Sick of buying stuff that stops working

I've got this cheapo, bog standard Nokia (can't be arsed with smart phones) and my second battery-charger this year has just about given up the ghost.

It barely registers a blip on the flatline of conscious awareness for me and, I'm sure, for most people...but how many of these damn things do we get through in our lives?

I bought my first mobile in 2002-ish, so for me...15, 20?? More???

It's not the cost. I'm comfortable (3 bank accounts, thank you. Ahem).

They're cheap to buy...maybe that's part of the problem? You feel daft asking for a warranty for something that's only a couple of quid from Honest John's market stall. And even if you got a warranty, would anyone be arsed claiming for a new couple of quid battery-charger?

So you buy a new one, which is a #ing headache.

They've even got a name for things you buy that stop working: planned obsolescence.

It's not shoddy workmanship, they actually plan for the thing to pack up on you, so you have to buy more.

And, as much as I loathe and detest the seedier side of consumerism, I can't understand the logic behind this.

Why don't they just make the thing dearer but last longer? Like they already do with energy-saving light bulbs?

Don't they realise that it's the arseache of having to buy more of the same that pees folk off (because the last lot bust)?

a reply to: CJCrawley

Stop buying crap and problem solved.

Tight arse. Buy something decent for a 100 or so.

a reply to: CJCrawley

A friend of mine is a white appliance engineer, and he told me years ago about the "planned obsolescence.". For white goods its five years!!!
This is one of the reasons I dont buy into the global warming scam, because if it were true then planned obsolescence would be illegal!

a reply to: VoidHawk

Wow, that's interesting.

Never thought of that.

a reply to: CJCrawley

Count your blessings if it's only your cell....

Wait until you have to replace a transmission in a 2013 Lincoln Town Car...just out of warranty.

originally posted by: VoidHawk
a reply to: CJCrawley

A friend of mine is a white appliance engineer, and he told me years ago about the "planned obsolescence.". For white goods its five years!!!
This is one of the reasons I dont buy into the global warming scam, because if it were true then planned obsolescence would be illegal!

Yep, planned obsolescence is a real thing.

www.technologystudent.com...

Yes it is horrid for the environment.

No, it is not illegal, because corporations make a lot of money
off of it. The rich donate lots of money to get people elected
who won't even mention the environmental and carbon wasting
of planned obsolescence.
www.opensecrets.org...
www.opensecrets.org...
www.opensecrets.org...

Politicians would go under without the money given to them by
corporations who engage in planned obsolescence,
that is why it is not illegal.

Welcome to the world of "throw away" everything.

I used to have a washing machine, that lasted over 25 years, with 1 major repair.
I am currently on my 2nd after that one. Because the repairs cost more than the stupid machines.

Nothing is built to last anymore.

a reply to: CJCrawley

1oo year old light bulb

When every things made to be broken…

a reply to: CJCrawley

If you want superior slave made products you gotta fork out the all mighty dollar.

"Planned" obsolesence is a myth. There's cheap stuff out there because that's your only determining factor. If all white goods are five years, why has every "white good" I have been running over 20 years? That's absurd. Remember when cars struggled to reach 50,000 miles and 100,000 was considered decrepit? Buy a new car today and put 200,000 miles on it and it still runs and feels like a new car. That's because products have improved. You get tired of it before it will ever crap out on you.

GOOD - FAST - CHEAP: Pick any two.

You get what you pay for.

seems like a bad business plan to create products that last forever. sad but true.
you will want to make the consumer buy your products again and again because the old ones don't work any more or not as good as a new one.

certain tech devices will be outdated so quickly that the cheap (disposable) aspect is actually helpful. The latest and greatest smart phone today will be old junk in 3-4 months. But, if you spend a bit on quality, you can expect a better warranty and having it last longer.

Sadly, this is the way of the future. Adapt, improvise, overcome. (or post a rant on ATS)

a reply to: CJCrawley
I still have a Samsung Galaxy S4, when they are on 6. I got the S4 when it first came out. It's reliable and fast. Just make sure to keep it at 20% charged (the new batteries don;t like to be drained). Has a nice camera, too. You can get one of those now, unlocked for about $50 on ebay. You buy a simple phone and you get a simple battery or a simple charger. Or both. I have bought a few chargers, a couple have gone bad, but the same size charges my phone, my digital e cig and a battery power pack I have..nice to not have to buy all different sizes of chargers. I can get new chargers for 2.99 with free shipping on Ebay or just search for the charger.

I don;t think 'planned obselescence' is your problem. I am not sure it is a myth, but in your case, you need to pony up a few more dollars to get a phone or an accessory that lasts longer and have back up chargers.

originally posted by: network dude
certain tech devices will be outdated so quickly that the cheap (disposable) aspect is actually helpful. The latest and greatest smart phone today will be old junk in 3-4 months. But, if you spend a bit on quality, you can expect a better warranty and having it last longer.

Sadly, this is the way of the future. Adapt, improvise, overcome. (or post a rant on ATS)

I am on year 3 of my current phone. The S4 is fine.

originally posted by: chiefsmom
Welcome to the world of "throw away" everything.

I used to have a washing machine, that lasted over 25 years, with 1 major repair.
I am currently on my 2nd after that one. Because the repairs cost more than the stupid machines.

Nothing is built to last anymore.

You have to call around. The washer and dryer I have are both 10 years old. I was lucky to find a local repair business that is reasonable. I keep calling people until I get a reasonable cost. I normally know what is wrong and say it on the phone. If they require a 'trip charge' and their price is 3x more than the job is worth, I just send them away and don't pay the trip charge.

originally posted by: anticitizen
seems like a bad business plan to create products that last forever. sad but true.
you will want to make the consumer buy your products again and again because the old ones don't work any more or not as good as a new one.

Not exactly, they make more on the contracts. So if they give you a crappy phone you are changing companies. Make sure you have insurance - contract or not.

Then stop buying anything that says "Made in China", simple as that...

a reply to: CJCrawley

That's why I got an iPhone. I never have any ANY problems with them. The only reason I went from my 4s to 5 was because I switched carriers, not because the phone was broken or anything.

I had a 5c (the plastic cheaper iphone) for 2 years. In that time my girl had an HTC ONE, Galaxy 5s, and now a Galaxy 6 'active' ... which she hates. The phone isn't more than 6 months old and she's read to throw it at the wall. It locks up and freezes all the time. She's constantly sitting there "waiting" for it decide to respond. She doesn't have any spy/malware or the storage maxed out either.

The whole app-killer thing is lame with Android, as some apps just open back up on their own apparently. Sure, there's probably a way to make sure they don't...but look, I just want a phone to do what it's made to do. I don't want to be digging around in the settings to make the damned thing do what it ought to do anyway.

Most of my friends all have android phones. I've silently observed them "waiting" for their phones as well, or turning them on/off. They don't even realize they're doing it! It's become like a reflex, natural and not even noticed! I pointed it out to one the other day:

"Dude, did you just turn your phone on/off?"

"What? Oh...yeah, I guess so. Didn't really think about it, but yeah -- why?"

And I'll have people tell me, "my phone never does that! I never do that!" ... really? Have someone else count the times your phone hangs on your, lags on you, freezes on you over the course of a day or week.

It's just like having someone else count the number of times you say "and" or "um" when giving a presentation. You probably would blown away to learn how many times you said either and didn't realize it.

Anyway, the hardware these days between smart phones is pretty much the same. Sure, iPhones don't have a gazillion features like the Samsung, but honestly -- most people never use all those extra features they brag about. Seriously.

Its the hardware/OS integration that seems to keep everything smooth, along with an app store that weeds out craptastic memory hogging and poorly designed apps.

I also think android is just a leaky, sloppy, non-elegantly designed OS. That's just my personal opinion though.

I think maybe after the third android phone, I might have convinced my girl to get an iphone.

I went down the road of buying cheap and paid early for it. Went the route of two generic TV's and one lasted 2 years and another was just over a year. From that point on I said no more junk! On the other hand my Samsung has lasted me 5 years (knock on wood). This is also why at the time I bought my two vehicles I went with a name brand and one known for quality (at the time anyways). I bought two Toyota's, one 7 years ago and another almost 5. Never had anything mechanically go wrong with them besides an O2 sensor.