Yesterday I had one of those moments. I said, "C'mon! You mean that's it?"
I was disgusted!
It's the same old story we are all growing so tired of. Things don't last. At all.
We have two freezers. I always buy the biggest we can find. One is full of meats. One is full of veggies, breads, pizzas and stuff.
Three years ago our big, 25 year-old freezer, don't remember the brand, died. I went to buy another and got a huge Whirlpool because, 1. it is big and 2. it was on sale!
It died a couple of days ago. Remember, I said three years old. Scrambling to empty the meat to store in various friends' and neighbors' freezers for a few days, we called a repair guy. I assumed it would be cheaper to fix it than to buy a 
new one.
But really, THREE YEARS OLD!
The guy came right on time. He did an evaluation and determined, "It's definitely the motor." Then he showed me a schematic diagram to show me what it looks like and where it is in the mechanism. "It will take me about 15 minutes to remove the old one and install a new one."
Impressively he had his computer with him, with his own WiFi, and looked it up.
"Not bad, sir. It's only $321.16! Should I order it?"
I thought, OK, it's a motor and it's certainly cheaper than buying a new freezer. "Order it."
"I'll have it sent directly here so it will be here when I come back. I can return Monday."
Fine. He ordered it. It came in the mail. When it arrived, I did not know what it was, so I opened the box. Looking inside I had no idea what it was! I read the paper work.
YOU ARE LOOKING AT THE NEW "MOTOR" FOR MY FREEZER! Yes, that's a spare car key beside it.
Out loud I said, "C'MON! YOU MEAN THAT'S IT?"
Yep! $321.16. I will break even if I have to order 5 more of these over the next 15 years!
Oh, the sticker says, "Made in China." Figures.
I hope I get at least another three years...
Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC 
Based in Bristow, serving all of Northern Virginia.
Office (703) 330-6388 Cell (703) 585-7560
We have more freezers than people in our house for the soup storage...the whatever is on sale...the Sally made 3x as much...and wow 3 years ! not sure the brands of any of ours...maybe a walk thru consumer reports will save you from a lifetime investment of "motors"....or maybe we are both in the wrong business and motors are more profitable !
No matter S&D! That manufacturing has been moved to China! We get our meats from an organic Angus farm in rural Virginia. We buy a quarter or a half of a steer, when we have room, and they cut and wrap what we request. It's a great way to buy and cheaper! Not to mention healthier...
You would have liked the story in my free enterprise quote the other day. It's about my daughter.
I am fortunate that my appliance repair service knows to give me the replacement costs if it is OVER $300 so I can determine if it needs to be repaired OR replaced!
That's what he did for me too Wallace. A new freezer this size, on sale, is almost $2K. So the new motor works, but for how long? I was a bit surprised at the size of the unit!
Building a freezer by purchasing after-market components, it would probably cost $300K!
Hi Jay,
I think a lot of parts even in computers go bad. Some seem to go bad at the worst time.
It could have been worse. You couls have had to buy a new unit.
Have a great weekend.
Best, Clint mcKie
I feel ya Jay, that sounds like my kind of luck. My wife is wanting a new upright freezer. We scraped and put up 200 ears of corn this week.
I'd say it works like it looks, cheap. Unfortunately for you what it looks and operates like is apparently not in line with it's cost. I be a bit ticked off myself.
I did what I could NOT to have to buy a new unit Clint! And those computer parts that go bad are probably made in China too...
I love to freeze corn on the cob Wayne! It's great to have it in the winter! One of my favorite foods!
The cost looks way, way out of whack Jim, for what you get in return anyway. Maybe they mailed it from Shanghai. Come to think of it, I feel shanghaied!
That appears to be one of those parts that say "GOTCHA" because they know you can't do without it.
You are probably right J&R. They got you. Thus the price.
So sorry to hear this, Jay. This stinks. I keep going through my blue tooths (teeth?). Now, I don't feel as bad.
The made in China piece always make me crazy. Hopefully, we can get the corporate tax system set up so that companies in America can get back to manufacturing here.
It is getting ridiculous Debbie. Nothing lasts. They will start selling warranty extensions beginning in year two, knowing most people will buy one because they know the thing will break. Oh wait! That's happening now!
Joe - Ford's most recent, largest and most profitable factory was built in Brazil just a few years ago. It is cheaper for them to ship the cars into the country for sale. And it has nothing to do with corporate taxes. It might just have a bit of a hint to do with unions however...
It's a shame... things aren't made like they once were.
Rob
Definitely one of those "You gotta be kidding me!" moments. I had a washer go after three years. Made me so mad!!!
Everything's obsolescence is planned Rob, and apparently essential to the economy. What does that tell you?
Kathryn - it is awful. It's time to stop buying stuff unless the MANUFACTURER gives a long warranty.
Nothing last as long as it should or as long as it used to. I'm replacing things faster and faster these days while my parents had the same washer and dryer and refrigerator for nearly 30 years. I think it goes along with the same conspiracy theory there's money in the treatment not in the cure. Nobody's making money if the product works forever. It makes me sick
I say no friggin way---I smell something not quite right.
Jay, It's the plastic components and planned obsolescence that caused us to get a home warranty starting a few years ago. So far, I think we're way ahead on that deal.
Jay -- THREE YEARS??? My brother is still using the freezer my folks bought back around 1960! We bought our large one (31 cu ft) back in 1980 or 81 - and it is still doing well. How large is this freezer, and if it is larger than 25 cf, where did you find it?
Hello Jay,
Hmmmm, so hoping you get at least 3 years that's $100 a year...that certainly cuts into the meat savings! It seems as if all appliances are now disposable - hard to think any will last 20 years + anymore.
Are we making freezers now the way we used to make cars...planned obsolescence? Bummer.
Jay, it seems all new appliances do not last like older ones did, neither do new furniture...
but $300+ for that? Crazy
Tammy - this seems to be built into the economy "booming" doesn't it?
Charlie - I cleaned up everything before the smell got too bad. Actually we emptied almost everything into other people's freezers. I think that's called OPF.
Bliz - the very fact that extended warranties are sold now with products says it all, doesn't it?
Steven - that one is still working maybe, but it is probably costing him more per year in electricity than it would cost to buy a new one! One thing about new refrigeration is that new compressor technology is dramatically more efficient. But ... no lasto!
It would Lisa, except we dumped everything into other peoples' freezers! We did have to have a pizza party though. But they all got et!
Karl - we make EVERYTHING we way we make EVERYHING! That's the bummer! Actually we aren't making it anyway - it's made elsewhere and assembled elsewhere and you and I get to pay for bringing it here!
Chris - I bet if we built a freezer by purchasing all the parts on the after market, it would cost $400K!
Jay that dang this is worth its weight in silver!! I friggen p-ed at these manufacturers. They make repairing the unit almost not worth it. Just not right.
Jay- don't get me started. Our old mechanic used to tell us to drive our cars and sell them before the warranty expires because they just don't make them like they used to. It used to be that you would have something fixed or fix it yourself. Not it just doesn't pay. Like my husband says, when your printer head goes on your printer, it's cheaper to buy a new printer. And that's why our landfills are getting bigger and bigger.
It is ridiculous Don. See what I said in #25? That's probably true.
Kathy - our landfills will never be filled!
That stadium, now called RFK stadium, was built on the oldest and largest landfill in Washington DC. I read an editorial in the Post, written in 1880, which said that landfill would indeed FILL the whole earth.
It turns out that landfills make excellent foundations for really heavy stuff, like stadiums!
You can see the US Capitol building in the distance, straight up the road, one mile from this former landfill! A couple of miles beyond that is the house I grew up in. Can you see it?
It would take a lot of printer heads to make a foundation for that place!
I would expect that in that part price, aside from underwriting his service trips, your appliance repairman is also paying for the WIFI service that he used for the quote.
His cost for that part (wholesale) is likely much more reasonable.
I called Sears Appliance Repair Robert, because they guarantee the repair for a year. And the freezer is now fixed!