Zenith blows- A rant on spending money on shit.

[johnnie]

About a year ago I bought a 5.1 surround Zenith system with DVD and VHS. After about a half a year, the DVD door would "stick". When it did the sound would cut out for a while, then it would eventually kick back in. That went on for a few months and then one night the door wouldn't open at all. I got a little ticked off, and more than gently opened the door. It was stuck in open mode for a while until I opened it up and fixed it. That worked for about two weeks and then the door wouldn't open again and I had a CD in there. Tonight I decided to work on it and I could not open that thing no matter what I did. then the sound went off and no matter how many times I unplugged it and let it sit, or pressed whatever button I couldn't get it to work. No sound, no anything.
I was on the phone and for the hell of it I pressed the "open" button and the friggin' thing opened. I put a CD in and it started playing and now the sound is on.
What happened to the days when you could buy electronic equipment (or anything really) and it would work for longer than a year? I have purchased a few items in the last few years that took a crap after a few months. Are we really that much of a "bic lighter" society?

[XemaSab]

1. You're still using a tape player?

You should go get a DVD player!

[johnnie]

8. It is a DVD player

What am I missing?

[XemaSab]

11. you're missing the 21st century

go buy more crap!

now!

[johnnie]

12. This is the 21st?

Crap! I guess I should get rid of my Victrola.

[BikeWriter]

2. Planned obsolescence. It's supposed to break.

[johnnie]

10. Like printer cartridges

From what I understand, they are set to stop after a certain time, and most of the times it is before you are out of ink.

Edit: had to fix it

[BikeWriter]

14. They don't last long enough to get your money worth, no.

[GOPisEvil]

3. I've got an Onkyo cd player made in 1986.

It still works great (aside from not playing some cds with all that new-fangled crap on it :eyes:). I don't know what's happened lately, but nowadays it seems like stuff is so cheap we just toss it and buy new stuff because it's cheaper than getting things repaired. And we wonder why we have a trade imbalance with all of Asia...

[johnnie]

5. A funny thing is

I bought a 60 dollar DVD player at CVS for the bedroom and it plays everything. The Zenith and my Phillips won't play some stuff, but that little shittin CVS player plays fine. Go figure.

[GOPisEvil]

7. I bought an 80 dollar DVD player 3 or 4 years ago...so you know it's crap.

But...it works every time I turn it on. Mintek, I think it's called. :shrug:

[johnnie]

9. I just looked

The one I got for 60 bucks is a MidiLand :shrug:. It will probably work for the next 30 years.

[Fenris]

13. My dad has an Onkyo 6-disc changer from 1986-87.

It uses a magazine cartridge (like they used to put in cars) and it has never had problems. And my dad plays it constantly. Great little bit of machinery.

[GOPisEvil]

15. Anything made by Onkyo is worth the price.

I bought this thing on ebay, a great $40 investment if I say so myself.

[Union Thug]

19. I've had my Kenwood receiver, POS sony cd player and BOSE

bookshelf speakers since 1992! All still work normally.

Meanwhile, the relatively new TV I have (three years old) is dying a slow death.

Oh, my 1962 Austin Healey sprite starts on the first turn of the key (yeah, it needs a new radiator, but geezus, it's over 40 years old)..Meanwhile, one of the chips that drives my two year car (yeah, so it's a kia) burned out and the clutch feels like it's dying. This car...and just about every other new car on the road today, will have been long dead 40 years from now. I'll bet, short of a tragic accident, the Healey still runs..so long as normal upkeep is maintained!

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

4. My brother used to work on movie sets as a carpenter...

Until he was injured rather badly and is now disabled. He would have to head into work very early in the AM to get to the shoot. When he was working on "Die Hard II" that was in Manhattan. He told me that you would see the most outrageous things left out for the trashmen, like whole leather livingroom sets in new condition, whole like-new computers and all sorts of things like that.

Some people have more money than brains.

[johnnie]

6. OK

:shrug:

[TreasonousBastard]

16. I got half the house I built...

by dumpster diving in the city.

That was a long time ago-- before people starting fighting over the good stuff on the sidewalk.

[miss_kitty]

17. I bought my Sony CD player in 1986,

works like a charm, but I did take it in to be serviced once, about fifteen years ago. The door was stuck.

I don't think I would ever buy a 'system' I have a 1982 NAD amp and Polk speakers from the same era. Never needed work, except a cleaning once for the amp.
I had a 70s AR turntable I gave away and it still works. My Panasonic VCR lasted over 10 years, my Panasonic TV, over 20, and now I have a super cheap RCA VCR that I don't expect to last. A friend gave me a spiffy Philips telly when my old one died and he got a flat screen.

Good luck with your mess, johnnie.

[johnnie]

18. Thank you

It's playing now. I don't know how long it will keep it up though.

[Mutley]

20. I'm convinced that cheap brands work better than expensive brands.

I've had an Apex TV (never heard of that brand until I bought that TV) for three years with no problems, even after a lot of abuse (it's been dropped, kicked, hit with flying objects, and a magnet was stuck on it for awhile). But, I bought a little 13" Sony TV for my bedroom that died before a year went by.