Made to break
January 25, 2010emily No Comments »Last week we had a repairman come out to the house to check out our dishwasher. We’ve had it three years this April and recently, it started making noises that suggested it was in dire need of medical assistance. Or at least a large martini. For $80, the repairman clucked and shook his head as he disassembled the dishwasher and promptly told us that the motor was on its way to the motor graveyard. Could we have it fixed? He laughed; sure, he could fix it. For about $275. But that wouldn’t do us much good, he explained, since the computer board would be the next to go. And when you consider that we spent $500 on the dishwasher in the first place… well, that just doesn’t make good economic sense. So, we’re well on our way to buying a new dishwasher to replace the one that was brand-new not even three years ago. Does this strike anyone else as completely effed up? My grandmother has had the same toaster since at least the 1960s. It works just like the day she bought it, which is to say perfectly. In the time we’ve been enjoying toast in this household, we’ve replaced our toaster no fewer than four times. And sure, it’s easy to chuckle and say, “well, they don’t make ‘em like they used to!” But why is that? Why are things made so cheaply these days? And, more importantly, is there anything we can do about it?
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