[♪♪♪]
[David] We are setting up
to get the lowdown on why
so many big
appliances break down.
You had an appliance breakdown?
Yes, we did.
It wound up costing more
to fix it then get a new one.
We had to buy a whole new
one, because the parts--
-They were unavailable.
--they don't make it no more.
Appliances are pretty expensive.
We did everything we could
but unfortunately we
had to replace it.
[David] We are getting so any
complaints we are asking over
1500 Canadians to
share their stories.
In a national survey, which
appliance manufacturers you
tell us break down the most.
The challenge is fixing them.
And your frustrations.
When you buy a product you
want to use for a certain number
of years and especially when
you have something big happening
like a dinner, right?
You don't expect it to
break down and that's what is
happening with new technologies.
[David] You name
them and rate them.
We are taking your complaints
straight to the people in
charge, the manufacturers.
To see if there's
anything they can do.
The countdown
starts in Brampton, Ontario.
Very good to meet you, although
not for a good reason
you are shopping again.
This is an
expense I didn't want.
[David] It's Mehul
Dholakia versus LG.
Our survey says they are in
fifth place when it comes to
your experiences
with breakdowns.
Mehul is stuck buying a new
fridge because he says his
$1,900 LG stops working.
Only six years after he buys it.
How do you feel standing in
an appliance store
looking for Fridge?
It is bad.
I do not have time or
the funds in my budget.
[David] The LG quits when the
compressor dies and Mehul
is willing to pay for a new one
but every time he tries to buy
it directly from LG it's no
longer available and when we
keep checking LG's website it
seems it hasn't been
available for at
least three months.
It's not even there.
That's what I said.
What if my two, three, $4,000
fridge breaks again?
Would I have enough support?
[David] Do you
feel LG failed you?
I feel they
failed me that's correct.
[David] LG is fifth
on our break down list.
Tied with Samsung.
First the
dishwasher and then the fridge.
[David] Which manufacturer
were these from?
Samsung.
[David] Here's the thing,
survey says most of us have had
an appliance break down.
Nearly half of them
between five and ten years old.
Nearly one in three broke
down after less than five years.
Over the last two years I
have had two or four appliances
go down in the kitchen.
[David] How long should
an appliance last?
Five, six years.
Only?
I don't know.
No, I would say ten to
15 at least.
[David] Here at the
Association for Home Appliance
Manufacturers which represents
many of the big brands
they claim lifespans are
typically ten years or longer.
Ten years or longer?
Time to test that out.
Do you believe that?
No.
[David] How old is it?
About five years.
[David] You seem disappointed.
-Yeah, they were expensive.
[woman] Yeah.
[David] To see what it takes
to fix a major appliance we are
visiting three homes in
troubleshooting terror.
Lori and Mark Limacher and this
new washer/dryer set.
Myrna Sandle with her
newly arrived and
already broken dishwasher.
And the Brun Del Re family
with a 3-year- old fridge
on the fritz.
It is the people versus
the appliance giants.
Back on our countdown of your
experiences with breakdowns,
a tie for fourth,
Frigidaire and Maytag.
In Calgary, it is Mark
and Lori versus Whirlpool.
It is number 3 on our list.
[♪♪♪]
[Meows]
[David] Musician Mark Limacher
is fed up with his Whirlpool
washer and dryer.
He has to lug his
laundry to a friend's.
The door on his new
washer will not open.
What was in there?
Sheets, so I had to buy
more sheets.
Your bedsheets were
stuck in the washing
machine for a month?
That was the first time, the
second time they moved the part
in and it turned itself on
in the middle of the night.
[David] For six month he's
been on spin cycle, rotating
through repairman but still no
fix.
[♪♪♪]
His landlord, and mom,
is sick of it.
Lori says Whirlpool cannot
find the part to fix it.
They could not locate the part
in Canada first and every
time I called back and asked
if they got it in or when are
you going to fix this, they said
they haven't located a part yet.
How many times
have you had a repair person?
Probably eight or ten
times, but I--
-Really?
-Mm-hmm.
How money hours
you spent on the phone?
I think had I just worked
instead of being on the
phone I could've bought a whole
new really high-end
set of machines and
thrown these out.
[David] Lori and Mark are
finished with their
Whirlpool washer and dryer.
They are finally being
taken back to the store,
unable to be fixed.
If I had not gone through
this I wouldn't believe
this was possible.
I think I reached out to
Marketplace when I finally was
ready to say just somebody come
and take them away and throw
them into the landfill.
[David] Back on our countdown
of big brand breakdowns we are
in London, Ontario.
With Myrna Sandle versus
GE at number 2.
I'm calling
about my dishwasher.
[David] Myrna says she's on the
phone almost every day with GE.
I was looking for the e-mail
you were going to send today,
I have not received it yet.
[David] What you have to do?
Push it in?
[Clinking]
It doesn't shut.
[David] Fighting for a fix for
her brand-new dishwasher
that just won't close.
She's tried...
-It doesn't stay.
[David] ..we've tried.
Come on.
But after six months
and four repair visits,
still useless.
How many explanations
were you given for
what was wrong with it?
Mostly one, you
bought it you own it.
Talk to GE and
good luck with that.
[David] We are bringing in
a repair man with
40 years experience.
To assess why this
machine is still broken.
[Myrna] The latch was replaced,
it's a new latch.
[repairman] Did it solve the
problem?
It didn't, and he wrote
on the invoice, "use
strength to shut it."
[David] That doesn't cut it for
Phil Natale.
He checked out the
latch and digs deeper.
It's not making a good catch.
I think at the
structural thing in the frame.
[Myrna] Make sense.
[David] His diagnosis is
the whole machine has to go.
I didn't get what I paid for.
I wanted a functional
dishwasher on delivery.
And I wanted it repaired if
something was wrong.
And no one cared about me, no
one had any empathy for the
customer, their customer.
[David] Phil thinks appliances
are breaking down sooner and
more often.
99 percent of the time people
say scrap it and buy a new one.
That is the reality
of our business today.
It's wild to think that.
When they break the parts are
expensive and then you have to
factor in the labour and service
charge and it could be up to
$600 for a repair on a machine
that's under five years old.
[David] Could be why Canadians
spent half a billion dollars on
new appliances every
month and why waste
our waste depots look like this.
What do you think
when you see this?
Why do we keep making
appliances that last shorter and
shorter lifespans?
Something has gone wrong.
[David] Nathan Proctor is a US
Consumer Protection Advocate
fighting to make appliance
brands accountable
for all this waste.
[David] It sounds to me
like you are saying maybe
manufacturers don't have an
interest in creating appliances
that last a long time.
The longer we let it happen
without pushing back the more we
will have this, you know.
[David] It all
makes Phil Brun Del Re cringe.
Why don't you want to just throw
that out and get a new one?
It's definitely an option and
to get a fridge either tomorrow,
my thinking is how can we reduce
garbage, reduce waste
and whatnot, so if
there is a defective or
problematic component
on this Fridge why don't we just
get it repaired?
[David] He has a fridge
from the number 1 brand,
you tell us breaks
down the most.
[♪♪♪]
[David] This is
your Marketplace.
We are counting down
your appliance nightmares.
Asking 1500 Canadians
about their experiences
with break downs.
Five: LG tied with Samsung.
Four: Frigidaire and Maytag.
Three: Whirlpool.
Two: GE.
[Phil] Check the fridge.
[David] And Phil has the brand
you tell us breaks down the most
with a fridge he's
struggling to fix.
At the top of the list,
it is Phil Brun Del Re
versus Kenmore.
[♪♪♪]
[Phil] From what I've
experienced, the phone calls,
the making time to
make up with people,
the sourcing of people,
the waiting on hold,
call this number, call back.
People would have said after
two or three days we are done,
we will go by another fridge.
What happened?
I noticed the system
was leaking on the floor.
I open the freezer and
everything had thawed.
So then I had to start
thinking of a Plan B.
[David] For a sporty family
trying to eat fresh and healthy
it's a big problem.
The issue is how can we
get this solved as
quickly as possible?
[Groaning]
[David] Quickly?
After two months
that seems impossible.
Phil has got another
repair man seeking a solution.
We are right there when the
problem finally gets diagnosed.
[woman] The compressor.
The compressor?
[David] That compressor made
by LG has conked out.
When we checked online
that part was not available.
Strange for a fridge that
is only three years old.
So much time has been spent
back and forth and never really
having or stating any solutions,
I was almost ready to call it a
day and go to an appliance
store and buy a new fridge.
[David] So now we
are calling Kenmore.
[Phone ringing]
[woman on recording] Please
leave a message after the tone.
[Phone beeps]
So, no answer,
once again from Kenmore.
In fact none of the
brands want to talk on camera.
But some say talk to the trade
group that represents them.
[♪♪♪]
[woman] Welcome to Washington.
We are heading to the
association that represents the
appliances manufacturers to
try to get answers from them.
We have been asking for weeks
for an on camera interview.
Many Canadians are telling us
their appliances are breaking
down in less than five years.
We are going to head in the
Association of Home Appliance
Manufacturers to
get answers for them.
[♪♪♪]
David Common with CBC
Canadian TV, how are you?
Thanks for coming.
I'm going to--
We're happy to reschedule and do
this when we can be prepared.
We tried many--
-I know.
--many times to get
a straight answer.
Out of respect I'd like
you to turn the camera off.
[David] Now that we have come
all the way here, the Big Brands
Association is
changing its tune.
The message is after weeks of
us asking for an on camera
interview and them saying no,
they are now willing to talk
and willing to give you answers.
[♪♪♪]
[♪♪♪]
[David] This is
your Marketplace.
[♪♪♪]
-Hello!
-Hey, David, how are you?
[David] After weeks without
a working fridge, the Dholakia
family have given up
and are buying new.
It has been a
very bad experience.
[David] An experience
shared by hundreds of you.
Appliances that break down
early and are too hard to fix.
I was furious,
I was very angry.
Of course.
[David] Our fight for answers
for Mehul and all of you
is taking us to the Association
of Home Appliance Manufacturers.
After weeks of rejecting an
interview, Vice President
Jill Notini is now
willing to talk.
And starts with her own claim of
how long appliances today last.
Good to see you again.
Our data shows, and it has
been relatively unchanged over
the past two decades, that the
average lifespan is about
ten years for appliances.
What can you say to
people who will say, no way,
there's no way appliances
are lasting as long
as they once did.
I think what I would
say is that we are--
like, each individual
has their own experience.
[David] Our survey says plenty
have had a bad experience.
One out of three
people cannot rely on their
appliances to last more than
five years and a great number
of them are not able to repair
them easily.
Aren't able to get the parts.
Appliances are
becoming more complex.
They are now being
built with new features,
with new technology so they
understand the complexity that
is now being built
into appliances.
Does that mean the
lifespans are getting shorter?
No it doesn't, our data is
showing appliances are lasting
ten years on average
and that is unchanged.
[David] Mehul said
he barely got six years,
he wanted to fix his fridge
but he could not get the part.
Why is it so hard in so
many cases to get
a part for an appliance?
Often they are new.
I hear you and manufacturers
do everything they can do to
provide parts and servicing
for that appliance for a very
reasonable amount of time.
[David] Nathan thinks big
appliance isn't doing enough.
I would guess that the
incentives for them to make
long-lasting durable appliances
that people don't replace,
those incentives just
aren't there.
[David] But
there is another way.
What is Right to Repair?
Right to Repair is a set of
laws that empower consumers to
repair outside of the
manufacturer's control.
[David] So we are
heading to Europe.
Where across 27
including here in Sweden,
Right to Repair will
become the law in 2021.
Europe's appliance activism
starts in labs like this one.
You have all these tests to
make sure they can really work.
[David] For Project Leader
Lovisa Blomqvist
that includes testing for long
lifespans and
making repairs easier.
The list of spare parts are
available for up to ten years
and then they are supposed to be
delivered within 15 working days
after request.
And also they have to give
up-to-date information on
how you repair correctly.
[♪♪♪]
[David] If they lived here,
people like Lori, Myrna and
Phil would not be stuck waiting
months for repairs.
It's a nice idea, does it work?
It does, yeah.
[David] Per Bolund is Sweden's
Minister of Financial
Markets and a champion of
consumer rights.
The idea is to make the
affordable and sensible way to
use your money is to repair what
you have rather than throwing it
away and buying
something brand-new.
[David] It's not just
about appliances either.
[♪♪♪]
[David] You have something
here in Sweden we
don't have in Canada.
-Yes, we do.
[David] How does it work?
Yes, they
lower the sales tax.
They cut it in half.
Anything you repair
is half the sales tax.
I think it encourages to fix
things instead of
throwing them away.
The government shows a hint,
please fix rather than buy new.
[♪♪♪]
A lot of people want it when
they find out what it is.
If you want products that last
longer that or better for the
environment and
cost less to maintain,
you should want Right to Repair.
[David] So why
doesn't Canada have it?
That could be because the
Association which represents a
lot of those
appliance manufacturers,
it has been
fighting Right to Repair.
Why?
Our Association has been
opposing these types of repair
regulations because
they are overly broad.
We are very concerned
about the safety implications.
By not backing some
form of Right to Repair,
it seems like consumers
are being forced to buy new.
Right.
We never want to
deny anyone a choice.
People are going to experience
at some point an appliance
service issue.
But hopefully the manufacturer
can resolve it in a reasonable
amount of time.
What's a reasonable
amount of time?
It depends on
what the issue is.
Would you want to be
without a fridge for a month?
I certainly would
not, I could not, no.
The manufacturers are trying to
do the best they can do to
provide good customer
care experience.
They don't get it
right 100% of the time.
I think that is fair to say.
But they are always
trying to do better.
[David] Phil went about
two months without a working
appliance and $1,000
he said for the fix.
After weeks of asking Kenmore
about the problems with Phil's
fridge and our survey results,
we still get no comment.
Same with Samsung, no comment.
GE also will not say
anything about the survey.
But in the end, they send
Myrna a new dishwasher.
Whirlpool which owns Maytag says
they stand by their products and
when we tell them about
Lori's washer/dryer issues
they apologize.
Frigidaire-Electrolux tells us
it takes reliability
and repair seriously.
LG tells us they care about
their customers and parts are
available for sale
directly from their website.
So let's check that out.
There is an LG compressor like
the one Mehul has been trying to
get but says are unavailable.
So we buy one and then
get this message from LG,
"Your order has been cancelled,
we are not permitted
to sell compressors".
Mehul is not surprised.
I'm frustrated and upset.
I would've
expected better service.
[David] He wants Canadian
consumers to have rights,
ensuring one appliances
break, they can be fixed.
I'm taking the risk,
I'm paying the money,
I'm bringing the technician.
I'm replacing the fridge
that I already paid for.
Have you ever experienced an
appliance repair nightmare?
Let us know, Marketplace@CBC.ca.
And this was one
of your favourites.
I was getting back $3,295.73.
Goodness that's fantastic!
[David] Experts call it a cash
grab and now you are getting
your cash back.
I want to thank
Marketplace for a job well done.
[David] We want
more of your stories,
send us an e-mail
Marketplace@CBC.ca.
We got your back.
