Household appliances such as refrigerators and washing machines are becoming more and more functional, but the maintenance rate is also increasing. Experts point to complex designs, inexpensive materials and more fragile parts as the main reasons for the shortened service life.
Modern refrigerators, washing machines, and ovens are amazing in their ability to make the perfect ice cube and even preheat it remotely on your way home from work. However, there is also a downside to these fancy features, which is that they are more likely to break.
Appliance repair technicians and industry insiders say that the number of appliances that need to be repaired is increasing. For example, YELP users requested access to thousands of appliance repair businesses last year, a 58% increase from January 2022.
Industry insiders blame four things for this: the move towards computerization, an increase in the number of internal parts, thinning of materials, and the fact that high-end products are not durable.
According to Euromonitor International, U.S. households spent 43% more on household appliances in 2023 than in 2013, rising from an inflation-adjusted average of $390 to $558. However, data from the U.S. Department of Labor shows that from the beginning of 2013 to the end of 2023, the product category declined by 12%.
Consumers, repair technicians, and others say one of the reasons for the gap in spending and ** is higher replacement rates. This has led some people to want to keep their bulky 90s appliances, while others have haggled with maintenance crews over ice makers and freeze dryers that they can't fix.
Aaron Gianni, founder of the self-repair app Plunjr, said: "We're making more complex things, they're harder to fix, and they're more expensive to repair. ”
sharon j.Swan spent nearly $7,000 on a Bosch gas stove and smart refrigerator. She thinks the appliances will last at least as long as she decides on her house in Alexandria, Virginia and impresses potential buyers.
However, the reality is not rosy. The first time she used the oven's grill function, the oven caught fire and she had to call 911 and rush back for it. The ice maker in the refrigerator has broken down three times in less than two years. Bosch offered a warranty for the first two refrigerator repairs, but she said the latest repair would cost her $250 plus parts.
The 65-year-old association adviser said: "I feel like I'm wasting money. ”
A Bosch spokesperson said via email that the company had responded to Swan's concerns and would continue to work with her to resolve the issue. "Bosch's appliances are designed and manufactured to the highest quality standards, and they are built to last," she says. ”
Kevin and Kellene Dinino hope they can keep their still well-functioning '90s white dishwasher.
They spent $800 on a sleeker GE stainless steel interior dishwasher, but within three years a hidden water leak occurred, resulting in the loss of more than $35,000 in property to their kitchen in San Diego.
While flood insurance covered claims, including replacing all base cabinets from the wooden floor to the underfloor, the Diminos family lost their insurance. Their kitchen was also unusable for months.
Kevin, 45, who runs a financial PR firm, said, "This broken pump is worth $60. What's going on? ”
A GE spokesperson said the company takes appliance issues very seriously and strives to resolve them quickly with consumers.
Modern refrigerators or washing machines hide a number of sensors and switches under the plastic casing, which their 10-year-old counterparts did not have. Service technicians say these extra parts ensure that appliances use only the energy and water they need to do the job. But they also say that the more parts, the more likely it is that something will go wrong, and faster.
Mansoor Soomro, a professor at the School of Technology at Tisside University in Middlesbrough, UK, says household appliances are breaking down more often. In the past, he said, manufacturers relied primarily on direct mechanical components, such as an on/off switch that triggers a single lever. Over the last decade or so, they have shifted to relying more on complex electrical and computerized components (e.g., touchscreen displays 12 different sensor-controlled washing options).
Technicians say that when a complex machine breaks down, they have a hard time figuring out what's wrong. Even if a technician diagnoses a problem, consumers are often faced with repairs costing more than half the cost of replacement, resulting in scrapped machines.
Soomro, who spent seven years at Siemens, including the Home Appliances division, said: "For the most part, I think it's more affordable to buy a new one than to repair it. Soomro also said the machines are now more likely to be made of plastic and aluminum than steel, Soomro said. High-efficiency motors and compressors may also be lighter because they are tasked with consuming less energy.
A spokesperson for the American Home Appliance Manufacturers Association said the industry "has improved appliance safety, energy efficiency, capacity and performance while increasing functionality while maintaining product excellence and durability." She said the 2019 update showed that the average lifespan of appliances "has not changed substantially in the last two decades." ”
Kathryn Ryan and Kevin Sullivan needed a new sensor to repair their recently purchased $1,566 GE Unitized SpaceMaker washer dryer. GE hadn't been able to fix the sensor for months, so the couple paid $300 to a local technician to fix the machine.
The service person also advised them to avoid the sensor option and stick to timed drying.
Sullivan, 32, a home in Burbank, Calif., says, "Ideally, you should be able to use any feature you like on a brand new appliance. ”
Jim Zaccone, a virtual appliance technology specialist at Frontdoor, says more features may seem appealing, but more often than not, fewer features are better.
Zaccone, who has been in the appliance repair business for 21 years, laughs, says, "Consumers are becoming aware of what's going on and asking themselves, 'Do I really need to preheat my oven when I go to the grocery store again?'" ’”
He had just replaced his dishwasher and he said he had bought a dishwasher with "minimal features". He also opted for a mass-market brand with parts that were cheap and readily available. The most surprising thing is that he opted for a low-end model.
"Spending a lot of money on something doesn't guarantee you more reliability," Zaccone says. ”