Things That Aren't Cost Effective To Fix

I know in our throw away society we actually buy some stuff knowing we'll be buying a replacement in the future rather than try to repair the old, but I hate the idea of HAVING to buy new because it's more cost effective and wasting what's left. Here's my gripe and it's about tents!

On our recent holiday it was found that one of us didn't have the poles in their tent bag. No problems - we'll buy some tomorrow we thought. For a start, you have trouble finding anyone who stocks them, then they come in different sizes (holes in the rods not the actual rods), and they seem to come in packs of 4 when it takes about 12 rods to make 1 complete pole. As he needed 3 complete poles he needed about 36 rods. If we could have found them it would have cost about $360.00! Cost of a new tent - $70.00 which comes complete with poles and pegs, and a perfectly good tent thrown away when they remembered they'd used his poles for the kids tent 'cos theirs broke last year.

Two days later the grandkids tent rods broke and went through the roof of the tent. Knowing what we knew now it was a case of another brand new tent - no patching the hole and replacing the broken rod like in the old days.

Three more days on and MY rods did the same thing! Bye bye tent.

Coming from a family that's quite thrifty - I found it heartbreaking to throw away 3 tents!!!!! But we couldn't think of anything they could be used for and we knew the cost of replacing the rods wasn't worth it. What a waste! I actually cut the waterproof bottom out of mine to use as extra waterproofing under another tent and I cut the ropes, toggles, rings etc. off to use again..................one day (probably never).

What else do you know of that falls into this sort of category?
 
My Dyson Vaccumn

To get it fixed it almost the same cost of buying another brand new - even though it isn't much wrong with it, it is the labour that is adding the $$$$ Of course I'll just get a new vaccumn, ours is almost 6yrs old and what if we need to get it fixed again.
 
basically anything electrical - toaster, iron, hairdryer, tv, video player ... all cost more to fix than replace. the fridge, washing machine and dishwasher are all hovering around this decision bracket now too.
 
the fridge,

Reminds me, a few years ago the plastic shelves in our fridge broke. I tried to get the new parts, but of course they don't stock them anymore. Everywhere I tried told me the same story. "It's an old fridge, just buy a new one. I don't know anyone with a fridge so old." It was a perfectly good fridge in good condition. Nothing else wrong with it.

We had to buy a new one and most of them had shelves that were more fragile than the old one.:mad: Ended up getting one with glass shelves.
 
the fridge.

Yeah, ours is starting to ice things up and I'm only hoping it will last until we have a new kitchen to put the new fridge in, another couple of years or so. It's only eight years old too - I remember (them were the days :rolleyes:) when people had fridges that were 20 years old. And TVs.
 
We have a Frigidair fridge that's no longer cost effective to fix, it was my parents wedding present and they've just celebrated their 60th anniversary!

Old stuff's good stuff.:)
 
It's because things are so poorly made nowadays that I often research the products before I buy.

And interestingly I've found you often don't need to pay that much more, if at all in some cases, for better quality.
 
Reminds me, a few years ago the plastic shelves in our fridge broke. I tried to get the new parts, but of course they don't stock them anymore. Everywhere I tried told me the same story. "It's an old fridge, just buy a new one. I don't know anyone with a fridge so old." It was a perfectly good fridge in good condition. Nothing else wrong with it.

We had to buy a new one and most of them had shelves that were more fragile than the old one.:mad: Ended up getting one with glass shelves.

our plastic shelves broke too - had tempered glass ones cut to the same shape - cost $60 versus the $240 for the plastic ones.
 
Yeah, ours is starting to ice things up and I'm only hoping it will last until we have a new kitchen to put the new fridge in, another couple of years or so. It's only eight years old too - I remember (them were the days :rolleyes:) when people had fridges that were 20 years old. And TVs.

if it's icing up it's just the front seal - about $50 to fix.

have the door adjusted at the same time.
 
Opened the door on my old fridge about a year ago and the entire plastic handle just snapped clean off! Not to be deterred, I looked under the plastic cover piece and noted how the handle itself was screwed on and how this had just snapped through. Went and got a stanley kife and cut a bit of the plastic structural bits around the screw away then got a really big steel washer and screwed it back on again. The plastic cover piece now didn't quite cover the attached under piece due to the big washer, but a bit more tinkering with the stanley knife and bingo it popped back on with only a tiny bit of the washer showing where it pokes out the side at the bottom... ;)

I reckon that's good for another decade or so now! :D

Cheers,
Michael
 
i'd have just used a 6.0mm steel rod to replace the pole myself.

about $3.50....

They're hollow plastic(?) rods and the ends slip into a short metal tube to join 2 rods together. It's all held together with a length of elastic and collapses kind of like a blind mans walking stick.
 
Mobile Phones
Computers
TV's
Irons
Kettles
In fact, almost all electrical goods.:(

I get the electrical products thing - new improvements, better energy rating, better technology etc. but tents! They're mostly made of waterproof nylon(?) now - been that way for years. The smaller ones are anyway - bigger ones tend to still be some sort of canvas with heavier duty wooden or full metal poles.
 
basically anything electrical - toaster, iron, hairdryer, tv, video player ... all cost more to fix than replace. the fridge, washing machine and dishwasher are all hovering around this decision bracket now too.

I'm on my 4th electric jug in 2 years!!! I love my cuppas but geez!!!!!!
 
ever tried buying just the glass plate for your microwave! seesh.

When i was growing up my parents owned a coffee shop with 5 microwaves in it. Every time someone broke a plate - usually washing it up and it slips - we had the drama of trying to find a new plate that fit.

So many times we ended up buying whole new microwaves.
 
Anything that has plastic as a vital component. I try and avoid buying anything plastic or Chinese. It's a huge struggle, and goes against modern society's now established norms.

I agree with you Olly, it's a criminal waste.

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I will pay well over the odds for anything made from stone / thick metal / chunky wood / or thick hide leather, cos I know I'll only be paying once.


I bought my push-bike, chunky metal 30 years ago and is still good.

I bought my weight belt, chunky metal and thick hide leather 25 years ago from a saddlery. It's in better shape now than when I bought it. It'll be going strong when my future grandkids are old and wrinkly.

Our cast iron camping oven will see me out.

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The in-built failure rates calculated down to the gnat's teeth by the engineers and actuaries advising the manufacturers and then twisted just beyond the warranty periods is bordering on criminal, but of course the public laps it up cos it looks nice and shiny and white and new.
 
... I try and avoid buying anything plastic or Chinese....

No Chinese food :eek:

I've only ever bought the one dvd player about 10+ years ago, when the video rental shops started stocking dvds. It's made in china, still works great :D Quality Japanese brand dvd players were $700+ when I bought my cheapo Amoisonic :D
 
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