A Miele soap dispenser replacement costs €700: the 'smart' trap

A Miele soap dispenser replacement costs €700, and the technician says steer clear of 'smart' devices

An appliance technician is clear about it: if he can help it, he avoids «smart» appliances. The advice is not a whim. It comes from years of breakdowns, impossible-to-find spare parts and a bill that borders on the absurd: a replacement soap dispenser for a Miele washing machine that cost 700 euros, ten times more than a standard one. The problem was not the price. It was that the washing machine's computer rejected any dispenser that was not the original, even though it fit perfectly. The electronics decided, not the user.

The case is not an isolated one. Two acquaintances of the same technician bought ultra-modern cars less than two years ago. Both have already been to the workshop several times. Not for mechanical breakdowns, but because «some warning light comes on every other day». Sophisticated electronics turns any car into a source of dealership visits. The conclusion that keeps coming up: the classic models with little electronics are the best choice.

What is hiding behind the 'smart' label

The «smart» label sells. But in practice, the adjective has become a synonym for dependence. Some argue you should not call it «smart», but spying. Appliances that connect to wifi, connected clothing, cars that report data. Anything with a chip and a connection ends up sending information to external servers. The question is who controls that flow.

Poorly understood home automation is espionage. The first rule that gets repeated is simple: if you cannot control the program that runs, it is not home automation, it is something else. And the most cited example is that of solar inverters and smart meters connected to home wifi. They are installed without a second thought, with no access to the firmware, and they send electricity consumption data to external servers. With that data, anyone can tell when nobody is home. Imagine it leaking. Burglars would rub their hands with glee.

Planned obsolescence and parts that cost a fortune

The problem is not just connectivity. It is the business model. Plastic parts that break on their own —buttons, handles, drawers— that the brand sells at a premium or simply discontinues. An 800-euro fridge may need a 250-euro drawer. A high-end Miele washing machine may demand a 700-euro soap dispenser. The brand knows it, because those parts break in most cases. And it does nothing. Or rather, it does: it pushes you to buy a new appliance.

The paradox is that governments talk about fighting planned obsolescence, about making appliances last. But without regulations that force parts to be standardized and end dependence on the original manufacturer, the talk amounts to nothing. As long as they can charge you 250 euros for a plastic drawer, sustainability is just a slogan.

The car that will not start unless it is running

Electronics have also reached the automobile with promises of efficiency. A striking case: a Mercedes parked with the engine running for more than an hour, with nobody inside. When the owner came back, he explained it had to be that way because of some anti-pollution system, otherwise it would not start afterwards. An ultra-eco car that burns fuel in order to be able to start. The irony tells itself.

The trend is unstoppable. More and more new models are «smart» by default. Second-hand cars without connectivity are becoming scarce and their prices are rising. Some see the restrictions on driving in cities —with paperwork and roadworthiness tests in order— as a way of pushing citizens towards the new, connected and controlled car. There is no proof, but the pattern fits.

The resistance: buying 'dumb' and switching off the wifi

Against this, a consumer movement is growing that champions the analog. It is not nostalgia. It is calculation. A «dumb» appliance is cheaper, lasts longer and does not spy on you. The strategy is simple: avoid anything with «smart», «Alexa», «Google» or «Siri» on the box. At most, a television without a camera or microphone. And if you have to buy a connected appliance, look for ones with a physical power switch —in for on, out for off— so you can control them with a smart plug without depending on the manufacturer.

The market is giving signals. In some Eastern European countries, appliance stores do not sell «smart» models. The salesman explains it bluntly: there, people do not trust their own father, let alone a washing machine connected to who knows what. Distrust as consumer policy.

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The debate is not closed. Technology advances and the resistance is a minority. But the data is stubborn: a 700-euro soap dispenser, a car that will not start unless it is running, a fridge demanding 250 euros for a drawer. The intelligence, in these cases, is not in the appliance. It is in the person who decides not to buy it.