What a timely thread! I have Schlage locks which need replacing and I thought had lifetime warranty and an Anderson window which has rotted (hope I can replace it no matter if it’s not as good!)
Delta is good at replacing items on their lifetime warranty.
My dad had a Moen faucet that is 50 years old that needed replacing–they sent him same style for free. Unfortunately the hook ups have changed.
Someone upthread (HImom?) said they didn’t care for their Milgard windows…we had our installed 17 years ago and have had problems 2-3 times with moisture getting in between the double panes. Every time we have had a very easy time getting a service person to come out and replace what needed replacing. In general, we’ve been very happy with our windows. Just wanted to share a positive experience 
We were originally told that the Milguard windows had a lifetime warranty and then there was backpedalling that it only was for areas OTHER than HI that there is lifetime warranty. They decided our entire state is corrosive and has NO warranty.
We had to try to get ANYONE from Milguard come and help us repair the corrosion that was ongoing. We have been VERY unsuccessful with getting help. After YEARS, we were able to get someone to come to our home and repair the corroded pins. We later were able to get someone who did an inventory and mailed us a whole bunch of parts that he said would help us with all the broken/corroded parts.
The parts that we received – all at our own cost including us paying the postage were all for windows that were totally different from the ones we own and we had to mail all of them back. NONE of the parts fit the windows we had. We had to mail them back and then hound them for a refund of the price of the erroneous parts and mailing. We finally had to enlist our credit card company to get reimbursed.
H had to research for years to figure out where to buy replacement parts from a 3rd party vendor, figure out the correct parts, order them, and get them for us, all out of our own pocket. We also have had mold and a leak from the installation of the windows. We will NEVER use Milguard again. 
@packer, my sis and her husband recently drove about 90 miles to a dealership that had the exact new SUV they were looking for. They intended to buy it. But it smelled of smoke. But it only had a couple of hundred miles on it. They were told a story about a salesman’s wife. They did not buy it.
We have Peachtree Windows that came with a lifetime warranty. What good is that?? The company is no longer in business.
This is a combination of good and bad. My Movado quartz watch, which had been running fine for 25 years (bought at a Movado outlet in Vermont) with just an occasional new battery, lost its stem. I brought it to the local trusted jewelry store, which sent it out to their local watch repair guy. It took two weeks to get it back, and cost $100 for the new gold stem. And then it stopped running the next day.
I figured the battery had died coincidentally with the repair, and brought it back for a new one, but a new battery didn’t help, and off it went to be repaired again. Two weeks later I stopped in to see what was happening, and the store refunded me the $100 and promised to find out what was causing the delay. Two more weeks passed, and I went back yesterday. The owner explained that there was exactly one person left in our area who did this kind of work, and he was notoriously unreliable about getting stuff done in a timely fashion. He called him while I was there, and literally begged him to complete the repair, which involved an overhaul/cleaning. He also said that sending it to Movado’s own repair service would have been even slower and cost a fortune.
Well, I got my watch back today, and so far so good. On the bright side, the store refused to charge a penny for anything because, in the owner’s words, it had been such a nightmare and I had been so patient. I was very impressed that it was handled in that way, when the whole thing wasn’t even the store’s fault. But it made me think about how the kind of craftsmen who repair watches and the like are fast disappearing from our world. The shoe repair guy I depend on (an adorable grump) must be pushing 80. Same goes for the man who repairs vacuum cleaners, small appliances and lamps from a tiny store next to a pizza parlor not far from my house. Surely their kids and grandkids wouldn’t be caught dead taking up the family business, and I’ve never heard of anyone else’s kid who expressed a desire to fix mundane stuff for a living. Lost arts, I guess.
Purchased a new car recently and really liked the look of the black leather interior in the showroom car. So that’s wha I ordered. Absolutely hate it. Every single finger print, crumb or smudge shows up with this color. I am constantly scrubbing the seats and interior doors down with those Armor wipes. Really regret this decision.
Just added the link for this thread to my bathroom reno bookmarks.
We have a GE mid-level fridge that has been a total piece of cr*p – seals are shot, plastic parts inside broke within a year, in-door shelves cracked with a normal load, etc. We have to use velcro straps to close the fridge door. The bottom freezer doesn’t close well, either. It’s seven years old. We’re talking about getting a new one, but the constraint is that we can only get a 30" width unless we remodel the kitchen. I don’t think we’re going to find something good in that size.
The latch on our dryer door is a PLASTIC part. The tech who came to repair it said we have to close the door gently so it doesn’t break. Said we are lucky it still runs, as the lifespan of a dryer these days is 5-7 years. WTH?!?!
@CountingDown – I had the same reaction about appliance life cycles. Most of the appliances in my house are 19+ years old, and have held up remarkably well. Not high end: GE Profile, Jenn Air, Kitchen Aid. I finally had to replace the Jenn Air double ovens and have been told that new ones may only last 5-7 years. GE Profile fridge will be here until it dies at is is semi-built in (cabinet depth) and will be impossible to replace without cutting down cabinets.
The free-standing huge freezer has died twice now, both times at five years old. The first time was our fault as someone left the door ajar overnight and the compressor burned out from running so hard, but the second time there was nothing to blame. The freezer is only opened once or twice a day. This is not a high volume appliance.
Dryer has also been replaced at five years. I don’t even bother calling for repair with the less expensive appliances; it just is not worthwhile.
^^^We have come to the conclusion that it’s not worth buying nicer appliances (and I’m talking GE Profile-level) because there’s no expectation they’ll last 20 years any more. We are on our 4th dishwasher in this house (18 years).
Just looked at prices for a 30" Subzero. Um, no.
[-O< I cannot complain I guess as all of stuff is now 13 years old and have had a few minor
repairs many that we have fixed ourselves (such as the plastic latch on the washer twice).
But tonight I think H cannot fix the dishwasher --it needs the door and a gizmo in it–so not worth it.
But why when we leave for a trip in 2 weeks, are looking at new window coverings and H bought an airline
ticket just yesterday. Why always all at once . Also, looking at cars.
I do really dislike the Hammock replacement I bought last summer. My old one was 20 years old and
faded but this new one seems to never dry from the rain and so wish I had not tossed the old one–for sentimental
reasons too.
I had no idea new appliances are only expected to last 5-7 years. We replaced all our kitchen appliances and our washer dryer with LG 14 years ago. Nothing has had to be repaired yet. My only complaint is that we were told that the dishwasher would be much quieter than the old Kenmore it replaced and that has not been the case. It does do a better job of washing the dishes, though.
i just replaced my 15 year old wooden front porch rockers that originally had a recall for finish on them (which I refused to return, i just painted each year). i loved those things–they were the most comfortable chairs ever–perfectly molded to my body. even though they had an issue, they were the good buy.
weirdly, wooden rockers were impossible to find over the years so when the christmas tree shop had them for $89 i couldnt get there fast enough.
OMG. i’ve never owned such an uncomfortable chair in my life–the back/seat are a full on right angle. while the finish is pristine white at the moment, they are essentially useless.
and to add insult to injury, i already got rid of the old ones.
i full on regret not sitting it one in the store-i was so blinded by the shiny newness that i lost my mind temporarily.
not a good buy.
There has been recent publicity about chain jewelers…Kay, Jared’s, Zales. Well, sure enough. Ods bought fdil’s engagement ring at Zales. One of the diamonds fell out!!!
At first, they decided to have it sent in for repair then later said, no, let’s get our money back and forget this. Zales won’t actually refund them their money until the ring is back in their store! I haven’t asked this week, but as of last Saturday, it still was not back. Meanwhile, they are going to a family run local jeweler for a new ring.
Last time I had refrigerator repaired (had it for 14 years) I debated on whether to repair or replace. The repairman (older man) said to keep it as long as possible and new ones wouldn’t last. I was doing better with the repair. His biggest personal complaint was nobody young was even interested in learning to do repairs. He had fired )more employees than he had kept. So not only will the appliance die but nobody can fix it either.
Not to mention I have a second frig going on 20 years that works SO much better. I dread the day it dies.
Oh, they are both the same brand. So the OLD one is already 6-7 years ahead in the repair game and the gap is growing).
And never shop at Sears for appliances (any more at least–when I grew up that was the place). You probably knew this already
. D needed a gas oven/range and Sears had a good candidate. After THREE months–needed major work–computer board or something. Warranty?. NOPE–gonna cost 400 bucks! Almost half the cost of the oven.Plus repair calls.
Never fear–someone ( a friend who had experienced this type fiasco (scam, fraud) already suggested a retro fix. Seems you could go back to the store and buy that service contract for $250 (that you didn’t think you’d ever need) retroactively and then get it fixed under the contract. Biting tongue but was cheapest alternative without needing therapy and wishing ill will on Sears into eternity. At least worth the therapy but still wishing ill on Sears.
@gouf78, I have had bad experiences with Sears, and their service, but I just bought Another warranty from them. It’s worked out well for us overall. Had a 2300 repair to AC, and they replaced the motherboard on our dryer. Turns out it was really a circuit breaker problem, and not a dryer problem, but Sears came out 3 times. Now our AC is freezing up (last repair was 2 years ago), so we will get this fixed also. We don’t have other options, because our furnace/ac were purchased in 2002, and to get a protection plan, seems companies want appliances to be less than 10 years old.
Our KitchenAid fridge is a built in counter depth fridge (came with the house - it’s small for our family size). We can’t put it on our plan because we didn’t have it on a plan before it was 10 years old. When it goes we will likely repair it, because replacing it would be very costly.
I’m not going to talk about my appliances. I don’t want to jinx anything! 
^^Same!!!
My husband HATES our GE French door fridge…hates it. I told him he only has to hate it for two more years…when it will be seven years old…and it will likely die.
Our refrigerator just died. We didn’t buy it – came with the house. It cost the old owner $3000. Repair guy said the repair would be $1000 and his company wouldn’t do it – Sears refused to do the repair too.
We’re going shopping for a fridge in about 15 minutes – and I really really hope that it’s a “good buy” and that I don’t need to add it to this thread!