Durability of Goods – Economic, Legal and Informational Aspects

Abstract

The article studies reliability of technically complicated goods as complex customer characteristics; the most informative indicators, i.e. service life; the dependence of durability on economic characteristics of the product; trends of reducing service life of goods and possible negative economic and ecological after-effects were shown; an attempt was made to compare customer costs on different stages of the product life cycle. The authors provide requirements to manufacturers' responsibility and product sellers concerning warranty periods and service life, service support and repair of technically complicated goods, legal consequences of product breakdown within the frames of warranty periods and service life. Statistics given by Rospotrebnadzor dealing with faulty technically complicated products was analyzed. Summarized information of recommended service life and average amount of work per breakdown fixed in relative inter-state standards was provided. The stated information was compared with figures of durability and reliability in today's practice of manufacturing and selling house-hold electric machines and devices. On the basis of EU guidelines one variant of legal way of resolving the problem of attaining the optimum service life for customers and manufacturers was proposed. The authors give recommendations on fixing obligatory requirements on limiting use of short-life and difficult to utilize materials in details of technically difficult goods.