Community Stories

*** A major development in the US unfolding! ***

Martin_J_N
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JwRosenthal JwRosenthal
My washer & Dryer are from 1999, all analog push/pull rotary switches (of which I have spares), made in Ohio. I have done almost all the maintenance myself on both of them thanks to Youtube, and when I got stuck on the motor in the dryer and had an expert come in, he told me he has the exact models and that I need to keep both of them alive as long as possible considering everything on the market today is total garbage.

Oh, and any energy and efficiency benefits of newer machines are completely offset by the cost or replacing the units every 3-5 years. Repair is always better than replace.

The problem is that mass produced items are produced to a price, margins are minimal and there is no incentive for manufacturers to make and store parts as it is a cost they don't want to incur. So this 3-5 year cycle of buy and scrap goes on and on and on and..............
 
gostang9
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S.H. S.H.
Me too. I wonder though, as official repair channels are more and more grossly overcharging repairs, if they won't lose customers to brands that play a fairer game...
Not as long as the majority of buyers are based on "oooohhhh... shiny! I'll buy it!".

I doubt many of the people buying new watches even think about getting them "serviced". Heck, tons of people on this forum buy old vintage watches with no intention of getting them serviced... I know, I've bought a few myself...
 
Martin_J_N
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Archer Archer
I still have it done on household appliances.



Watch companies already keep spare parts in stock for older watches. Most use a 20 or 25 years time frame, from the time that the watch or movement is no longer being manufactured. However in practical terms they tend to support watches far after these time frames. I can still get all the parts for the Cal. 55X/56X/75X movements that Omega hasn't made for a very long time - pushing 40 years now.

Do you see a point in the future whereby watch companies will stop making parts for old watches, or making those parts available to force people into buying new (or newer) watches?
 
Archer
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Martin_J_N Martin_J_N
Do you see a point in the future whereby watch companies will stop making parts for old watches, or making those parts available to force people into buying new (or newer) watches?

It already happens with many vintage watches. I mentioned the 55X and related movements have all parts available, but if you go back further than that, parts become more scarce as you go back in time.
 
connieseamaster
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So I guess this is going along with the larger "right to repair" movement that has been active on the fringes of the tech sector for a couple of decades. One of the more recent incidents I recall is a group of farmers suing John Deere for refusing to service farm equipment not serviced at a JD shop/by a JD technician
 
JwRosenthal
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Not to steer this too far off topic, but we as consumers can choose how and where we spend our money. Although I "could" afford to buy a new Rolex (for example), I am sickened by the way they have been conduction their business over the last few years (in terms of the parts account issues as well as the AD shortages and grey market shenanigans), so my way of letting them know how I feel about it is not giving them a nickel. My refusal as an individual to not pay into the bullshit may not matter, but en-mass it can make a huge impact. I don't choose to maintain older appliances or watches or cars because I am cheap- I do it because I refuse to pay into a system that has made it abundantly clear that they have no interest in customer care, just sales.
 
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