Curt 1 Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 Just read a good article in the Guardian here about the fact that people often don't get things fixed any more. I remember 2 years ago when my tv died on me here and I wanted to get it fixed. I was shocked to find out that a new one was about the same price as getting my old thing fixed up. I did what I could to try and make sure the old one didn't just go to a useless scrapheap, but fear many probably don't. Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 interesting article that. Now, I've found a toaster I like: Think I'll get one of these. Link to post Share on other sites
BagOfCrisps 24 Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 Very interesting. Most people would rather get a newer model rather than fix something older. I donated my last old computer to charity hopefully it went to some use. Link to post Share on other sites
amandanism 0 Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 i'm guilty here. to be honest, it's really expensive to get things fixed that are out of warranty. they definetly make products these days so you are updating/buying new every few years. i just sent my camera back to canon out-of-warranty and it was going to cost 250 dollars to get it fixed. ridiculous. the camera is actually probably worth half that now. i didnt bother in the end. promptly told them that it wasn't worth it and that i would be buying a nice sony cybershot with that same money. plus, because the parts were on back order it wouldve taken close to 6 weeks to get fixed. really not worth it by the time you send it away and wait for it to come back. Link to post Share on other sites
Yuki's Passion 1 Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 thats crazy! I got my J-E E-J electronic dictionary at DeoDeo in Hiroshima a loooooooooooong time ago and picked up the 5 year extended warranty with it. Best thing I ever did. It kept getting banged around in my bag and some wires were getting loose or messed up. They must've fixed it 6 times w/in those 5 years for free Link to post Share on other sites
SKI 15 Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 Thats nuts manda. Glad you told them you were going to buy a different make. (Having said that, I'm pretty sure all manufacturers will be similar on this policy). The only thing people seem to fix is cars. Even then I know someone who has got through 7 cars in as many years - keeps on changing them when something goes wrong. Changing cars here seems like such a hassle with all the shaken and forms and everything but he seems to have found a way to make it work. I'll have to ask him. Link to post Share on other sites
indosnm 0 Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 he probably gets a dealer to take care of it, so in that case it's not a hassle. (they're not new are they??) Link to post Share on other sites
js 0 Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 Seems the Western way - very wasteful in resources and energy. A close relo went on a holiday to VietNam, she found a street there that is full of shops that specialise in fixing things - from saucepans, bikes, motor bikes, etc up to toasters and mobile phones! Their society can't afford to be wasteful. Always made me wonder - people tend to update perfectly operating mobile phones because they consider them fashion accessories. What happens to them? Are they recycled or mainly dumped. Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 How do you fix a saucepan? The ones I use only has a crew at the handle joint. Here, the mobile phones go to China, the Motorolas are most sought after, don't know why. Yeah, same kinda thing with my TV. My next one will have HD capability when my present one packs in. Link to post Share on other sites
SkyHigh 0 Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 My tv conked out on me 2 weeks ago, but now I have a nice shiny new flatscreen hi-def plasma. Wish I'd have changed sooner! The place I got the new one took the old one off my hands, promising some kind of recycle environ-friendly end to it. Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 that's what really gets me. My plasma is only 3 years old and now with the hi-def ones, it's already out of date. I had a 5 year warranty and as soon as that's done, I'm gonna get a HDTV. Link to post Share on other sites
Mantas 3 Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 I did a job at a printing plant the other day. They were throwing out 4 perfectly good machines litterally to the dump. They cost $250 000 Aus. EACH just 5 years ago. Reason- Outdated technology. Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 you should see the number of PCs we have replaced the last year simply because they couldn't run XP. Our spec now is 1GB RAM min, going up to 4GB in the next 2 years. Link to post Share on other sites
daver 0 Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 Quote: Originally posted by SubZero: Always made me wonder - people tend to update perfectly operating mobile phones because they consider them fashion accessories. What happens to them? Are they recycled or mainly dumped. recycle your cell phone! most cell phone companies now have a recycling option. if you want to know about the impact of cell phone technology both as an industry of exploitation and as an industry of waste i suggest you read these two articles. the second requires you down load it, and it is rather long, but it pays to be informed and the hour you invest will be well worth it for everyone's sake. enjoy! Link to post Share on other sites
spook 0 Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 when i was living in london, my tradesman mates had a mental home cinema system in their crappy crampy apartment. they'd been doing a job in the vity and there was a skip bin full of new looking TVs and stereo equipment. apparently big law and financial firms just throw the things out when the warranty expires, so they don't have to deal with any potential repair issues. it sounds absolutely bonkers to me, but i guess someone has worked out that its economically efficient. it's hard to compare this to the situation in the 3rd world though. i mean, if i can get a new thing for the same price as fixing a faulty thing - why would i bother with the hassle of fixing something? Link to post Share on other sites
SirJibAlot 0 Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 the mobiles all go to indonesia, india, and other 3rd world locations. The Japan ones probably just go into the scrap heap as there is no 2nd market for these propritry devices Link to post Share on other sites
scouser 4 Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 I heard that too. There must be so many of the things though. There's a lady in the office here who must go through 3 or 4 phones a year. Link to post Share on other sites
Fossil 0 Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 The disposable society is truly with us. I thought it was bad in the 70s and 80s as more and more unrepairable items came onto the market, but it has become an epidemic of waste. As an aside, the toaster (pic) is an excellent product. A mate has one and it has worked flawlessly for donkey's years. Cooks toast evenly too. Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 actually, I'm still searching for that toaster locally. Can't seem to find one. Link to post Share on other sites
AK 77 0 Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 Quote: Originally posted by thursday: that's what really gets me. My plasma is only 3 years old and now with the hi-def ones, it's already out of date. I had a 5 year warranty and as soon as that's done, I'm gonna get a HDTV. In what way is it 'Out of Date'? Does it not work? Does it no longer do what it said it would? The manufacturing companies must be so happy people are so easy to dupe. I hope the toaster matches the colour of your new TV. It would be a shame to have to replace either of them. Link to post Share on other sites
igloo 3 Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 The new ones have HMDI which is "full hi def" rather than just "hi def". 1080p I believe. Link to post Share on other sites
SirJibAlot 0 Posted January 18, 2007 Share Posted January 18, 2007 igloo, It really depends on the resolution of your PDP. If the resolution is not capable of displaying the full HD - than you don't really need the HDMI. Not all plasmas will do full 1080i but still have HDMI inputs. I actually went for one without the full 1080i (same size)becuase I couldn't visably tell the difference. I wouldn't rush to throw it out, unless you got money to burn - then you can donate your old one to me Link to post Share on other sites
igloo 3 Posted January 18, 2007 Share Posted January 18, 2007 Naruhodo Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts