For all that's holy, can you just leverage the web, please?

Warranty registration, dark patterns, and upsell

• Many see phone-only warranty registration as an intentional friction: people give up, or stay on the line to be upsold “enhanced warranty” or insurance by third‑party call centers.
• Others argue it may also reflect organizational reality: manufacturers focus on lean production and outsource support rather than build coherent in‑house systems.
• Several commenters note that in many jurisdictions warranties start automatically by law; registration is mostly for data collection and marketing.

Corporate incentives and “enshittification”

• A recurring theme is that short‑term profit and executive churn encourage underinvestment in support and longevity.
• Some attribute missing or poor web flows to this cycle; others counter that legacy acquisitions and focus on manufacturing can also lead to messy, incoherent support infrastructure.

Repairability, longevity, and regulation ideas

• Multiple stories describe old machines being fixable but discarded due to high repair quotes vs cheap new units, or due to complex, opaque electronics.
• Some argue modern machines can be more efficient, quieter, and faster, making replacement rational; others lament worsening reliability and “planned obsolescence.”
• Proposed policy ideas include: mandatory 10‑year (or longer) warranties, service contracts baked into the purchase price, manufacturer responsibility for recycling, and penalties tied to early failure. Others worry about unintended consequences and edge cases.

Simple web + QR vs AI + browser features

• Many insist this use case needs only a QR or barcode that embeds the product/serial number directly in a URL; no AI, no models, no flags.
• Several point out the irony that the showcased AI demo fails in most browsers with “LanguageModel is not available,” undercutting the “just leverage the web” message.
• There’s frustration that Chrome‑only, experimental APIs being marketed as “the web” excludes Safari and many users.

Smart vs “dumb” appliances and privacy

• Commenters praise non‑smart washers and TVs (or “commercial”/monitor‑style displays) for avoiding tracking, ads, and nagging UI.
• Others accept smart hardware but isolate it (Pi‑hole, separate networks) or rely on external boxes (Apple TV, HDMI sticks).
• Some like specific smart features (e.g., washer push notifications) but note they can often be replicated with cheap sensors and open systems.

Web, language, and small business UX

• The web is praised for long‑term compatibility vs constantly breaking apps, but also criticized as a surveillance and spam vector.
• Several wonder why small local businesses have such poor sites; replies suggest word‑of‑mouth dominates, “good enough” tools (Wix, generic booking systems) win, and high‑quality custom work rarely pays back.
• Multiple people complain about the buzzword “leverage” instead of “use,” though the author defends using it on a personal blog.