Product Quality
 

After Rosemary's thread re Service I'm wondering about product quality.

Having moved here just under 5 years ago I would have expected most of the things we bought new on arrival to have lasted us for a good few years.

So far we have 24 cracked floor tiles, two double glazed windows with broken seals. The induction hob packed up after 4 years, the fridge freezer is showing signs of corrosion. The kettle started leaking last week and now the dishwasher is playing up. Telefonica have changed our modem 3 times.

Apart from the poor work of our builder (our house was new) I suspect that electrical things 'aren't made like they used to be'. If we'd bought all these things in the UK 5 years ago would they also be failing now?

OH thinks an inconsistent electrical supply and water pressure variations are causing the problems. Every time something plays up he just throws up his hands and says 'Its Spain'.

Re: Product Quality
 

Ah, but what brand are they? Our Spanish-made Fagor washing machine and fridge are over 25 years old and still going strong!

Re: Product Quality
 

We've just had to buy our third microwave oven in 6 years - and we don't even use it all that much! However, our fridge-freezer and washing machine, both Spanish models, and fairly basic ones at that, are still going strong after 9 years. I just know I shouldn't have said that, one or the other if not both will die on me now!:rofl:

We have a few small chips in floor tiles where things have been dropped on them, but none have cracked.

I found in the UK that 6 or 7 years seemed to be the average for things like washing machines to last, I think it's planned obsolescence. My old aunt had to replace her gas cooker not so long ago - but she'd had the old one over 30 years, she also had the same hall carpet for over 40 years. They don't make them like that any more!

Re: Product Quality
 

If the floor tiles are cracking it probably means the house is still settling.

You could get some sort of surge protector to sort out the inconsistent electricity supply? I have one for my computer equipment.

As for the water pressure I don't see why that would make a difference, the wash cycle would just take longer.

I bought a load of Carrefour own brand Blue Sky electrical stuff, microwave, kettle etc, when I first came here and nothing lasted more than a year or two. The coffee grinder blew up on the first use! They were cheap, but false economy.

Re: Product Quality
 

We are a throwaway society and that is reflected in the build quality of most goods we buy. They are made for a relatively short life, eg cars are designed to last 7 years, anything after that is a bonus.
Technology moves on much more quickly now, so the early opters are constantly updating their gear. Kids want the latest stuff.
It seems to me there no real desire for goods to last. Also if they were made to last the cost would put most people off preferring to replace rather than repair.

Re: Product Quality
 

Fair comment with regard to "gadgets" such as phones, computers etc but an oven, washing machine or fridge freezer is an entirely different thing. They are doing much the same as they have always done - it's very difficult to invent one that is significantly better.

Re: Product Quality
 

High water pressure can cause problems. You can get a pressure reduction valve fitted to the supply, about 75 to 100 Euros.

Re: Product Quality
 

Various brands - I did wonder about that, but I think its interesting that the 2 things we brought with us - the washing machine (Zanussi, now 11 years old) and a large chest freezer (Bosch, 15) are both still going strong (touch wood). It was a Zanuzzi induction hob costing over 600 euros that gave up around 4 years. We've replaced it with a whirlpool one that cost 350 as prices have come down a lot since we bought the first one. We'll see how long that lasts.

Thanks for all your other comments:
Re: the cracked tiles, the house settling is probably the answer and I think the builder used the cheap thin ones anyway. It just frustrating that it will be such a messy job to replace them all.

The water pressure here is way too high. When we first came it was over 8 bar (whatever that means) and our boiler is not supposed to take more than 4. So we did eventually get a limiter fitted. Another problem seems to be the high level of calcium in the water.

I do think that in general electrical goods are just not made to the same standards as they used to be. I moved house in 1989 and gave a microwave to my sister that I didn't want to take with me. Last year she passed it on to her son who has just started work and got his own flat. I've gone through 3 more since then.

Oh well, new kettle comes from Amazon.es next week. Russell Hobbs, my last one of those lasted 20 years. Hope this one manages to do at least a quarter as well.

Re: Product Quality
 

It seems to me that build quality today is not so good. My parents bought a gas cooker (Main?) when I was young and paid for via the gas company over a very long period.
They kept that until they moved many,many years later. The cost of that cooker at todays prices would be astronomic and I think that is one reason build quality has come down together with people updating/reconfiguring their kitchens much more frequently than they ever used too so things are not built to last.
I am on my third kitchen in 25 years and last week my daughter said it was looking dated. That's all the incentive my wife needs!

Re: Product Quality
 

Its well known that electical goods are now built to last around 5 years. It keeps the market alive

We are actually usung a 25 year old Miele dishwasher that has never had a problem and will probably last forever.

The build quality is better at the top of the market, but still not as good as years ago

Re: Product Quality
 

Hi RR - we live in the UK and can assure you appliances are no better here - we had our kitchen fitted about 4/5 years ago now - the freezer has had to be fixed - the cooker blew all the electrics - the dishwasher works when it wants to and ive been through 2 dryers and we go through light bulbs like nobodys business :( - oh well - life is sent to try us isnt it lol xxxxx

Re: Product Quality
 

are you next to a transformer ? ?

Re: Product Quality
 

No - but we have a train line behind us - saying that it used to happen quite regular at our old house too (light bulbs that is) - my hubby says its me ;) xxx

Re: Product Quality
 

In the UK I have ISE , not the cheapest but built very well in Sweden ,10 year warranty, unfortunatley I dont think they are available in Spain.

http://iseappliances.co.uk/products/...-machines.html

Re: Product Quality
 

if you are talking about the old style incandescant lamps (bulbs grow in the ground) then that is generally a good indication of high voltage being delivered - which can be present near to a transformer.

train line - forget it, shouldnt have any relationship to your electricity as they will be on an entirely different circuit.

perhaps you can get the use of a voltage recorder or data logger - they can be over £600 to buy - this will show what is coming from the supplier which also may vary dependent on time of day.

hope this helps.

Re: Product Quality
 

During the recent auroral activity I had one of those low power corkscrew shape bulbs flickering on and off by itself at times of peak activity.
I can't prove beyond doubt that was the reason but it seemed quite a coincidence.
When studying for my ham licence I recall the instructor lighting up a fluorescent light by holding an RF source or small radio transmitter close to it.

Re: Product Quality
 

yeah we did that in our signals course
our instructor had a habit of getting to an interesting bit and falling asleep, one day we all left him asleep at the end of the lesson, the bollicking he got at the end of the day was heard all round the signal school.
we also had a transmitter that was tuned into an incandescent lamp, the brighter the lamp the closer to optimum tuning.

We have a globe shaped that also flickers even when switched off - that I put down to faulty wiring, but its a rental so I am not going to worry about it.

I await your dissertation on how a low energy corkscrew style would flicker on and off due to auroral activity, only yours no one elses.
Was it Mulder or Scully that came out of the darkness ??

Re: Product Quality
 

If it was the case,far be it for me to attempt a scientific explanation.

It is a fact though that the aurora and the inside of a fluorescent light are much the same thing and activated by a similar source of energy, I.e. both being fluorescent light activated in a virtual vacuum, the auroral lighting effect taking place well outside the earths atmosphere. Therefore if enough electrically charged energy passed through the atmosphere itself and it would only take a very miniscule amount to make such a tiny bulb flicker,then maybe it is possible, but don't quote me on that as I left my physics lessons behind many,many moons ago.
Any scientists on the forum who could shed any light on it, florescent or otherwise I wonder ?

Re: Product Quality
 

Dick, it is all fascinating stuff, caused by the collision of energetic charged particles with atoms in the thermosphere but we still know so little about it still, there is so much to know and so little time in which to learn.
We still don't know everything about what happens down on the sea bed, let alone up there.

But despite the scientific mumb-jumbo, I still cannot see how one tube in your house is flashing due to a trigger from the AB. Is it in a circuit or sitting on a shelf ? And why don't other people have the same with their tubes ?

its all a conspiracy, probably all related to the product quality and that the final inspection wasnt carried out correctly.
:thumbup:

Re: Product Quality
 

Well my conspiracy theory is that it's the ex wife come back to haunt me.
She was a great believer in the supernatural and seemed to have had more ghostly experiences that I've had hot dinners
Personally I've never had the the fortune or misfortune as the case may be, to directly meet up with one myself.

Re: Product Quality
 

if its my ex wife then all I will do is
:hysterical:

regrettably I didnt do any quality control back in those days.