The problem is that the consumer usually has no way to compare quality easily, and so all they have to go on is sticker price. As a result the incentive is for companies to reduce sticker price at the expense of quality.
If you ask a consumer whether they want a $500 product that lasts 10 years or a $200 product that lasts 2 years, they'll happily pay extra for the higher quality product. But that's not usually the choice they're presented with.
I think a solution to planned obsolescence would be to mandate prominent labelling of lifetime guarantees.
>The problem is that the consumer usually has no way to compare quality easily
That used to be true and is an example of information asymmetry in markets - classic example being the used car market [0]. It is much less so now, when was the last time you bought anything substantial without reading a review of it or checking the customer ratings?
>If you ask a consumer whether they want a $500 product that lasts 10 years or a $200 product that lasts 2 years, they'll happily pay extra for the higher quality product.
That's not necessarily true - value decisions are more complex than that. Depending on the market, those two price points may be in different segments based on (e.g.) disposable income. Sure, for Alice, who has $500 disposable income available for a particular purchase, this might be a no brainer, but for Bob with only $200, not so much. See also Vimes' boots theory of socioeconomic unfairness [1], hyperbolic discounting [2]
aninhumer pointed out the main flaw in this line of reasoning but it's not just the lack of long term data. Many companies change models frequently or make quiet design changes – e.g. the blender given a good reliability review changes a couple of years in to replace metal gears with plastic, which requires a teardown to see. If you go to Costco, Sam's Club, etc. count how many things have slightly different specs and model numbers than the ones you can find reviews for, etc. The last time we bought a washing machine, only one of the models which Consumer Reports had recommended a little over a year before was still offered for sale in our region – everything else had changed and most online reviews were just “we got it last week and it's great” comments which don't tell you anything about long-term experience.
In some cases, you can simply conclude that an entire brand is either unreliable or trustworthy (e.g. Apple doesn't sell Walmart edition devices which break within 18 months) but in most cases you have to do a lot more research to know what level you're getting.
> It is much less so now, when was the last time you bought anything substantial without reading a review of it or checking the customer ratings?
Besides the already mentioned point of reviews being made too soon to be able to reflect on product lifetime, keep in mind that easily available (e.g. on the shop site) on-line reviews are mostly bullshit anyway. It's mostly a mix of people being affiliated with producers or paid to endorse a product, with an occasional person which is too dumb to operate something correctly but quick to drop a 1-star rating with a nonsense explanation. To get any sensible reviews, you actually have to know some trustworthy reviewers - be it a site you follow or a friend you know. Either way, maintaining sources of trusted reviews requires some effort, so you won't be doing that for most of the product you buy anyway.
>when was the last time you bought anything substantial without reading a review of it or checking the customer ratings?
But reviews don't tend to judge product lifetime that well, because they're usually written within the first month a product comes out.
I think the only way you can get reliable information on lifetime is by forcing companies to provide it, and guarantee it. (Or put a big sticker on their product saying "0 years guaranteed")
>Depending on the market, those two price points may be in different segments based on (e.g.) disposable income.
I feel like I see a lot of reasonable sounding financing in the markets I'm thinking of, but perhaps I'm remembering times before 2008.
If you ask a consumer whether they want a $500 product that lasts 10 years or a $200 product that lasts 2 years, they'll happily pay extra for the higher quality product. But that's not usually the choice they're presented with.
I think a solution to planned obsolescence would be to mandate prominent labelling of lifetime guarantees.