Re:For all that's holy, can you just leverage the Web, please?
by Terr_ on Wednesday September 03, 2025 @01:51PM
(#45118617)
Hmmm, even if plans of that nature are not mandated to exist, I wonder if having a clear legal definition of them could help create a market anyway.
> including things like modifications to cabinets
Or perhaps require that the "plan" being purchased includes specs on min/max dimension and max weight.
> the price of the machine includes the cost of supplying the above service contract for 30 years
This seems like a recipe for bankruptcy though. For example, suppose Acme Appliances has a lot of customers, and then that country elects a crook as President who abruptly declared an (illegal?) import-tax (tariff) of one bajillion percent on all the spare parts.
- support model. You pay 1/10th the manufacturing cost per year. They immediately give you a new one if it fails. Profits are dictated by the difference between the real mean time to failure and ten years. “10” is set by law.
- the price of the machine includes the cost of supplying the above service contract for 30 years, by law. The price of the machine therefore drops as the reliability increases.
- all machines must be 100% recycled by the manufacturer, who also pays for environmental externalities. They pay a prorated multiple equal to the number of years under 10 that a machine is in service before replacement.
- warranties must be 10 years and renewable, and must cover parts, labor, and installation, including things like modifications to cabinets and and legally required code improvements
Not everyone would buy a new fancy machine the same year, so in steady state, they should be able to sell machines, just fewer per capita than today.