7 amThat's how the lyrics to one of my favorite Incubus songs begins. And while they're melodically tackling a more philosophical topic, I never really considered how much stuff I've thrown away (and I guess in a philosophical sense too...)
The garbage truck
Beeps as it backs up
And I start my day thinking about
What I've thrown away
- 11AM, Incubus, Morning View (Sony Music, 2001)
It seems our society has an attitude of convenience rather than an attitude of quality. We always want what we haven't got - we're never happy with what we have. We'd rather spend three times as much to get a new one than to take the time and energy to fix anything that's broken. Even though our family couldn't afford a lot when I was growing up, one thing my father told me was that he always bought the best he could afford - even if it hurt a little financially at the time - because he wanted it to last.
Now it's easier to buy a new one. Everything is throw-away and disposable. People buy high dollar items expecting that they'll only last for 3-5 years at best (see my previous post). It doesn't stop with objects either. Even relationships are disposable in our society. Divorce is more commonplace than couples who've been married for 10 or more years. People aren't as loyal to brands (or employers) as they used to be.
As a technology related side - it's interesting that even software products are realistically written for a lifetime of 2-3 years now. The age of legacy software is over. If you're not reinventing your software periodically it is replaced with something else better.
I've noticed this attitude has carried to business too. Customers now seem to be disposable. Everywhere I look it's not about keeping customers anymore, now it's about getting new customers. It's as if businesses get new customers expecting they'll only be around for the next 3-5 years at best before they move on. Companies will seemingly give the house away to get new customers locked into a contract but expect that loyal customers pay full prices for everything when they're the ones who've been keeping the lights on all along!
Let me bring the topics together in a more real sense.
One Man's Trash
My co-worker and I recently came into a set of 30" flat panel LCD TVs that were involved in a lightening strike and no longer worked correctly. They were being disposed of. These TVs were originally over $3000, and used models still retail for over $1500. We took the TVs apart and diagnosed the problem - a circuit board that wasn't operating correctly. We called the manufacturer to get replacement parts. They didn't have replacement parts. Let me repeat: The manufacturer didn't have replacement parts!! (Nothing says disposable like no replacement parts.) Finally, we found a company on the WWW who had replacement parts for $150. Fantastic! New TVs for $150 and some elbow grease.
Another Company's Customer
Now that my co-worker had a new LCD flat panel, he decided to put it up in his bedroom. The only problem was that he didn't have a satellite receiver in the bedroom. So he called his satellite provider to get setup with some equipment. They didn't sell equipment anymore - they only leased it. Equipment upgrade: $100, RF Remote Control: $25, Shipping and Handling: $20, Programming Upgrade: $10/Mnth, Extra Receiver: $5/Mnth, Installation Extra (if required). Total 1 time charges: $145, new monthly charges: $15, making your existing customers bend over and take one for the team: priceless. He has been a loyal customer for 7 years, currently has no promotions, and has never made a late payment. They would waive NONE of the charges (we even called back and tried a different operator). They wouldn't even throw in the remote for goodness sakes!! Can you imagine how many times that $100 receiver (that cost $10 to make) has been paid for over 7 years? But guess what? If you're a new customer you can get a four room HD-DVR system installed completely free of charge. (Read current customers are disposable. We don't care if you leave because we know you'll be back in the next 3-5 years.) What a kick in the pants!
It's amazing to me that in a society where most people hate change that we promote it in everything we do. I wonder what kinds of things I've been throwing away...
