[Nerevarine76]

Wow, that sounds like some serious liability for the manufacturer. Given these regulations I imagine these kinds of products in Australia are quite expensive relative to less restrictive countries.

I also don't fully understand the need for laws to fix the "planned obsolescence" issue - if a manufacturer's products consistently broke shortly after the warranty expired (well before expected end of lifetime), why would anyone continue to purchase from that crap manufacturer...

[simonh]

> why would anyone continue to purchase from that crap manufacturer...

So the people who buy first should just get shafted? That's a license to manufacturers to bring out as crappy products as possible, then just change brand name or do a buyout or something every few years. If you say it's ok to sell rubbish products, then that's what will happen. The Chinese consumer market is a prime example of this, quality control and consumer rights over there are practically nonexistent. The consumer market is a cesspit of scams, fakes, substandard and dangerous products.

Regulation in a democracy is actually a sign of a functioning free market. It's just consumers (voters) getting together and exercising their rights to negotiate terms with suppliers who otherwise would hold all the cards. Markets depend on fair access to information to function. Product standards simply ensure consumers know and understand the quality of the product they are buying, which as individuals we don't all have the ability or resources to determine. That's why commodities markets, one of the cornerstones of the free market economic system, are based on trading highly standardized goods because that's the only way to scale up trading volumes and market efficiencies at the level they operate at.

[lmm]

> I also don't fully understand the need for laws to fix the "planned obsolescence" issue - if a manufacturer's products consistently broke shortly after the warranty expired (well before expected end of lifetime), why would anyone continue to purchase from that crap manufacturer...

There's an information asymmetry - if a previously-reputable manufacturer starts cheaping out on quality to save money, consumers have no way of knowing until a few years later. And unfortunately this seems to be a common pattern.

[chrischen]

What I intentionally design and market a TV that only lasts 2 years, in exchange for a lower price. This law would prevent that.

What would hapoen to the disposible plates and utensils industries?

[lmm]

> What I intentionally design and market a TV that only lasts 2 years, in exchange for a lower price. This law would prevent that.

No it wouldn't? The law is that the product is required to last as long as the customer reasonably expects it to last, if it's explicitly advertised as lasting for 2 years then the customer can't reasonably expect it to last longer.

[lysp]

> Wow, that sounds like some serious liability for the manufacturer. Given these regulations I imagine these kinds of products in Australia are quite expensive relative to less restrictive countries.

It's expensive(ish) here anyway, mostly due to lack of competition. A country of 25m people surrounded by water, we're stuck with local manufacturers or importing (without local warranty).

> I also don't fully understand the need for laws to fix the "planned obsolescence" issue - if a manufacturer's products consistently broke shortly after the warranty expired (well before expected end of lifetime), why would anyone continue to purchase from that crap manufacturer...

Because maybe that's all the person can afford.

[Broken_Hippo]

I also don't fully understand the need for laws to fix the "planned obsolescence" issue - if a manufacturer's products consistently broke shortly after the warranty expired (well before expected end of lifetime), why would anyone continue to purchase from that crap manufacturer...

Not knowing upfront, for example. Assuming their one failure was simply unlucky. Pessimism (deciding all manufacturers design products this way). Lack of money. Seldom used product. Lack of selection. Assuming that it was that one product from manufacturer x instead of their entire line of 200+ products (and of course a few will miss). Researching and realizing product B was really manufactured by Y instead of X, unlike most of their other product lines. Realizing product B was made to be cheaper to sell at Walmart, so you weren't getting the "good" brand you thought you were. Negative review overload (all of them have faults, it seems).