Yeah mate, here in Oz we've still got the shiits with that US company who stole our beaut UGG Boots, trade-marked the brand name then sued anyone in Oz selling UGG Boots, those sneaky thieving fukkers..........
But your point about home appliances failing is interesting, shortly after I bought my then 9 year old house 12 years ago, I got a knock on the door from a tech from the company who installed my hot water system when the house was built.
He asked if he could check the sacrificial anode in the tank, as it was due to be replaced? I said, "OK......", thinking that this might be some sort of scam? We went out to the tank, he pulled the anode, and yep, it was all but chewed away. He asked me if I'd like him to replace it (for around 100 bucks) and I said, "OK.....".
He said the tank would be fine for another 10 years, and he'd come back and replace it again. He also told me to occasionally use the external bypass valve to flush any rust out of the tank.
Fast forward 10 years, and I get a knock on the door, and it's the anode dude. Same thing, he checks the anode, it's all but eaten away, he replaces it ($130) and off he goes. My tank is now 21 years old, and I've never had a problem with it. My mother in law has replaced two tanks in that time, so I tell her about the anode thing and she calls her plumber (who's replaced both of her tanks) and he tells her it's all bullshiit.
I tell her that Euro-Trash cars now come with a sacrificial anode installed to stop them from rusting in wet cold conditions, on roads covered in salt etc, and she pretty much tells me that I'm full of shiit. (which is true, but uncalled for) I daydream about how I'm gonna spend her money when she's dead....... Which will probably piss her off, so I hope she doesn't come back and haunt me.
