They are really supposed to help make our lives a lot easier. However some household appliances now include confusing features that many of us don’t want and which could be driving up costs, according to a new study shared by the Chicago appliance repair technicians at Premium Appliance Repair.
A consumer watchdog has found that extra functions such as the ‘duvet cycle’ on many washing machines or the delay timers fitted to some appliances are hardly ever used by householders tackling daily chores.
Gimmick-laden washing machines fare particularly badly in a survey of 10,500 adults carried out by a consumer watchdog.
Among the top ten features ‘you can live without’ are those that enable owners to operate a pre-wash, soaking dirty clothes before the main wash, or to clean a duvet.
In the poll, 66 per cent of people said they hardly ever or never used the duvet cycle.
Even less popular was the pause wash, which allows householders to stop their machines in mid-cycle if, say, they spot a black sock in with the whites. Only five per cent of people said they used this feature regularly.
On fridge-freezers, ‘holiday’ settings, which allow the fridge section to be turned off while keeping the freezer on when people are away, got the thumbs-down. Extra rinse cycles on dishwashers are a particular irritant, while there was little enthusiasm for delay controls on various appliances, which allow people to start the process when electricity rates are lowest.
But not all extras are bad, the survey found. The frost-free setting on fridge-freezers, which circulates air to prevent them frosting up, was judged the most useful ‘extra’ in the kitchen. Fan-assisted ovens and alarms warning householders when the fridge door is left open were also praised.
These findings are being sent to manufacturers in the hope they might influence future design and cut prices. People obviously want fewer gimmicks, especially if they drive up the prices of appliances. Extra rinse cycles for dishwashers and holiday settings for fridge-freezers just aren’t worth having if these features are never used and increase the cost of the appliance too.