Ridiculous price!

You are absulutely right phoenix . My 4 year old washing machine went off last week. It has been playing up for a while with the display flickering (unlike your stove, sorry couldn't resist) on and off.

DH took it apart and discovered that the main PCB had blown and he searched online for a replacement part. the cheapest we could find was £186 plus VAT and delivery.

Needless to say, I have very reluctantly opted for a new washing machine. Surely a washine machine (with the appliance of science) should last longer than 4 years !

I agree gillybob, when my fridge freezer started to play up last winter, the shop where we had bought it informed us that as it had lasted 9 years we had done very well!

If these items are only expected to have such a limited life, why aren't they cheaper to buy in the first place?

I don't suppose your fire quote included "parts, labour and VAT" either?
Makes me so cross! I have been through 2 expensive fridges since I gave my tiny Indesit to my friend as a temporary measure for the gite they were renovating in France.
Le Frigo, is it has been renamed is still going strong , unlike the expensive replacements.

No Alea we would have to fit the part ourselves.

Of course when I say "we", what I actually mean is Mr P scrabbling around on the floor while I complain about the bottom cleavage on display......

My parents 1950s Electrolux fridge moved three times with them and was still going strong when my father died in 1989. They were made to last all those years ago.

Rather than contacting the manufacturer Phoenix, try eBay. We got a part for our washing machine at a fraction of what the manufacturer wanted. It was new and came from a shop. DH was able to fit it.

phoenix also maybe try Amazon as well as ebay.

Good thinking, Ladies!

The manufacturer (Dimplex) provided me with a part number, and also gave details of another stockist, but they were even more expensive, at £61.96!

I will Google the part number and see what I can find.

Unfortunately they all seem to be about the same price, one looked about £10 cheaper at first glance, but once the VAT & delivery was added, it was not really any cheaper.

I wanted a new heating element for a dishwasher. The approved part was £97. I did a bit more googling on replacement elements for a series of electrical appliances and found regardless of the size and power of the element it was priced at one third of the cost of a new appliance, whether it was a kettle, dish washer, washing machine or water heater.

I suspect that the manufacturers have discovered that if the cost of a new part is a third of the cost of a new appliance, we will usually opt for a new appliance. Less than that and we get it repaired.

Interesting theory M0nica and worth considering.

It is ridiculous isn't it, yes, they want us to buy new items, that must be the answer.Those faux log burners look good phoenix, I have thought before that if we get too gaga for our log burning/ stacking etc ( start setting fire to ourselves) we could go for one of those.

We bought a microwave in the mid 80s which finally died about four years ago. Since the we have had to buy two new ones. I am not impressed.

Same problem with electric kettles lasting only a couple of years. They had very flimsy plastic switches sticking out the back which were easily knocked and broken.

We do have a Zannussi washing machine bought by my parents in 1999 and taken over by me when we cleared their house. With a set of new bearings its still going strong. It does not owe us anything.

I heard that it is called 'built-in obsolescence

What a waste of labour and materials!
And what happens to the appliances?

www.espares.co.uk
Are good for bits for electrical appliances. Plus they have how to videos.

It makes me so mad. We're always being told about the dangers to the planet of all the waste we create, yet we're forced to buy new and discard otherwise good appliances, just for the want of what should be a minor repair.
Yes indeed, rq what does happen to all these appliances? I assume they're crushed and the metal recycled. But given the amount of plastic involved these days, I don't know whether that would be possible

How is this for longevity? Friends of mine had a stair lift fitted last Friday and paid for by the local council. It broke down on Saturday- a part has had to be ordered. They are so thankful that they did not contribute a penny.

suzied yes, we have used espares as well.
And my old Dyson cleaner has been mended so many times I don't think it is the original one at all!

It's like Trigger's broom:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUl6PooveJE

Fancy having to have a spare part the next day for the stairlift!

Some things seem to last about 13 months - so they are just out of guarantee.

All leccy goods seem to have built-in obsolesce. Printers are programmed to switch off after x amount of prints. . Found out on YouTube how to overcome that one .

Buying printing ink from Amazon is many times cheaper. It doesn't clog. Be careful, the pots are filled to the brim.

We found out from a reliable source, fridges ^will leak^now. It isn't the little hole filled with detritus. No, it's the fault of penny-pinching manufacturers who only attach half the amount of copper wire to the back of the fridge.

I use 2-3 kitchen tissues to get rid of the water each day or, return the following day to find the bottom shelf with 1/4"- 1/2" of water lying all over it. So irritating and unnecessary.

Haven't been away this year, so shudder to think what we'd find if we were away for week's at a time.

Let your fingers do the walking