I’ve been writing about the poor quality of many modern washing machines since 2000. As a long-time repairman I’d witnessed the gradual slip between people keeping them running as long as possible to all too often throwing them away at the first breakdown – unless it could be fixed for a pittance. Since then it’s become a serious environmental issue.
The public usually gets exactly what the public wants. The majority of people don’t want more reliable washing machines – they mostly want cheaper washing machines. They might say they want more reliable washing machines, but only if they aren’t expensive, which can’t happen.
If this wasn’t true – how come hardly anyone buys a Miele compared to how many buy Indesit, Beko, Candy, Servis, Hotpoint etc? Most people know a Miele washing machine is substantially better quality and likely to last at least 2 or 3 times longer than a Hotpoint or Indesit but they won’t buy one – because they are “expensive”.
This isn’t an advert for Miele, I mention them because I don’t know of any other washing machine that is anywhere near as well built available in the UK. I use the word “expensive” reluctantly, and in quotes, because they are only relatively expensive. £800 is what a washing machine of that quality should cost these days – if not more.
They only appear expensive because other manufacturers constantly undercut the quality so much they can sell much cheaper and make them look expensive. Instead of bravely maintaining quality but seeing their washing machines rise in price, most manufacturers have found themselves constantly having to reduce quality and cut corners to keep their appliances competitively priced.
Reduced build quality
This trend has got progressively worse, to the point where they regularly redesign parts, ditching tried and tested designs in favour of cheaper new production methods designed to cut manufacturing costs.
Most appliance manufacturers have been making washing machines for many decades, and could have developed incredibly reliable ones by now. Instead, they are selling new washing machines that still suffer the same faults their previous models suffered from over 10-years ago. Instead of their appliances becoming better with time and experience, they get worse, or at best stay the same.
To be fair, it would be a very brave manufacturer to maintain standards and become a lot more expensive. But Miele seem to manage OK producing better quality but more expensive appliances. I’m sure there is room in the market for something in between the average washing machine and a Miele.
Most current washing machines are way too cheap
It might not seem as though they are cheap, but compared to what they should be if standards had been maintained they definitely are. For example, Hoover used to sell a 1200 spin 4.5Kg washing machine at over £400 in the 1990s. Yet over a dozen years later in 2008, a Hoover 1600 spin 6Kg washing machine cost as little as £211.
In 2019 Hoover’s 1400 Spin 7Kg capacity washing machine is just £234. That’s a faster spin, and much bigger drum for almost half the price compared to almost 25 years ago. Moving manufacture to cheaper countries is part of it, but these prices can only be achieved by also reducing quality and repairability.
Note: I give Hoover as an example only because I had more knowledge of their old prices as a previous Hoover Agent. All manufacturers are the same. If prices had stayed the same (not even gone up as you’d expect) then that £400 washing machine from around 1994 should cost £775.55 in 2019.
Going back further..
In 1973, a basic Hoover washing machine was £94.88, that’s equivalent to £1,192.74 in 2019! (Source Inflation calculator). Today – over 40 years later a similarly basic model but with faster spins and a bigger drum can be bought for £220. That’s equivalent to just £21.47 in 1973. So in 40 years, the price of a basic washing machine has dropped (in real terms) by nearly 80% which is absolutely staggering.
An 80% reduction in cost is impossible without reducing the quality and longevity of the product. If you want to produce a washing machine made as well as the Hoover was in 1973, (even accounting for advances in production techniques) it should cost much more like £600+ and with extra features and technical advances it should easily be £800+.
Don’t fall into the trap of thinking a more expensive appliance will last longer
Top quality, extremely well built washing machines are still available and they are every bit as reliable as they used to be – if not more so. They just usually cost between £600 and over £1000. However, do not assume an expensive washing machine has to be high build quality – are more expensive washing machines better quality?
Most manufacturers prefer to sell to the mass market in vast quantities, but it’s getting harder for them to compete on price and they’ve dug themselves into a big hole. Currently almost every washing machine available is virtually the same machine inside, with hardly any difference in quality, repairability and even design.
Summary
Consumers relentlessly batter down prices by rewarding those who can do it £5 cheaper and punishing those who can’t by not buying them. Too many consumers focus on price over quality and choose faster spins and more features over solid build quality and repair-ability. The majority of consumers swap over to cheaper brands if the one they always had goes up in price.
There’s a limit to the savings to be made by clever, innovative production methods.
Inevitably manufacturers had to resort to cutting down the length of the mains cable and the hoses, reducing the quality and sturdiness of the main casing, changing metal parts to plastic etc. and reducing the quality and repair-ability of components in order to satisfy the demand for cheap prices.
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No he didn’t leave the machine fixed – I had told him I wanted a refund. The report said:
“Grinding/catching during spinning – cust removed transit bolts. Found damage to front panel near base plate above plynth. Pump cavitating and vibrating. Transit blanks/hose clamps all broken. No packaging present on delivery”
This was quite tame, as he told me that the machine was pretty bad condition, and asked me if I saw the packaging. I said no, the machine came out of the van unwrapped – I assumed they had taken it off in the van!
He tutted at this, but did not elaborate………
Unless he suspected the faults were caused by the customer an engineer would usually arrange for it to be exchanged after getting an uplift number from his boss. They would normally telephone from the customers house and arrange it or leave an uplift number with the customer and advise them to ring the shop or office.
He can’t just leave it unfixed and not tell the customer how to arrange a replacement. However, if he advised it could be fixed and the customer refused, he would presumably leave it to the customer to fight out with the office.
“Why don’t most modern washing machines last very long?” Here’s a possible way to avoid this bad situation:
I would suggest buying an old and reconditioned washing machine that was made at a time when all washing machines were easily repairable or buy an “ISE” brand, which is said to be very reliable and affordable to repair. If you can find lots of spare parts for an older washing machine online, it sounds like a much better option than paying around £400 for a new washing machine which only lasts about 5 years then it can’t be repaired (or the price of the repair is almost the same as buying a new washing machine)!!
Another advantage of old washing machines is they rinse MUCH better than today’s washing machines! I’m not happy with the rinsing of my current Zanussi-Electrolux washing machine because it uses so little water, so I have the frustration of adding jugfuls of hot water to the rinses and that is not much fun, but I have no choice as my skin is sensitive to detergents.
When it breaks, I am considering replacing it with a Zanussi ZFL1023 that’s about 20 years old and I can see many spare parts are still available online for it. If you search for the Zanussi ZFL1023 on Google, I found at the top of the Google search some links to videos of it. 2 things strike me from briefly watching these videos: 1) It does a “spinwash”, which my washing machine doesn’t. 2) It uses a LOT more water than mine for rinsing.
With a TMV fitted, I hope one day I can own this washing machine and rinse everything in warm water with those higher water levels. I’m not sure if a TMV would work if that washing machine has hot and cold fill (or if I can use a “Y” connector on a TMV valve to connect both hot and cold hoses to the TMV?).
I definitely agree with the earlier comments about keeping old washing machines running. Let’s not forget that you won’t have the hassle of onboard computer electronics dying (these are standard on all new washing machines) because the old mechanical timers seem to outlast the electronic ones by many years.
Old washing machines do have smaller drums and slower spin speeds, but does that matter if you can keep it going for years and the repairs would work out cheaper than the stupid prices charged by the manufacturers of today’s washing machines (except ISE)? Let’s put an end to this “stack ’em high, sell ’em cheap” rubbish and use washing machines that are reliable, cheap to repair, wash and rinse properly i.e. “old” washing machines. :)
Inflation is the result of of government manipulating the money supply. We had deflation throughout the 19th Century because of increased competition and improvements in manufacturing that generated cost savings etc. Does’ the author not think that computer technology has not contributed to the cost reduction in his 1973-90’s comparison?
Use limes scale remover regularly and your machine will run for ages. i have had my Zanussi for nearly 6 years and paid £225 (first flat) and gets used 7 times per fortnight.
Miele are fantastic as are their vacuums. But all this technology in machine to link in with formulations is ridiculous. The cost in the expensive ones is as a result of an over engineered washing process in collusion with the laundry powder manufacturers.
Maybe would pay £300- 350 for a washer with 15 year guarantee. Anything else is a rip!
Paul: Inflation is presumably also caused by people putting prices up, supply and demand fluctuations and asking for wage increases etc but manipulating the money supply is also part of it. It’s one weird system.
According to the Historic inflation calculator £300 today is the equivalent of just £30 in 1973, which is my point in the article. In 1973, when washing machines were made to a pretty high quality standard a Hoover washing machine (which was just a normal mass market machine) cost £94.88 so if you buy a washing machine today for £300 that’s the equivalent of less than a third of the cost. If you want to pay less than a third of the cost, you will definitely get a far poorer quality product which will be less repairable and last only a fraction of the time.
In 1973 an ordinary washing machine cost £94.88, which is the equivalent today (2011) to £912.74. So if washing machines had continued to be made to the same standards they should now cost around £900. The fact that many cost a mere £300 and some a crazy £179 cannot be explained by improvements in manufacturing processes and mass production etc alone. They certainly play a big part and my amount comparisons are pretty blunt and general, it’s far more complex than that – but I think it gives a good idea of how the cost of washing machines has plummeted far more than most people realise and the cheap ones are now less than a third the cost from the 1970s, which has been achieved in no small part by drastically reducing their repairability and lifespan.
An update into my ISE 10 ownership after the first year.
I couldn’t be happier.
There have been a couple of incidents where it’s made noises and for the first time this month I had an Error code on the panel. The noises turned out to be a bra wire poking through a hole in the drum, and the error code was fixed by a manual drain and restart. Did I mention how much I love that little hose on the bottom that lets me empty the machine without flooding the utility room??
Both times I’ve had to look at the machine I’ve had my wife giving me that look saying “Now we’ll see if it was worth that £800 you talked me into” and each time it’s been an easy fix and so well thought out with regard to maintenance that its been a pleasure to work on. I’ve no doubt that if something more challenging to fix came along then the 10yr guarantee will be whipped out straight away. So far though I’m impressed!
I’d just like to pick up on a previous poster stating that his 6 yr washing machine was coping with 7 washes a fortnight. I would have thought that was very light use. My machine seems to be on every day. Sometimes twice a day. If I’m more typical use then he’s looking at an equivalent of 2-3 years old, which is an unremarkable length of service, but still nice that its going strong.
” I’ve had my wife giving me that look..”
I hope you returned it when the culprit turned out to be a bra wire! :-)
It is encouraging that at least one manufacturer is making things with an eye to ease of maintenance. Many years ago I had an East German car that, necessarily, was designed the same way. It was a pleasure to work on, but like old motorbikes and old washing machines, it did need regular tweaking, and it could be argued that a modern low-price machine that gives no trouble for 5 years is just as good. Putting £1 a week in a pot and using it to buy a replacement when necessary is not such a bad alternative, although the unintended consequences of ‘low energy’ design, such as crap rinsing, is a complicating factor.
“£300 today is the equivalent of just £30 in 1973”
I think that’s based on the RPI, which is affected by the very thing we’re looking at, namely consumer goods, which have got cheaper over the years and thus helped reduce the index. Compared to wages, I would say that the difference is a lot greater – £300 was a quarter of my gross salary in 1973!
my mums 51 year old hotpoint empress gets used only once a week these days but when i was a child i remember it being on almost every day its built like a tank when its on thers no noise at all apart fromthe sound of swishing water and as my mum says you can have a load of washing on the line while an automatic is still filling up , i myself foolishly bought a new hotpoint auto washer a fiew months back i only bought it because my old hotpoint gave up the ghost after 22 years what a mistake its had two sets of bearings in 6 months if they go again im going to take it down to currys dump it in the shop and demand a refund meanwhile where do i do my washing when its broken you guessed it at my mums in the old Empress of course
The real issue here is why even £350-£450 washing machines are so unreliable. There is absolutely no reason why they can’t be just as reliable as in the old days, and indeed, even cheaper! Thats the whole point of efficient design and cheap manuafacturing techniques… Sadly profit is king, and companies have learnt to exploit people’s fears and convince them newer is better.
Doesn’t capitalism, with its endless growth, require all manufacturers to keep on making and selling things? So its not in Hotpoint’s interests to keep machines from 1990 going! The car industry is now exactly the same, its a massive joke!
I’ve just bought a basic Beko washing machine as I genuinely can’t afford a £600-£800 machine at all! At £229 I’m not too fussed if I need a few parts here and there outside of the year’s warranty.