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Household appliances are designed to last, twice as efficient in energy and water as compared to 10-year-old appliances, despite an increase in their use by households. This is the positive observation that the world has reached regarding washing machines, refrigerators, dishwashers, etc., currently on the market.

The study conducted by the Home Appliance Manufacturers’ Union with the help of TNS Sofres has the merit of providing factual answers to questions regarding product sustainability and dispelling possible consumer skepticism. The points to remember when going face to face with a buyer in doubt …

Who does not remember, in the sector, this Special Envoy program which, a year and a half ago, painted the picture of a household appliances sector infected by dubious practices, between “programmed obsolescence” of products and speeches after-sales service consumers? (“Sorry, your device is not repairable”).

Household appliances last as long as before: this is the answer, supported by the figures of a study on 1700 consumers, to rumors,… not to say accusations, propagated by the media for several years.

Of course, there is no such thing as zero defect, and the failure remains in GEM a cause of renewal of a product… and it is well known that a disappointed customer is much more talkative than a satisfied customer! But reliability, durability, and consumer service remain the watchwords of the sector.

The main contributions of the survey
Large household appliances have, within a few months, the same longevity as before in homes, around 10 years. Two periods have been compared: 1978, when Sofres had already carried out a survey, and 2010.

Consumers recognize that the way they use products has changed dramatically. They are used more intensively than before, in particular dishwashers and washing machines (A quarter of consumers do laundry every day, a third use the dishwasher daily) And even the refrigerator, whose door openings are more and more frequent, in the face of the development of fresh products.

Unprecedented: 4 to 5 consumers out of 10 separate from their GEM device before an irreparable failure occurs (either because of novelty or during a move, a change in the family situation, etc.). there are aspirations for change: larger, more modern refrigerator, large capacity washing machine, very low noise, and very economical dishwasher…

Important information in the end: consumers are satisfied with the durability of their major household appliances, despite the inevitable reflections heard here and there on the recurring theme of “it was better before”.

Ready-made ideas … to be foiled

A number of ideas die hard. How to respond? Let’s review the most frequently encountered:

“Electronic products break down”

This idea that electronics, (vs. mechanics) “are fragile” is very widespread. Perhaps the presence of electronics in products in a much more developed way over the past half-dozen years baffles some users. 

This presence, however, has a utility. First in terms of after-sales service: it often makes it possible to prevent a more serious and more costly breakdown, for example avoiding recourse to the undue replacement of a part, allowing remote diagnosis which will perhaps avoid the displacement of a technician.

And especially in terms of product characteristics: let us quote among others, the presence of much finer adjustments in refrigerators, allowing the considerable increase in the shelf life of food; laundry care adapted to the profusion of different textiles; the adaptation of water and electricity consumption to the load of the devices, generating savings.

So even if an electronic component is probably more sensitive than certain mechanical parts, the overall result in terms of consumer service is undoubtedly positive.

“The products of the past contained a lot more metals (perceived as noble) and those of today too much plastic (perceived as less noble) they are therefore less solid and less durable”

The greater use of plastics corresponds to the search for more complex, lighter products, more accessible in terms of price. All products cannot be made exclusively of metals, otherwise, they cannot be placed on the market at affordable costs.

The average price of household appliances has fallen over the past 10 years, from € 450 to € 360. Let us not forget, taking a step back, that this democratization has made it possible to gain free time for other activities (leisure, culture) by making domestic tasks incomparably easier.

“Manufacturers ‘trap’ their products to make them last shorter and to promote market renewal”

This is the famous myth of planned obsolescence according to which manufacturers incorporate a chip into their devices to make them last a long time. a certain duration (implicitly: reduced) and no more…

Singular strategy on the part of the manufacturers.

Breakdowns are very expensive: in spare parts, in technician intervention costs … and especially in the long term, in loss of customer loyalty!

In large household appliances, we invest in a product that lasts, we are not in a fashion market. Which brand manufacturer would find an interest in accelerating the breakdown, thus degrading the quality of the products?

Why in this case would the manufacturers invest in the labeling of a network of independent repairers (STAR network, approved technical stations in the network)?

Trust, a weakened notion

So where does this confusion come from, this widespread feeling that devices last less than before? As Jean-Jacques Blanc, Chairman of Gifam said: “behind the questioning of sustainability, there is the whole question of trust in brands”

And Gérard Mermet, Director of Francoscopie, who collaborated on the survey GIFAM, adds: “it’s a fact: we are in the era of“ C to C ”and horizontal communication, and no longer in the“ vertical ”balance of power between supply and demand.

This is not a uniquely French trend, even if it may seem particularly developed in a country where criticism and mistrust are easily in order. Just as we question policies, medicine, … manufacturers are also in the hot seat.

It is up to manufacturers to continue to forge their path, by remaining uncompromising on product quality and taking care to explain and train relentlessly. Because even if the debate “disposable products / sustainable products” is certainly not closed, it is certain that this type of study helps to make a sector credible and cut short the “we say” and the politics of rumor…

Another topic that I want to write about on the site is Internet marketing, a topic that I am studying myself now.

I hope this site is for you to use and I would be happy to answer user questions that read an article on the site.

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