RANT: Why can't things be repaired anymore!?

[Badfish740]

My mom gave us a nice Cuisinart coffee maker right after we got married-it was a fairly highfalutin model that grinds its own beans, etc... Well fast forward four years and it's no longer under warranty, the thing gives me problems every morning-in fact this morning I couldn't even get it to work. It grinds the beans but it won't start the brewing process for some reason, it just sits there and ticks away after the grinder shuts off and for whatever reason it won't go on to the next step. Smacking it around usually helps, which leads me to believe there is either something loose inside or something stuck that gets dislodged at least temporarily. Anyway, I dug up the number for customer service to ask where I could send it for service. It's a $200 coffee maker so, not exactly what I would consider to be a "throwaway item." The customer service rep flatly told me that they do not repair products. Even if you bring something in under warranty they just trash it and give you a new one. That's crap

 

[heat seeker]

Yup, that's a real pet peeve of mine, too. Forget about getting parts for things anymore.

 

[Delta-T]

drop it off at my house later....I'll take it apart and see what going on in there...I give it 50% chance I can Macgyver the thing into doing something, maybe not making coffee, but something. I also have basic Mr. Coffee, new in box I can loan you while I tinker....thats service ....with a smiley emoticon.

 

[Badfish740]

Well nothing to lose at this point-time to break out the tools and open the thing up. The funny part is on the underside it says that the unit should be serviced by "Authorized Personnel Only." What authorized personnel?

 

[seige101]

I deem you Authorized. You are now authorized personnel!

 

[firefighterjake]

drop it off at my house later....I'll take it apart and see what going on in there...I give it 50% chance I can Macgyver the thing into doing something, maybe not making coffee, but something. I also have basic Mr. Coffee, new in box I can loan you while I tinker....thats service ....with a smiley emoticon.

HehHeh . . . I can see it now . . . you return a perfectly working and functional parts washer . . . or a washing machine capable of washing a single sock at a time . . . or . . . well you get the idea.

 

[Ehouse]

drop it off at my house later....I'll take it apart and see what going on in there...I give it 50% chance I can Macgyver the thing into doing something, maybe not making coffee, but something. I also have basic Mr. Coffee, new in box I can loan you while I tinker....thats service ....with a smiley emoticon.

Basic Mr. Coffee. Yay!! Neighbor had her HVAC Guy tell her she needed a new $3000+ Built in fridge, 'cause her compressor was shot and not repairable. Under the upper panel sits a box with all the guts, and handles for removal nonetheless. Took it to Fridge guy. $60; bad timer.

Ehouse

 

[Ehouse]

Well nothing to lose at this point-time to break out the tools and open the thing up. The funny part is on the underside it says that the unit should be serviced by "Authorized Personnel Only." What authorized personnel?

Unplug it first.

 

[Butcher]

I make Juan Valdes grind my coffee personally then I make him clean up his donkeys poo outta my yard. Then his wife cleans my house.

 

[greg13]

Dive into it, what's the worst that can happen? you can only make it better.

 

[Sisu]

Have you attempted any percussive maintenance?!

 

[Badfish740]

Have you attempted any percussive maintenance?!

Yep-I smack it and works-sometimes. I looked at it last night and apparently Cuisinart does not use screws to hold anything together. I looked all over the thing and there is not a screw to be found! Apparently it all snaps together somehow? I gave it a good whack this morning and it did make coffee-more to come as I learn it

 

[granpajohn]

Yep-I smack it and works-sometimes. ..

Clearly one of the vacuum tubes is loose in its socket.

 

[Delta-T]

HehHeh . . . I can see it now . . . you return a perfectly working and functional parts washer . . . or a washing machine capable of washing a single sock at a time . . . or . . . well you get the idea.

you know me all too well sir. clearly my reputation precedes me

 

[heat seeker]

It might be sonic welded together. If so, good luck getting it apart. I don't even know if anyone still sonic welds items anymore, but they used to.

 

[semipro]

Yep-I smack it and works-sometimes. I looked at it last night and apparently Cuisinart does not use screws to hold anything together. I looked all over the thing and there is not a screw to be found! Apparently it all snaps together somehow? I gave it a good whack this morning and it did make coffee-more to come as I learn it

Make sure and check under the rubber pads on the bottom and under applied labels for screws. A lot of times they're hidden there.

 

[festerw]

I had a Keurig that was leaking water everywhere called and they sent me out a replacement. Seemed to me a shame to throw out the old one so I pulled it apart and found a leaking solenoid. Ordered a new one from eBay for $15 and now have a spare.

 

[Gark]

Now that you mention it, I don't see shoe repair places around anymore.

 

[heat seeker]

Now that you mention it, I don't see shoe repair places around anymore.

I haven't seen one around here in at least 20 years.

 

[maverick06]

SHOE REPAIR PLACES - if you want one, the few that remain I have seen are near military bases. At least I have seen a few around those. Those are the only guys who will go for shoe repair.

I think a lot of the reason no one fixes anything now is because it so cheap to replace something. What does is the manhour rate for the repair tech? Probably almost $100. So between unboxing and repackaging it, doing the paperwork, he barely has time to pull the screws out before its uneconomical.

Occasionally at the autoshop i take my car to they will actually repair things, not just replace, which is amazing. I really like those guys.

 

[heat seeker]

I can't get just the wheel bearings for my car, I have to buy an entire assembly. On the plus side, it cuts down on the need for really skilled labor to replace, a parts changer can do it. That saves on labor in a shop, but I do my own work, so it doesn't benefit me much.

 

[Gasifier]

Thank you Badfish, very much. That was a good story. And I always wondered how to spell highfalutin! I like those hoity-toity things you get from peops. Some of them are great presents and others you just don't know if you will actually use it or not. I often get a really nice sweater or shirt and they are really nice. But I might wear it once a year, if that. Most of the time I am in my jeans and a t-shirt so that I can work on something and don't give a rat's ass if I get it dirty or not. Let me know if I spelled hoity-toity right Badfish.

 

[mfglickman]

My parents had that same maker and both times it broke. We gave up on the "grinds and brews" models after that.

I have a Capresso that I love, after my 12 year old Braun bit the dust by having the 2-hour shutoff on the hot plate stop working - meaning I came home from work to find the entire formica countertop hot to the touch. So my Capresso has no more hot plate, but a thermal carafe that keeps the coffee hot for 2-3 hours instead.

Sorry, I know it's annoying. I bought a Maytag washer when my daughter was born. We used cloth diapers so I needed a good one and thought, Maytag, my mom's is 30+ years old...and mine was dead, unrepairable, in 3 years. Gah.

Good luck with your coffee maker!

 

[gmule]

Dive into it, what's the worst that can happen? you can only make it better.

My 10 year old had this little sewing machine that quit working. We took it apart and found that the plastic gears were stripped out. But my daughter and I had fun taking it apart and seeing how it worked.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

Clearly one of the vacuum tubes is loose in its socket.

Those 12AT7 's were always in need of friendly persuasion and the 6AT7's always seem to be short lived when used in place of the 12AT7's could never figure that one out .