RJ_Ramrod commented on An example of why the right to independent repair is so important. reddit
it's definitely no McDowell's, that's for damn sure
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RJ_Ramrod commented on An example of why the right to independent repair is so important. reddit
When I was a kid, we had local "fix it" shops owned by old guys who understood motors and how to replace parts of anything mechanical. The products we had were mostly made of metal, glass, fabric, wood and rubber. They were made to last. Toasters, televisions, hair dryers, blenders, vaccums, even bicycles could be repaired on site, often while you waited. Anything was repairable if you wanted, usually for a few dollars. Parts were available.
We owned our own phones and they lasted a lifetime. The only reason anybody replaced them was to get button pressing ones that could hang on the wall instead of rotary ones that needed to be on a table top. My old phones STILL work.
People could buy products second hand and often did because they didn't break down. My grandparents gave us old products they didn't want anymore. Ham radios, shoe shiners, an exercise machine that juggled your fat from a strap that went around your waist, an ironing press for sheets, many cars 5-10 years old, wooden sleds, wooden skis, so many more working products made to last.
Manufacturers took pride in the quality of their workmanship. Most products had "lifetime guarantees". I think only Craftsman tools still honor that, and LLBean. I bought my kids LLBean backpacks with life time guarantees. One time a zipper broke after 6 years of use. They replaced the backpack at no charge.
People who saved and bought a product bought it ONE TIME. The only reason they would buy another was for size or style, like when televisions became color.
yeah but on the bright side, at least we don't have to walk thirty miles to & from school anymore
Ralph Nader would turn over in his grave to see the world today.
well at least he's not here to see it so thank god for that—I just hope that wherever he is, it's a lot like Washington, D.C.
RJ_Ramrod commented on Hey! Remember… reddit
"Sorry kid we gotta stay here & make shitloads of money off of all these weapons that we manufactured just in case we managed to provoke an international crisis exactly like this"