Thank you for sharing this.

I think the biggest problem is with "builder-grade" appliances. They look all sleek and shiny but are at the bottom for quality. And it's not just tract home builders who sell these. I have a friend who had a $100,000 addition/remodel for a new kitchen, and to her shock, she got builder-grade appliances and had to replace them all within 3-5 years.

All this makes my 1948 O'Keefe & Merritt stove look better and better to me every day. I've owned it since 1982 and have had one service call and did one replacement of a spring for the lid, myself. You'd have to pry this stove from my cold, dead hands!

All the comments on Quora are anecdotal. Useless...

I have a 15 1/2 year old KA dishwasher. Granted, it is only run once a week since I live alone, but no problems.

I have a 10 yr old KA side-by-side, no ice/water in the door. Again, no problems and I love that refrigerator!

I have a 2 1/2 yr old $99 microwave - can’t remember brand. Again, no problems.

The people I know with the biggest problems with kitchen appliances are those with multiple young children who are truly allowed to abuse them.

I have seen complaints at the top of the scale as well as the bottom. I have had Bosch and now Miele and am lucky. There are very few Bosch complaints and some Miele complaints here. I have even seen unhappy SZ and Gaggenau customers. I think you are taking a chance with all segments. The only hope is the higher end will make things right when they fail, and there are no guarantees beyond the explicit warranty.

Planned Obsolescence is a money maker for manufacturers & retailers, but it is short term thinking & greed.

It is bad for the consumer & the environment.

If companies had incentives, like tax breaks for making products that last longer that could get better, quality back in the market.

" Granted, it is only run once a week since I live alone, "

Wow, I live alone and run my dishwasher 5-6 times a week! Just an idle thought, but I agree that there are lots of long lived appliances in addition to horror stories about short lives of similar (and same brand) appliances. (I'm not going to give Marketplace a hit count by watching their video - I'm not a big fan of Marketplace, to say the least). My last washer, dryer, and dishwasher lasted over 11 years without ever needing repair; the fridge and dryer were still working well when I replaced them last year. My 11 year old dishwasher was failing, not cleaning as well, but still working. I don't think I've ever had the bad luck of needing to replace a major appliance in 4 or 5 years, like some have.....I do think luck is a part of it (there will be some lemons made in every production line when they make millions of them), as well as the original quality of the build and the way they are used. I think I shortened the life of my last washer (to 11 years) by using thick liquid detergent, for instance, so now I dilute the liquid detergent before adding it, as recommended by the manufacturer.

How an appliance is used can have an effect on longevity, particularly of washers, dryers, and dishwashers. Not so much for a refrigerator which is pretty much a "self-running" machine, controlled by its onboard thermostat.

Moving parts by nature wear-down with use. Running a washer more often for frequent small loads will reduce the machine's service life vs. running full/large loads less often.

I have a washer bought in 1999 that has had *one* repair for the duration (pump replacement). It has passed from me, to my grandmother, to my sister, to her son. My dishwasher is 15 yrs 4 mos old. I did some DIY repairs at 12 years (replacing a couple of those "moving parts" that wear and a couple more with revised/updated items that perform better) so it's essentially rebuilt and there's no reason it can't run 12 to 15 more years.

What annoys me about this posted video compilation is - If EVERYTHING is not built to last than what is a consumer to do? These two repair people seem or the story makes it seem that everything WILL break. I assume to keep costs down a manufacturer uses the same parts for the majority of a new fridge model lineup. A repair call probably is the same cost. So why should I pay more for the top of line model?

And what about extended warranties offered by the retailer - would the majority of those programs covered the frustrated owner? I know this is a Canadian broadcast and most here are American. Home Depot, Lowes offer such programs in the US.

While there has been a lot of consolidation in the industry, it hardly seems like a monopoly to me. I would think the new entrants would be especially eager to prove themselves, but that does not appear to be the case.

PS And I think the video should have provided some tips for how to find a good/decent product.

As some have eluded to- use patterns. But you need to add in environmental.

1. I learned a lesson from my plumber and then I asked my appliance repair person and non commissioned appliance sales folks when I was shopping for a dishwasher. In my old home I was told NOT to install a dishwasher until my water was soft by a softener. Our water was hard (25). The hard water causes build up in lines and on parts and these are not designed to deal with that reality.

And I saw it at work. When we moved to another home... the on demand water heater failed. It was next to impossible to find anyone that installs or repairs these (and I live in the metropolitan area of a very large city).. why? Our water in this area is hard and again this causes build up that the machine was not designed to handle.

They also all indicated that this will be an issue with all water using appliances - so if you have icemaker or water dispense on fridge, washing machine, dishwasher..

2. And treating hard water can be interesting too. I was told that if I installed the softener (salt) to my cold water supply - then I had to worry about water for the lawn and plants. Yep it can hurt the environment. Oh if you have heart issues the salt may be an issue too. I was told a bypass would be needed for the outdoor water spigot/bibs. One that was salt less, ion? I forget, in our area would not be effective as my water was "too hard". Are there other solutions maybe.

3. And yes they know it happens. A quick google from samsung about hard water .

-On the washing machine.

https://www.samsung.com/ca/support/home-appliances/samsung-washer-removing-hard-water-buildup/ - "The best way to prevent hard water buildup is to buy a water softener or a whole home filter." They go on to give you info on cleaning the machine.

-Cleaning your dishwasher. You get to take parts out and soak. Yeah..

https://www.samsung.com/us/support/answer/ANS00076793/

- Refrigerator . Their new flex family hub model says use "potable water" and you get to use their expensive filters.

" If EVERYTHING is not built to last than what is a consumer to do? These two repair people seem or the story makes it seem that everything WILL break. "

I'm sure they did, at least in the final edited version, because fear sells stories on TV and in the newspaper. That doesn't make it real. TV news and investigative programs will try to tell you that there are conspiracies everywhere, that nothing is as good as it used to be, people are all charlatans or criminals waiting to take advantage of you, and that you have to be on your guard all the time. Fear sells.

Yes appliances don't usually last as long as they did, but not as short as most people fear, and they are better made in other ways - primarily in efficiency and effectiveness. Getting 15 years out of a $1000 dryer that is more effective and efficient than old dryers really isn't such a bad deal. Would you pay $65 a year not to have to rely on hanging clothes out to dry? I would.

Yes, everything will break......but that's like saying yes, everyone will die.

' So why should I pay more for the top of line model? "

Only do that if you want the other things that come along with being top of the line -- namely features and appearances. Just like with cars - the upper level Accord or Camry isn't better built than the base model, but it's usually more comfortable with more features for convenience and appearance. Occasionally, it might have a more powerful engine, but usually the inner workings are the same.

My 10 yo Samsung manufactured fridge has that exact same icing issue and it started right after my one year warranty ended. It has been a known issue for years and I think it's ridiculous that Samsung has done nothing to fix it and that there hasn't been a recall.

I have seen houses where children swing on the refrigerator doors, pump the ice/water in the door multiple times, stand on the open dishwasher door to climb up on a counter, yank open the microwave and sometimes hang on the handle if it's available - you name it. Many people allow their children to use their kitchen appliances as an indoor jungle gym! Most also have no idea that one must take of the bottom grate regularly to vacuum the coils underneath - VERY important if one has pets.

As for washing machines; pack it to the top with jeans and sweatshirts and it will break - this will also break commercial machines which are far more powerful.

Some brands are better than others. It's one reason I strongly recommend buying appliances from a local appliance store. Their salesmen get the same commission on a sale, regardless of the brand. At big box stores and some big appliance chains, manufacturers regularly run "special" commission programs for the salespeople so they will push their brand.

I know that Samsung has a particularly bad reputation re getting parts and with customer service. My local appliance store will not carry that brand any longer as it was just a big pain to service customers while they got no help from Samsung getting the parts.

Toronto Vet, do you run your washer with 2 glasses and 3 plates daily? I wait until my washer is full or I'm out of glassware (only have 7 glasses - broke one and no room for more than 8, but do have 12 place-settings of china). I have always hand-washed pots and mixing bowls - don't have enough and most pots are better off being hand-washed. It takes me about 3 minutes to do this!

We seem to have self healing appliances :-)

Shortly after we moved into our house in the early 90s, the then 20+ year old Electrolux fridge from the late 60s started to make loud banging noises. I had read that this was a sign that the compressor was coming to the end of its useful life and to buy a new model. We started looking at new fridges for a bit, until we realized the banging noises had stopped a while ago, so we left it be and that thing hummed along happily until last Spring, when ComEd hauled it away and paid us 50 bucks for it. In all these years this Electrolux never needed a single service call and I'm convinced it would have lasted another 10 years or more.

Similarly, 12 years ago, we bought a washer and dryer from Maytag. A week after the warranty expired, the drier's electronics board started to become unresponsive for a while after completing its cycle, with all options lighting up at once. But after a couple of hours or the next day it would work normally again. So it limped along this way for a couple of weeks when I realized that it happened less and less frequently and eventually it stopped having this issue altogether. It's been working without any problems for the past 11 years. Go figure.

As I've mentioned in other threads, I repaired an at-the-time 5-yo (Feb 2011 per the model tag) Samsung frontloader in Feb of 2016 that was given to my sister. The previous users destroyed it with mega-doses of fabric softener. The drum spider broke, the drum wore a gash through the front of the outer tub. I had no trouble finding parts via several online sources. The parts total was $259.21 including shipping, for the spider, front half of the tub, and a few other items. It's 3 months short of 3 yrs of post-repair use and sister has had no trouble thus far.