructions I ever saw, stuff glued with tape, misaligned plastic parts, missing bolts (that cannot be installed anyway, because the previously mentioned misaligned plastic parts), and so on...
      - jacquesm 12y ago
        When it happens again, pull the plug on the fridge, wait 5 minutes and then plug it in again. Your food will likely not be spoiled yet and the microcontroller will be re-set. With some luck it will then be a fridge again instead of a cup-board.
        speeder 12y ago
        It is not a microcontroller, it is a mechanical switch to the engine power. My "fix" was to mechanically force the switch to a reset position, and the issue is that frequently the switch get stuck in place.
      - 12y ago
  - akandiah 12y ago
    Yes, it's the same here in Australia when it comes to Electrolux (and their group of companies). Our fridge failed just after two years of purchase. They were rude when it came to warranty and charged through the nose to fix the problem.
- dingaling 12y ago
  There isn't really much distinction between the mainstream 'brands'. Like modern cars they're mostly built from a small range of parts-bins: Electrolux Group: AEG, Electrolux, John Lewis, Tricity-Bendix, Zanussi Indesit: Ariston, Creda, Hotpoint, Indesit Candy: Candy, Hoover Bosch: Bosch, Siemens
deleted 12y ago
[deleted]

by ronaldx 12y ago

danieltillett 12y ago

There is kind of a downward spiral here in regards quality tolerances that is driven by price. As items become cheaper then it costs a manufacturer less to fix or replace an item if it fails within the warranty period. This then allows a further fall in quality tolerances and so on.

tim333 12y ago

It's impossible to know how long they will last but you can make some sort of guess - my repair guy said don't buy Indersit, they all pack up in no time and suggested Electrolux which I went for - fingers crossed. We could do with some better info on average life - someone like Appliances Direct who cart away a lot of broken machines could benefit the world by publishing how old different models were when they croaked.

speeder 12y ago
Heh, I am from Brazil and own lots of eletrolux stuff, and I had been telling people to.not buy eletrolux, their stuff breaks really fast, is badly designed, and their service people are rude and not interested in helping at all.
- tim333 12y ago
  Ah well. I just googled and found a few reports of my model's controller card packing up. We'll see.
  - speeder 12y ago
    On my case: I own several microwaves (that frequently start to work with the door open... seemly shitty quality switches) and a fridge. The fridge in particular has a "easy defrost" button, what it do is turn off the fridge until the fridge is defrosted, the problem is that there is no way to undo it, and the button is in a place that is easy to bump, if you press it accidentally, your food still spoil... Also the button is prone to get stuck, when I called a technician, I started by saying the problem, and he figured that it was a eletrolux fridge on his own, the problem is really common (and let's say, that a fridge that shuts down is one of the worst problems to have on a fridge, much worse than failing lights or door hinge issues, those are annoyances, but don't waste food). Also eletrolux never fixed my stuff, both the fridges and the microwaves I ended fixing myself, every time I contact eletrolux it is a sad thing, they are so bad that I don't even get disappointed anymore. Also when I disassembled the fridge, it was one of the most shoddy constructions I ever saw, stuff glued with tape, misaligned plastic parts, missing bolts (that cannot be installed anyway, because the previously mentioned misaligned plastic parts), and so on...
    - jacquesm 12y ago
      When it happens again, pull the plug on the fridge, wait 5 minutes and then plug it in again. Your food will likely not be spoiled yet and the microcontroller will be re-set. With some luck it will then be a fridge again instead of a cup-board.
      - speeder 12y ago
        It is not a microcontroller, it is a mechanical switch to the engine power. My "fix" was to mechanically force the switch to a reset position, and the issue is that frequently the switch get stuck in place.
    - 12y ago
- akandiah 12y ago
  Yes, it's the same here in Australia when it comes to Electrolux (and their group of companies). Our fridge failed just after two years of purchase. They were rude when it came to warranty and charged through the nose to fix the problem.
dingaling 12y ago
There isn't really much distinction between the mainstream 'brands'. Like modern cars they're mostly built from a small range of parts-bins: Electrolux Group: AEG, Electrolux, John Lewis, Tricity-Bendix, Zanussi Indesit: Ariston, Creda, Hotpoint, Indesit Candy: Candy, Hoover Bosch: Bosch, Siemens

deleted 12y ago

[deleted]