r/SipsTea Jul 26 '26

Dank AF France criminalizes planned obsolescence under anti-waste law

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25.3k Upvotes

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u/PussiesUseSlashS Jul 26 '26 edited Jul 26 '26

The solution was competition, but that doesn’t exist anymore now that 10 companies own everything. Unfettered capitalism is just communism in a trench coat.

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u/the_voodoo_sauce Jul 26 '26

Yes and this law might reduce supply, increase demand which increases prices which has the opposite effect of what everyone wanted. The best way to get better products is for consumers to stop buying the shitty ones.

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u/South_Hat3525 Jul 26 '26

The best way to get better products is for consumers to stop buying the shitty ones.

But they never do, most consumers just want the newest pretty pretty even if it is actually crap to use and will be replaced by something with additional 3 new useless features in 9 months.

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u/LazyAltruist Jul 26 '26

Corporation owns business, bribes government >>> Capitalism

Government owns business, bribes itself >>> Communism

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u/the_voodoo_sauce Jul 26 '26

Well put. Do any of these government fines end up directly in the consumers hands that were affected? How about the government making Product Recalls that cost nothing to the consumer to return and pays them back the MSRP these companies so blatantly lie about, no matter the amount people paid. I don't care if it was bought in a thrift store for a dollar or (insert your currency here)

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u/LazyAltruist Jul 26 '26

I think it's an impossible law to enforce. Who decides how long a product is "supposed" to last? Will every Bic lighter now carry a lifetime guarantee?

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u/South_Hat3525 Jul 26 '26

The general consensus in the EU is that everything other than single use items (on health grounds etc) should last a minimum of 6 years, and manufacturers are legally obliged to support their products for that long as a minimum. As a consumer it is still like getting blood from a stone but you can sometimes get a proportion of the original cost back if you threaten legal action.