content: Buy uncomplicated models, top-middle-of-the-pack brand. This encourages good brands to compete with top dogs and when they become top dogs, you ditch them. The only practical way to keep monopolies out of your life without government intervention (happens always too late anyway). My fridge is 10 years old and still going strong. My washing machine is 18 yrs old but no longer works correctly for automatic drying (that was the complicated part). It still washes just fine and I changed the belt once.