Repairing Something is a Thing of the Past
This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase through links on my site, I may earn a commission at no cost to you. For more information, please see my disclosure policy.
I’ve decided that getting something repaired is a thing of the past.
Today, it seems that when you buy something, an appliance or a car, you might as well figure you’ll buy another one rather than have it fixed. As with my experience that has gone on for weeks, either they don’t know how to fix things, or they don’t care.
I have a feeling the appliance technician they sent here was not really up to the job. He told me he was still in school, learning to fix appliances. So why, if they were going to charge me an arm and a leg, didn’t they send someone who’d already BEEN to school and had more experience?
I think it was a call center because every time I called, I had to deal with multiple people to make an appointment. One would take the message, and the next day, someone else would call me.
Large purchases, like appliances you need for your home, aren’t meant to last anymore. It doesn’t matter if you have a warranty; there’s often a way out for them. Oh, the warranty doesn’t include that part, they will say.
Warranties are Just Slips of Paper:
Your warranty could be valid, and just past the one or two-month mark, the appliance goes out, as was the case with me.
Repairing something is a thing of the past. When it needs repair, you might as well just haul it off and pay for a replacement.
Pay $60,000 or $70,000 for a car, and you’re lucky to still have it in decent working shape when you pay it off. Used to be, you could buy a really decent home for that much money.
Curious, I started looking into this. Here is an article from an appraisal service: “Are Cars Getting More Fragile?” written in 2025.
You recall I barely tapped my new bumper into the car in the street next door. The other car, even older than mine, only showed a few scratches. Mine broke into pieces and is sitting taped up in my driveway.
From the Article:
Why does a tiny fender-bender nowadays sometimes lead to major repair costs?
Back in the day, cars were built like tanks. Older designs were highly mechanical with few electronic gadgets, so a “ding” or scratch usually meant simple (and cheap) fixes like hammering out a dent.
Fast forward to today.
The old-school chrome bumper has mostly vanished – replaced by plastic bumper covers painted to match the car. Behind that plastic fascia lies only a smaller reinforcement bar (often aluminum or light steel), plus foam or honeycomb for energy absorption.
The result? While today’s bumpers do a great job absorbing crash energy to protect passengers, they often sacrifice themselves in the process. As one auto journalist quipped, the actual crash structure is now “buried behind thousands of dollars’ worth of painted plastic and sensors,” leaving all those expensive bits exposed to damage from even minor mishaps.
In short, yesterday’s cars were heavier and simpler, whereas today’s are lighter, more complex, and ironically a bit more delicate when it comes to bumps and bruises.
Minor Damage, Major Repairs:
While safety is a priority, the materials used in modern cars make them more expensive to fix. There are sensors involved. (Oh, how I hate that word! Do you recall me writing about that?)
Body shops need more talent to fix these modern cars. You might need certified technicians and specialized equipment to fix the problem. On modern cars, a gentle tap could crack the painted plastic bumper cover, knock a parking sensor out of alignment, and even misalign a radar unit hidden behind the grille.
Suddenly, what looks like a little scrape might require multiple component replacements and recalibrations. For example, if a front bumper needs replacing, it often means replacing the embedded parking sensors, radar sensors, and even re-aiming cameras.
I just had to share this from the article.
An Extreme Example:
For an extreme example, a Rivian R1T (an advanced electric pickup) was rear-ended by a Lexus SUV at low speed. At first glance, the damage looked like a bent bumper and a small dent – something many truck owners might ignore. The initial insurance estimate was around $1,600.
The actual repair? It ballooned to over $42,000 once the truck was torn down and all the hidden damage to sensors, wiring, and body components was accounted for! Granted, $42k is an outlier (that case went viral among car enthusiasts), but it underscores a real trend: modern cars pack so much tech into every nook and cranny that a “fender-bender” can bend your mind (and budget).
New cars, in my opinion, are just too much trouble and too complicated. I’d rather buy an old-style car without any of the perks. Honestly.
But where are they? In the salvage yard?
Old Versus New:
I’d rather have a vintage sewing machine instead of a new one. I have a little Singer sewing machine sitting here, but I’ve never used it because it intimidates me. I’m going to look for an old one like I used to use. Why on earth did I get rid of the one I had?
If I had to get a car, I’d rather opt for an old pickup with a lot of miles, but you’d have to lower the window by hand. It doesn’t even need a radio; I never turn it on in the car I have. It doesn’t need the sunroof, because I never use it. And I’m perfectly capable of lifting and lowering my back hatch.
A way to drive, reverse, and park is sufficient.
Furniture is made up of all kinds of elements that I can’t pronounce. I’d really rather shop for old furniture that is actually made of wood, not all that other garbage.
Would it be too much to ask to buy something that’s already assembled? Apparently, it is.
Things used to be so much simpler.
There are things about modern life I truly appreciate. Such as having someone choose my groceries and delivering it to me. That is wonderful and much needed.
I’m planning three different dishes with those groceries, and I’ll eat well: potato soup and meatloaf. (Have you bought ground beef lately? It isn’t cheap.)
If I have to, I can sit on my walker, assemble these dishes together, and pop a couple into the crock pot.
Having access to internet, you betcha that makes me happy! Having things delivered, yes, please. There are many wonderful things I fully appreciate about the present day!
Back to the Whirlpool Washing Machine:
The appliance technician told me he’d come yesterday and fix my washing machine for free. That did not sound like a great idea, but I was tired of not having a way to do laundry.
He never showed up.
So here it is today, Monday. I got on my tippy-toes (not great for an unstable ankle) and plugged the washer back in this morning. After some fiddling around, the lights came back on, and I have it going now. I’ll let you know more when it’s done washing.
I told Rhonda yesterday I was about to the point of just quitting with this thing and buying a new one. And that might come to pass. If I can get it working enough to do laundry, I guess I could just let those sensors grind all the time. Hoping that isn’t a fire risk.
I can only get them to stop if I unplug it, and that wouldn’t be terrible if I could reach the outlet better. That outlet is the only one in the entire laundry room. Remember, this house is over a century old.
I don’t know how much patience I have left with this dilemma.
Washer Update:
The washer wouldn’t stop running. I had to intervene and unplug it. Then, after plugging it back in, the lights wouldn’t come back on. So I decided to try to recalibrate the sensors.
I brought up a YouTube video on my phone showing me how, but I couldn’t follow it fast enough, and you only have three seconds to recalibrate.
So I unplugged it again and found the YouTube video I’d used Friday night. I went through the sequence.
It goes something like this: You unplug it and wait a minute. Plug it back in. Then you rotate the dial counterclockwise until it stops at the top. And then you turn the dial to the right three times, left once, and left again, etc. (I forget the exact sequence).
The difficulty is that you must go through all those motions within 3 seconds!
That didn’t work either. So I unplugged it again and lost hold of the cord, and it went behind the washer. Then I was about to scream.
Sensing something, I noticed the kittens watching me anxiously from the safety of the kitchen.
I fetched my cane and carefully dragged the cord forward until I could reach it.
Then I plugged it back in and just pushed buttons until it came on. I’m not sure what I accomplished, but I think I’m washing laundry. It sounded like water was filling it.
Now I don’t dare touch it until it either goes through the washing sequence or I unplug it.
Possibly for the last time.
At this point, I think I’m about done with this thing.
I’ve been obsessed with https://lovescape.com/categories/curvy curvy category for the past couple weeks. Built this thick hourglass goddess with wide hips, soft belly, and that perfect waist-to-hip ratio that makes every pose look sinful. She knows exactly how to tease about how her thighs rub together when she walks. The chats flow so naturally from flirty compliments to full-on body worship. Generated images are fire – realistic stretch marks, dimples, soft rolls that look touchable. Voice messages with her breathy “you like these curves, huh?” hit different. Chips disappear fast but the immersion is unreal.
Wow, I can’t believe they sent a student to your house to do the repair. They should have sent an actual repair man and had the other guy there “training” with the experienced guy. I think that is grounds for a free service by an experienced and qualified repair technician.
I’m so sorry about the troubles you are having with your washing machine but have got to admit I was laughing through the last part about the machine having a mind of its own and you losing the cord behind the machine. It just reminds me of so many times I’ve been in the same boat under various conditions. For sure … it is SO frustrating. I do hope you can successfully get this one repaired and working or find a great basic machine that is reasonably priced that works well for you. Just know, you gave me a little chuckle and I thank you. 🙂
After reading this I hope my 20 year plus Maytag doesn’t conk out! If it does if it does it will be Speed Queen for sure.
Brenda – contact the warranty company for your washer and ask for their Escalation department. Tell them that you’ve had multiple appointments and the washer is still not fixed and that the technician did not show for the last appointment. Describe everything that was done to try to fix it. Describe your ordeal trying to get it to run. That’s what i finally had to do to get the warranty to pay out for our washer.
I agree. I wouldn’t give up just yet!
This may be the most counterintuitive thing you’ll ever hear, but it’s the absolute truth. Older vehicles were constructed with rigid steel frames to resist damage during collisions. Because the vehicle does not deform to absorb impact, the full deceleration force is transferred to the occupants, causing injury or death. Vehicles today have crumple zones and collapsable steering columns to absorb energy and save the occupants. Bumpers are engineered to crush to absorb kinetic energy to lengthen deceleration time to reduce the force on occupants. But you are also right Brenda, cars are shoddily constructed nowadays. Things break that have nothing to do with safety.
I should say shocked, but I’m not. Cars are junk, appliances are junk. I spent over $200 for a new shower head and the round thing where the faucet turns on and off is plastic! I just about died. We removed the water restrictor so there’s actual water coming out that is useful. If you have hair at all, there’s not enough water to rinse soap out. New fridge and can’t use the water in the door unless I want to stand there for 5 minutes waiting for it to fill up a glass. We’ve had zero issues with older models. Ice jams in the bottom of the reservoir so using it in the door just makes noise. Way over a $1000 for that. I finally got a washer that uses water, but it’s gets unbalanced. I have to micro-manage how I put in my sheets for 1 bed (more makes it worse), micro-manage jeans so it doesn’t get unbalanced. Why? They use shoddy, cheap parts and screws that aren’t heavy enough to keep a heavy load balanced. Dishwasher never dries, and I refuse to add a dry agent to it because I don’t want my dishes coated (glasses would have suds when you filled them.) I prefer a coil stove so I can use cast iron and not micro-manage cleaning the top of a smooth top. You can only get cheap junk as a coil stove now – the stove is level and the coil base areas aren’t level. Made poorly. The coils are $200 to replace, and the current ones are so thin and sit high and low, so a pan doesn’t say flat unless it’s full of food/water. The door is so flimsy that I thought I was going to rip it off opening it and that goes for dishwashers too. Those I returned. It’s all a scam. If they cared about the environment, they’d make products you didn’t have to toss in 3-5 years. It’s ALL junk.
Hi Brenda,
I had a speed queen front loader washing machine and had the same problems that you are currently having with it. I had the appliance guy come out for over 3 years to try to fix it. I should have pushed it to the curb the first time. They are so expensive and their customer service was awful. And I’d only heard good things about speed queen! But apparently I got a lemon and had a really horrible experience. It happens, but I’ll never buy another one. I bought an Electrolux front loader and it is a wonderful machine. But I’ve learned to buy the mid-line priced appliance (not too cheap, not too expensive) because appliances are going to break and like you’ve found, they are incredibly difficult to fix. When my new Electrolux washer was delivered the delivery guy patted my old, old white Whirlpool dryer and said “you didn’t buy the matching dryer to the washer?” And I pointed at my old dryer, and then the new washer and said “they are both white. to me, they match!” and he laughed and told me to never, ever get rid of that dryer because they can be repaired in a snap!
Sandy
Don’t washing machines have a circuit breaker just devoted to it alone? If so, seems to me you could just go switch it off and on as needed and not have to climb to get it unplugged and replugged…at least here, I can easily reach the circuit breaker panel as it is behind a bedroom door. I am not sure even if I climbed that I could reach the machine plug. I surely would not go far from that machine while it was washing. And I hope you have a fire extinguisher closeby. Hope you get a better machine soon. If you have a good 2nd hand place in your town you might go see what they have. If you have to replace things constantly, seems buying used would not be a bad idea. Going out to do laundry is no longer a choice in our life situations, so you need machines in the house…not a want, but a need. So sorry you got rooked. We have gotten rooked so many times in the past couple years and we try hard not be be…but thieves do abound. Had a lot more money in savings 3 years ago.
Don’t give up! Your daughter or Rhonda could probably give it a go. Wish I was nearby, I love a good you tube repair challenge lol.
https://youtu.be/R2nsjXMfmXQ?si=0MjU-h8iSilTV3hA
I couldn’t help but chuckle to myself when I read your antics trying to recalibrate the washer. It sounded exactly like predicaments I have been in before! You are so right, everything is made so cheaply and with all kinds of technology that even technicians can’t fix them.
Your comment about grocery delivery tickled me. I’m older than you (72) and well remember my grandmother calling her shopping list in to the grocery store (Red Bud?) and it being delivered. That would have been late 50’s. But I totally understand and agree with what you’re saying. Hubby wanted a new truck last year. The price was more than our home! He settled for a new paint job. Interestingly, numerous people stopped by the paint shop to ask if it was for sale.
Brenda you had me laughing with you !
Last week I was tempted to get my washboard and use it , if only I could reach !!
Brenda, Don’t give up on getting a replacement or refund for your washing machine. They are so poorly built and designed to be disposable and non- repairable. Seek a customer service manager and keep trying. I know that is not an easy task. I have a Speed Queen and while it has few features, it is chugging along like a workhorse. Maybe if you could get your money back it could be worth while to invest in one. As for cars….. My brother has spent his entire working career building an auto body business in a small town. He is so proud he was able to begin this at the age of 20! For 45 years his reputation has drawn repeat customers and now two generations. However he has been run out of business by insurance companies and large auto body repair shops who work with them for cost containment. Some of his customers prefer to pay out of pocket for his work than go to a chain. Such is the way the industry has evolved. Agree there is much to love about technology, but it comes with other changes. Good luck standing your ground for revolution of you appliance!
I understand everything you said! I have an expensive stackable LG washer and Dryer. when these bite the dust I’m going back to the old top loading washer! I hate the front loader. You have to dry the thing out Everytime and then leave it open a bit so it doesn’t mold and mildew. Ridiculous!!!
My husband thought it was an excellent idea to give me a very fancy sewing machine for Christmas but like you this thing intimidates me! I’m 66 and some things are just better bring plain!
Hope your laundry gets finished before your washer goes kooky again!
I agree about the front loaders – I’ve heard they’re awful for various reasons. They’re also more prone to leakage and breakage. I have an inexpensive, older top loader that gets very heavy usage – and have never had a problem with it!
You mentioned that your daughter suggested a Speed Queen washer. I have both the washer and dryer and love them. Built like tanks, American made and no fancy electronics. Pretty sure they’ll outlast me!
Brenda, I could not agree more. We pay for items, they last a small about of time and then the repair is outrageous and it doesn’t work.
If you were charged and a technician came out that was not qualified I would contest the charges on my charge card. I would not pay for a student, that is ridiculous.
Good luck friend. Sadly the good old days of long lasting quality items are long gone.