Companies create faulty/substandard products to make more money?

i used to work and then owned a commercial/ industrial electrical repair shop.

we repaired welders, generators, electric motor, hoists,restaurant and institutional kitchen equipment, power-tools and just about anything that had juice going to it.

i started work 1984 and did that until 2008 when the economy tanked and no one was fixing any thing, of couse by then it had gotten to the point unless it was something real simple tp fix it was cheaper to buy a new one. just like tvs' and radio's. we use to joke back then about how cheap things were becoming.you could look at equipment and tell had cheap it was getting from year to year. the older stuff was made to last and would run forever, and they made individual parts to repair them. as time went on, everything and every manufacturer started building cheaper and cheaper. and started selling whole assemblies instead of individual parts at twice the price or more so you couldn't fix it cheap and made it not economical . there was one company that made a particular piece equipment that woodworkers loved, it was built tuff you could throw it out in the parking lot run over pick it up and go right back to using it. as time went on they started to redesign it, people started to complain about the way it look and felt. so they figured out how to make it look and feel the same on the out but cut the inside to a pieces of junk. it was no where as heavy duty. and if you drop it on the ground i would bust the housing. needless to say the sells of that unit fell to nothing like it was.

i went to a school to be certified on a machine one time at the companys' factory in ohio, the a engineer told us that when they design a unit that goes into production, every year that that machine is produced they are required to reduce the cost of producing it by 5to 10% until it can no longer be done. then they the life time out like microsoft. he told us that the engineers started at one to over enginer it. one year if a wire was 2 foot long the next it would be 1 fot 10inches long. then he said that they to would start make it in assemblies. instead of just parts. car mfg are doing it two.

Of course they do.

Build it to break, and you will sell more.

Its the same with food, more additives and chemicals to make food last an extra day, profit before your health.

reply to post by depleteduranium92


Yes inbuilt Obsolescence is an old practice, you will remember the phrase "They don't make them like the used too", well it is based on a simple fact, Refrigerator's from the 1940's still working, Washing machine's from the 1970's serviced but still working.
It is based on the simple corporate treadmill, Keep the consumer buying, Fridge that last only 10 to 15 years before the compressor goes, Washing machines whose seal's fail in 5 years or less these are simple domestice appliences but it covers all area's of consumerism.
I would call it an open conspiracy, Some component's used in an electronic device have an estimated life span which is within 5 years of continuous use even without surge's and environmental fluctuations also they want you to buy there next model when in fact there development departments are usually on not the next again but several generation on, this is done to recoup the costs of the development and maximise profit by selling the consumer pre obsolete technology and this is mostly found in the IT industry.
In some way's I can understand it and if the job's were local even aplaud it as it helps to maintain the economic hamster wheel but I like yourself feel more than like I have been ripped off several time's.

reply to post by depleteduranium92

haven123
Planned obsolescence its been happening for decades, Nintendo are one of the worst offenders

Indeed, and all other consoles too. They're nothing but computers that have been stripped of 99% of their functionality. Produced purely to be replaced.

Ford may have meant what he said, but a lot of his contemporaries obviously do not. When they see that quote, I think it looks something like this, to them:

"There is one rule for the industrialist and that is: Make the worst quality of goods possible at the lowest cost possible, paying the lowest wages possible." - Henry Ford, through the eyes of greed

If products were built to last, to be repaired or rebuilt when the parts that tended to wear out needed to be replaced, or become outdated technologically, they could be upgraded, then we would all be working less hours, there would be no energy crisis, and we could all spend more time with our families enjoying life.

But then we would have more time to participate in the community, defend our liberties, outmaneuver the control freaks.

Grow vegetable gardens, make our own furniture, and enjoy other crafts, that we could exchange in a market system that didn't need banks.

reply to post by poet1b


That would be awesome... But since we currently operate in a system that demands increasing consumerism to sustain itself, and TPTB have grown rich within this system, we will never be free of it until it either implodes or there is a revolt. Either way, things are going to have to get way worse before they get better.

It frustrates me bc it seems like it should be an easy choice. People don't like change though and even if they're enslaved they are fine with things the way they are. It's really sad and a mindset I simply cannot understand.

reply to post by SilverStarGazer

we will never be free of it until it either implodes or there is a revolt.

Well put, I agree, and by the looks of things, this system is on the verge of imploding once again.

Time to start getting ready.

reply to post by depleteduranium92

Duh! It's called "job security".

reply to post by depleteduranium92


Windows7 is incompatible with webpages coded for Windows8. In my experience Microsoft has always been a mediocre product. Im sure companies do work together to ensure new precedents are not set, e.g. car tyres that don't wear out.

What you're describing is planned obsolescence and it's the biggest failure under capitalism. Because the object is profit, you quickly reach a point where you realize it generates more profit to create several small-medium sized purchases rather than a 1 time large purchase.

What this does, is it creates a huge need for goods, which then creates a bunch of jobs. Because production is so much less efficient it requires more work in order to provide for everyones needs. This is what kept the unemployment rate low despite massive boosts to productivity over the past few decades.

Unfortunately, we're now at a point where productivity is so high that quality can't be reduced further.

reply to post by depleteduranium92

You've probably seen it all the time in news. A new version of a software/OS that's supposed to be the holy grain of its predecessors is plagued with issues. All those fanboys who bought theirs first now have to buy something extra to fix it. Microsoft has a terrible reputation for this (Well they have been dominating the PC Market!).

I can't stand it. It's "Holy Grail" not "holy grain". I'm bad at English, but things like that just rub me the wrong way. It's like saying "for all intensive purposes". Stop it.

Microsoft doesn't have a terrible reputation for making people buy something to fix problems. Microsoft fixes the problems, but it takes awhile. What 'fanboys'? Windows users? Mac users? I'm typing on a MacBook Pro, and have an Asus gaming laptop waiting for my sticking fingers. People are still running ancient versions of both operating systems with no problems.

Firstly they overcharge ridiculous amounts of money for their OS: Windows 7, and softwares: Office. Secondly, you would think that with all their money, they would make software thats different in a way that computer users would want. Not so, Windows 7 is just a 'less buggy' version of 7. Its still designed moronically. Any virus can easily render all the restore options useless. There's too much security even though I SPENT $300-600 BUYING IT AND I'M THE ADMINISTRATOR!. Office 2010 and 2013 are not only expensive, but for no reason at all. They still have a few features added on to them. but all for such a high price?

I'm running Windows 8. It was $100. You spent $300-$600? OK administrator, how much did you ACTUALLY spend? There is a BIG gap between $300 and $600. Use OpenOffice. It's free, and better than paying extra. I would think an admin of your caliber would know that...

Even with all that they still try and milk you out of every cent they possibly can. I tried changing the main language of Office, found out it would cost $24.

I would be AMAZED if this was true. It's clear English isn't your first language, but I really doubt there is a $24 fee to change the language.

Why do you think they put tiny little very sensitive internal fuses in things like microwave ovens?

So consumers with more money than the sense it takes to check and replace the fuse go out and buy a new oven.

More crap to go to the dump for recycling and landfill.

Change the mindset and the products will HAVE to be better. Force manufacturers to compete on a higher level because of consumer awareness.

The real problem with windows is that you have to buy a new computer about every other time you change OSs.

How much kick back does micros**t get from computer manufacturers for this?????.

I can take the newest free version of Linux and and put it on a computer i built in 1999 and it will work just fine just a little slow.

Plus i can set up Linux to run i want it without a big learning curve unlike win 8.

You can see how many people did not like Win 8 by how many downloaded win 8.1

ANNED
The real problem with windows is that you have to buy a new computer about every other time you change OSs.

How much kick back does micros**t get from computer manufacturers for this?????.

I can take the newest free version of Linux and and put it on a computer i built in 1999 and it will work just fine just a little slow.

Plus i can set up Linux to run i want it without a big learning curve unlike win 8.

You can see how many people did not like Win 8 by how many downloaded win 8.1

If Windows 8 behaves the way it did on my new laptop the 8.1 upgrade was mandatory. I had no choice about the download, which is rather typical of Windows updates, if you want security patches the version updates also must be downloaded.

You do not need a new computer with every new version of Windows, one of my computers which now functions as a server was purchased in 2006. It has used XP, 7, and I even tried out 8 in beta. My netbook which I got in 2008 or 2009 has used XP, 7 starter, 7, and 8. With each new OS (besides starter) it has functioned better than the previous, but I like 7 the most because the interface is best.

If you want to go the free route run Ubuntu/Fedora, Open Office, and all the other open source productivity software. It works just as well as Office (better in my opinion), doesn't cost you a dime, and doesn't have the security issues of google docs.

If you want to use an older OS nothing is stopping you (aside from drivers for 64 bit XP, if 32 bit isn't good enough).

There's no vast conspiracy here from Microsoft, if anything they have become a better company in the past 6 years or so. Windows 7 is phenomenal, Windows has become more user friendly, and they've drastically lowered the price on their OS. The recent success for Apple has been absolutely amazing for Microsoft customers.

I tend to believe it is true myself. Even cars become more and more unrepairable with time, as they become more complicated. Cars now I would be able to do little with if it broke down. Compare that to older cars, where even a backyard lawnmower mechanic could get a machine up and running.

It is an unsustainable model of doing business, because in the long term, it consumes resources at a faster rate. Everything becomes artificial, disposable to force frequent restocking. Everything from toys to electronics, to clothing, to shoes. Even high priced shoes are made from cheap, crappy materials that fall apart within a year or two. Very few brands offer durable, well made anything anymore.

It's disgusting. It's also why I prefer to do my shopping in second hand stores for most things. Jobs can be made through the need for repairs, recycling, reusing. It just means we have to desert the currently unsustainable way of doing things.

If it were so that there are lots of products, which are purposely designed to not last for very long or they contain erroneous implementations of designs, shouldn't there more ex-employees writing to their blogs about what they were forced to do? That shouldn't hurt their own future career much as there are always other companies, who are willing to do things better, right? And the crowd would be on their side, too? Or.. are they scared of something?

I own a washing machine by the company Siemens. Its been running faultlessly for the last 10 years. I keep waiting for it to break down, but it just keeps on going reliably. Sometimes I wish other products were like that. Laptops especially. The thing is, I tell people about my invincible washing machine, and I guess thats the best advertisement a product can get. Unlike the iphone, each model being obsolete and incompatible with stuff within 2 years. I`m never buying an apple product again.