Why Large Appliances Have a Shorter Lifespan
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Here's your Money Briefing for Monday, February 26th. I'm J.R. Whelan for The Wall Street Journal. Gone are the days when a dishwasher just washed dishes or an oven just heated up food. Large appliances today are a lot more complex, have a lot more parts, and lead to a lot more problems.
I heard some crazy stories. I spoke to one family out in San Diego whose dishwasher caused $35,000 worth of kitchen damage when it sprung a leak underneath the countertop that they didn't know about. This was within three years of getting this appliance.
Wall Street Journal reporter Rachel Wolf looked into why the lifespan of new appliances is shrinking. We'll talk with her about that and what you can do about it after the break.
How has the functionality of large appliances changed compared to a decade ago?
The functionality of large appliances is growing, but in many cases, their lifespan is shrinking. Wall Street Journal reporter Rachel Wolf joins me. Rachel, how does the physical makeup of large appliances today differ from, say, 10 years ago?
Today, large appliances have many more sensors and switches that their 10-year-old counterparts mostly lack. So the inside of these machines has become much more complicated, both to be more energy efficient and also to meet demands from consumers who want smart machines that can do more than ever before.
What kinds of added functions do they have?
Everything from the ability of an oven to heat up on your commute home to refrigerators that can produce symmetrical ice cubes. You name it, they seem to have dreamed it up. And they also use a lot less power and water than they once did. There are much tighter energy efficiency standards than there were just a few years ago.
What new sensors and smart features are causing appliance complexity?
And manufacturers have to meet those standards in order to sell their products.
How much are consumers spending on this new crop of appliances on average now compared to 10 years ago?
So it's an interesting discrepancy between how much appliances cost right now versus how much people are spending every year on them. So American households actually spent 43% more on home appliances in 2023 than they did a decade earlier in 2013. And that rose from an inflation-adjusted average of $390 a year to $558 a year. However, at the same time, prices have actually gone down. So they're down about 12% over that same decade. And all the experts I spoke to said one reason for the discrepancy could be a higher rate of replacement. People might be spending less on the individual appliances, but needing to replace them more. So they're more likely to have a large appliance purchase each year than they did in the past.
What kinds of problems are people having with this new generation of appliances?
The biggest problem is, pretty straightforward, they're breaking more. With more parts comes more things that possibly can go wrong, and go wrong they do. Consumers and repair technicians and other former employees and industry insiders told me these machines just don't last as long as they once did.
You spoke to a couple of people who've had difficulties with their appliances. What did they tell you?
I heard some crazy stories. I think all of us have had issues with our appliances at this point. It's not exactly a unique phenomenon, but some of the people that I spoke to really experienced the worst of it. I spoke to one family out in San Diego whose dishwasher caused $35,000 worth of kitchen damage when it sprung a leak underneath the countertop that they didn't know about. This was within three years of getting this appliance for A key pump to break in that time was really surprising to them. I had another woman who spent $7,000 on a new Bosch oven and refrigerator, and the oven caught fire the first time she went to use the broiler. She had to call 911 for help putting it out and was able to return the oven.
But the refrigerator has also been breaking. It's broken twice already. Now it's broken for a third time and Bosch fixed it the first two times. But now she's on her own for the $250 repair plus parts. She's been living without the ice maker that keeps breaking and she's just been living without ice for the time being.
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Chapters
4 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:02–0:58
2
How has the functionality of large appliances changed compared to a decade ago?
0:58–2:04
3
What new sensors and smart features are causing appliance complexity?
2:04–7:07
4
How have energy-efficiency standards affected appliance design and performance?
7:07–8:02
Speakers
2 identifiedMore from WSJ Your Money Briefing
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