No, thanks. I’ll stick with my long-since-paid-for, 25-year-old Maytag. That is, as long as it works.
I recall reading in Consumer Reports many years ago that most refrigerators were discarded not because they stopped working, but because of cosmetic damage. Broken plastic door shelves, dents, rust, out of style, etc. The compressors were still fine.
Unsolicited advice warning: Depending on how handy you are, you may want to consider grabbing a few wear parts or the most commonly replaced bits before inventory completely dries up. I used to have a newer (but still old) dryer and thought the heating element was failing - a replacement part was actually kind of hard to source. Anyway, that would give the ol’ beast a good shot at another decade or two.
I recall reading in Consumer Reports many years ago that most refrigerators were discarded not because they stopped working, but because of cosmetic damage. Broken plastic door shelves, dents, rust, out of style, etc. The compressors were still fine.
Yup. The enshitification kicks in super hard after a technology is mostly “solved”. Refrigerator compressors and insulated boxes are both very much optimized as much as they’re going to get. The only way to eke more cash out of making a product like that is to cut corners on other bits, or get people to buy a subscription somehow.
No, thanks. I’ll stick with my long-since-paid-for, 25-year-old Maytag. That is, as long as it works.
I recall reading in Consumer Reports many years ago that most refrigerators were discarded not because they stopped working, but because of cosmetic damage. Broken plastic door shelves, dents, rust, out of style, etc. The compressors were still fine.
Unsolicited advice warning: Depending on how handy you are, you may want to consider grabbing a few wear parts or the most commonly replaced bits before inventory completely dries up. I used to have a newer (but still old) dryer and thought the heating element was failing - a replacement part was actually kind of hard to source. Anyway, that would give the ol’ beast a good shot at another decade or two.
Yup. The enshitification kicks in super hard after a technology is mostly “solved”. Refrigerator compressors and insulated boxes are both very much optimized as much as they’re going to get. The only way to eke more cash out of making a product like that is to cut corners on other bits, or get people to buy a subscription somehow.
Does the plastic hinges on the freezer door breaking count as “cosmetic damage” too?