I absolutely agree: appliances are now made like crap and absolutely with planned obsolescence, like all the rest of anything electrical or tech-y these days. For instance, my mom had an Amana refrigerator for 40 years with zero problems. Nine years ago it finally gave out and she got a new, high-end refrigerator. Just three (!!!) years later, she had to get *another* brand new refrigerator because something went wrong that cost the same amount as a brand new refrigerator! So she had two new fridges in less than four years, compared to her Amana that lasted 40 years.
Similarly, she had her original dishwasher for 40 years, but has since had to get two new ones in just 10 years. And she buys high-end products.
Last week she finally had to replace her washer and dryer, which were both 45 years old and worked so much better than any others I’ve ever used in my entire life! Her new machines are so complicated and obnoxious compared to her old ones.
Plus of course, new big appliances now take 60-90 minutes to do what her old appliances only took 8-30 minutes to accomplish.
I’m so tired of robotics/AI. I don’t want a touchscreen in my car. I don’t need digital navigation; I know how to look at, and memorize, an actual map before I go somewhere. I want push buttons and dials in my car, not a screen I have to stare at and think about just to get them to work, distracting my eyes away from the road. Knobs and buttons are easy to memorize and to use without even having to glance at them. I want a real key that I turn, not an auto start that decides when to unlock my car for me. I want to open my trunk using my much faster arm and a non-mechanized strut, rather than waiting for a slow machine to lift it and close it for me. And all the obnoxious beeping in the world today drives me nuts! The trunk door beeps while it’s opening and closing. Cars “think” they’re better drivers than are human drivers themselves. BEEP BEEP if you drive over a line on the road. BEEP BEEP if I get too close to another driver. If I do that, I know I’m doing it and it’s likely because I have to change lanes, park in a tight spot, etc. Non-stop BEEP BEEP BEEP if you (or anyone else in the car) take your seat belt off to quickly re-adjust the tension while you’re driving, as if I don’t know my seatbelt is off for two seconds. BEEPS when the refrigerator door is open, as if I can’t see with my eyes that it’s open. BEEPS when the dishwasher, washer, dryer, and microwave are done with their cycle and can’t stand waiting for me to open their door. Interruptions from the iPhone and laptops. Yes, I realize I can turn off the signal on some of this stuff. But it all adds up to a waste of my time and to noise pollution. The world is already plenty noisy without all the plethora of electronic noises that have overwhelmed our lives over the past decade.
So yep, “They don’t make ‘em like they used to!“
@Bobby103 Both my mom and my cousin (here in Utah) have had a challenging time in the past few months when trying to shop for appliances. My cousin’s giant, full deep-freezer went out in April, when few stores were even open at all. The only place she could find one was at a used appliance shop. So just know you’re not alone in your frustration with your search for a refrigerator.
