They don't make 'em like they used to!

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Brewdude

Brewdude

Broken Pipe
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So I have this La-Z-Boy recliner I got back in '84 when I bought my first house. It wasn't cheap back then even on sale, but I figured spend the money once on a quality item and it will pay you back. Turns out I was right. 

In all this time it only had one problem with a spring which I was able to obtain from the factory and DIY. Only a couple bucks.

Recently, one of the brackets that supported the footrest on one side broke. Examining it, it became apparent that this was far beyond a DIY job. Too many details to go into, despite the fact it was rather obvious.

Basically the entire assembly of the footrest brackets on that side need to be removed in order to replace this one particular bracket. And in order to do that it looks like the seat needs to be removed and some of the fabric material seems to be permanently affixed!

So, I called up the local corporate office and got the repair dept. They said they don't do in-home repairs but I could bring the recliner into their location, which isn't really very far from me.

They would have to determine whether they can get the parts for a 31 year old recliner before apprising me of the repair status. So I'll probably have to leave it with them until they can decide this.

The punch line is that due to the age (31 years) there would be no charge for the repairs! Yes you read that right! Back them they had a lifetime warranty!

The way that I see it, this chair has plenty more years life left in it and could see me out. Ya, they don't build them like they used to.

And while I'm on the subject, I'm still using the Amana Touchmatic microwave oven I also got in '84 (maybe '83). Going like a champ with no loss of power or problems.

Also had a Toshiba grind and brew coffemaker I got in the mid 80's that lasted me 23 years with one element replacement and one basket. Sadly they don't make them anymore.

So what are your "they don't build them like they used to" stories?



Cheers,

RR
 
Well, I gotta say your a bit more frugal then me BD. After owning something for 30 years and it gives out and I can't repair it, I figure it's time to dust off the pocket book and get me a new one.

And for my "they don't build them like they used to" I still have the complete 1940's waterfall bedroom set
I bought at a Salvation Army store a few years before I got married back in 1977, in pretty much the same condition (Very Good) only with a bit newer mattress and box spring, wait,.......NO! same box spring.
I've got boots Tony Lama's and Justin's (When they were made in America)I bought back then that still look pretty new but, there still not as old as the bedroom set. ;)
 
I've got the double bed my folks had when I was born and they got it back in '43. It was made in Peterborough, New Hampshire back in 1784. It was adapted to use a modern box spring and mattress back when my folks got it and it's got a mattress I bought in the early '80s on it now. It's been a good bed and works well with several of the other 18th century pieces I have and use in my house today. Would these count? :twisted: :twisted:
 
The single most frequent debate topic my missus and I have had in the past 42 years is this-- "Resolved: It is poor management to replace something that has plenty of good use left in it." I take the pro side, she takes the con.
 
La-Z-Boy from 1994. The ratchet that holds the chair tilted with the leg rest up wore out. The teeth were worn smooth. A fifteen minute session with a Dremel tool freshened the grooves and we're back in business.
 
By way of an epilogue to the La-Z-Boy adventure, today I took the chair down to the local company headquarters. Actually just the lower portion of the recliner, since the back of the chair wasn't involved and it slides right off via 2 brackets. Much easier to transport that way as well.

The front office gal called a tech and I showed him the problem. A broken bracket, and he took the chair to see if he had one in stock. There was some question about this due to the age of the chair (31 years).

Waited in the front lobby and after like 15 minutes the tech came out and wanted me to come back to the shop area. Said it was good news.

It turned out he had the bracket in stock and had already replaced it. He then proceeded to show me how it was attached and how to re-assemble the parts from there. Seemed pretty straightforward once I saw the procedure. Just would need a long extension for a socket set. Otherwise all standard stuff. So now I can DIY if need be.

The tech was very courteous and I was impressed with their CS. 15 minutes there and I had the repaired chair ready to go home. And no charge! Just cost me my time and gas. I'll gladly pay that anytime.

So I have my favorite recliner back on a new lease on life. Hopefully it gives me another 31 years! Gotta say La-Z-Boy stands behind their products. They never even asked me for a receipt of purchase (which of course I no longer have), although the mfr information was on the tag still attached to the chair. A bit faded though.

Once again, they don't build them like they used to!

I love a happy ending!


:sunny: 



Cheers,

RR
 
BD, Great to hear there are people and manufacturers out there that still care about there work and customers and not just the all mighty buck. A lot of people could stand to learn something from Lazy Boy which is truly an Oxymoron for Conscientious people who care.
 
Cartaphilus":hi554n4j said:
BD, Great to hear there are people and manufacturers out there that still care about there work and customers and not just the all mighty buck. A lot of people could stand to learn something from Lazy Boy which is truly an Oxymoron for Conscientious people who care.  
Click to expand...

Truer words were never spoken Ron. La-Z-Boy is a class act afaic.

:cheers:



Cheers,

RR


edit to add: they never once asked me for my e-mail addy so I could write a review about this. So many sites make this a SOP. Very refreshing to know that they won't be bombarding me with adverts about their new sales and such!

That speaks volumes about their integrity.
 
Hey Rande,

I've been following your thread with interest, and have had my fingers crossed for you. It seems like you've had a great outcome! Top marks to Lazy Boy!

This for me is like one of those 'feel good' films as it has shown a little glimmer of retail hope amid a sea of day to day rubbish. Sadly I believe that service like that is a very rare thing these days.

Great result Rande! Made up for you!
 
Bummer for me, I just got rid of a 35 year old Lazy Boy recliner which was literally falling apart from the inside, metal parts dropping to the ground left and right. I had no idea they honored a lifetime warranty. I just figured old ugly chair falling apart = time to call Goodwill. Oh well...
 
Never had such good luck with furniture. I've got a knockoff Eames chair that's held up alright, but I've only had it for about ten years and it was unused for about thirty before that. I've got some power tools that belonged to my father. Heavy, ugly metal beasts that are apparently immortal.
Anyone know about camping stoves? Eklektos, maybe? Back in '89 I bought a used Svea. Sounds like a jet engine firing up. I hadn't seen it it many years and had written it off as "lost in a box during a move". I found it in the basement a few months ago, green with verdigris. (They're made of brass.) I noticed it still had some fuel in it and thought I'd give it a try. It lit right up like it had been used yesterday!
 
Great testimony Rande. My folks had a Lazy Boy way back when that seemed to last forever too.

Personally I have a 1963 Fender Precision bass that just seems to go on and on. :D

:cheers:
 
RobJ":wikmiymv said:
Great testimony Rande. My folks had a Lazy Boy way back when that seemed to last forever too.

Personally I have a 1963 Fender Precision bass that just seems to go on and on. :D

:cheers:
Click to expand...
Yup. Old Fenders never die - they just get better with age.


Cheers,

RR
 
Just had to resurrect this old thread.

I'm reminded that my trusty beer fridge is still going strong after prolly 50-odd years!

Got it back in the mid-80's. Saw it in someone's yard back in Ma-wa-kee for free, and took it home. It's the older style with rounded corners. No auto-defrost. So that puts it somewhere in the 60's to my mind.

The squared corners came out late 60's/early 70's iirc. At least that's when I remember my folks getting one of the newer fridges in. And that was one of the finishes that was brown with frosted edges. They also offered avacado frosted, sunrise frosted (yellowish) among others.

In any event, this unit is an old Hotpoint warhorse. It's survived 4-5 moves, one clear across the country, been bumped around, put on its side, and always came up fighting. And it still works perfect. Yes, it's an electric energy hog. But they built them to last back then. I can live with that.

I use it for my draft beer. Have 2 taps in the door. My own beer, of course. And it does need manual defrosting occasionally. NBD.

Cosmetically, it's not so nice. Some chips out of the enamel on the door are now rusting. But it lives in my garage, so beauty is not important. Performance is.

I actually had an older beer fridge - an International Harvester brand (believe it or not) that was prolly early 60's production. Maybe even late 50's! Had a great big handle and a very small freezer. Ran that for 25 years before giving it to a fellow brewer. Always worked great, but it was smaller and I needed more capacity.

Yup, they don't make 'em like they used to. Not even close.

Anyone else have a story?

:rabbit:


Cheers,

RR
 
We were gifted a large Samsung microwave in 95 when we got married. That thing made 4 cross country moves and numerous local moves and never had a single issue with it. The wife insisted it was time for a new one this year. She thinks its gone to GoodWill but it sits out in the shed waiting for the new one to kick the bucket.

Jim
 
huffelpuff":ozuoba3o said:
We were gifted a large Samsung microwave in 95 when we got married. That thing made 4 cross country moves and numerous local moves and never had a single issue with it. The wife insisted it was time for a new one this year. She thinks its gone to GoodWill but it sits out in the shed waiting for the new one to kick the bucket.

Jim
Click to expand...
:lol!:
 
“They don’t make ‘em ...”. I’d say a good example of this is power equipment, especially that used for home use. The new ones are less durable than the old ones and often have a useful life that is estimated by hours of use. Also, modern gasoline hastens the demise of the small engines. Last time I bought a new leaf blower, the dealer separated them by estimating how many hours they’d give. I bought the 50-hour model and, sure enough, it started spewing white smoke then quit right on schedule.
 
huffelpuff":hpg6sgrf said:
We were gifted a large Samsung microwave in 95 when we got married. That thing made 4 cross country moves and numerous local moves and never had a single issue with it. The wife insisted it was time for a new one this year. She thinks its gone to GoodWill but it sits out in the shed waiting for the new one to kick the bucket.

Jim
Click to expand...
I get it Jim. My Amana microwave I got back around '83/'84 continues to work perfectly. I use it everyday and it doesn't seem to have lost any of its power.

And the La-Z-boy is still going strong. Although I am now a little more gentle when deploying the footrest and extension!


Cheers,

RR
 
This is my 1968 Volkswagen Beetle ... gonna be an antique next year.

68Beetle01.jpg


68Beetle02.jpg


I wish there was some way for me to know how many miles that it has on it, but there's just no way to know definitively.

The title that I received when I bought it 10 years ago read "NA" in the odometer slot, so one can only wonder.

I use it as a daily driver, and I have put about 52,000 miles on it, since I bought it, doing short errands around town.

But I have also taken it across the Sierra Madre, up mountains that would make a Billy goat dizzy, without a hitch.

And sure, it needs a little bit of love once in awhile, but that's the nice thing about these cars: you can fix pretty much anything and everything yourself.

And rarely does a repair cost you more than a hundred bucks.

Oh, did I mention the gas mileage? I'm getting 25 mpg in the city and 30 on the highway. Not bad for a 49 year old car, eh?

Oh, and sorry, it's not for sale. Hardly a day passes that somebody doesn't ask me about that.

Somehow, I can't help but think that the automobile industry went astray somewhere along the way.
 
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