Survey: Quality vs Price?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03.20.07
Yesterday we posted about the tradeoff between cheap but disposable and expensive but higher quality. We learn from the Wall Street Journal that in general, appliances are dying more quickly than they did when last studied in 1993. They point out that many appliances are more complex: "in 1993, few refrigerators had built-in ice dispensers, much less television screens." They also suggest that fashion has something to do with it: " consumers have become more style-conscious about appliances than they used to be, and more willing to chuck them when they go on the blink, rather than getting them repaired. So manufacturers have less incentive to make them durable."
I voted for all 3 but quality and longevity is most important. The longer an item can be used the longer it stays out of the waste stream.
While I do understand the superficial nature of the consumer, I do believe there is one more factor to consider. The cost of labor to repair these appliances is not exactly cheap. When the price to repair comes close to the price for new (excluding the super highend appliances), the consumer faces the decision of new or fix.
LA: as an update, I learned that the repair depot was a few blocks from home so I took the 75 buck grinder in. He offered me a demo for 40 bucks, and that the motor in my unit was shot, that three years is what they get out of them. He said they could fix it for 35 bucks. I went for the repair, simply because I could not see the point in sending it to landfill.