The Wall Street Journal points out an odd discrepancy in the world of home appliances: Prices actually decreased from 2013 to 2023—and yet Americans on average spent 40% more on them last year ($558) than in 2013 ($390). What gives? A big part of the answer is that our refrigerators, washers and dryers, dishwashers, and ovens just don't last as long as they used to, the newspaper notes. Their high-tech functions require more and more complex parts, which equates to a lot more things that can go wrong. One informal metric shows that Yelp users sought 58% more quotes from appliance repair shops in January 2023 than in January 2022.
"If you compare them to the appliances of 10, 20, 30 years ago, [appliances have] a lot more features now, a lot more electronics," Chris Doscher of the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers tells the AARP. Yes, the appliances are more efficient in terms of water use— unless a major glitch leads to a leak. The Journal chronicles one such horror story related to an $800 dishwasher, along with similar tales of dryer sensors going on the fritz and ovens catching on fire. Often, the repairs are so expensive it makes more sense to replace instead.
Generally speaking, the electronics generally don't hold up well given the moisture present in most appliances. Plus, more parts today are made of plastic instead of copper or steel. So what to do? It might pay these days to pay more attention to owner manuals and do routine maintenance, per AARP, such as vacuuming the condenser coils in your fridge. The site ticks off other such tips. What not to do? Don't bother with an extended warranty, one adviser tells Clark.com. For appliances, they're usually a waste of money, he says. (More home appliances stories.)
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