A jailbreak needs to be (and will be, if this catches on) developed for this thing. I can’t actually find any terms or pricing information but if the monthly subscription can be paused (let’s say you were taking a long holiday 
) then this doesn’t sound too bad as it works out to a single payment of ~70£ + some jailbreaking effort.
I’m not sure having thoughts immediately turning to how to scam a company is a good quality to have.
Since when did “jail breaking” = fraud?
It doesn’t. It was more the trying to get a brand new washing machine for £70, which was implied.
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If jailbreaking results in the company losing their only revenue stream and you ending up with a £500 product for £70, I’d say it is
wrongful or criminal deception intended to result in financial or personal gain.
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I don’t want to live in a world where even appliances are trying to nickel & dime you and may refuse to operate out of spite (you put unapproved detergent in it, your internet temporarily drops, manufacturer goes out of business and servers are down forever, etc).
We’re already lost this battle when it comes to software and media (subscriptions everywhere, devices refusing to interoperate out of spite to lock users into a specific vendor, user-hostility such as dark patterns, ads & tracking even if you pay, etc) so maybe let’s not accept this trend when it comes to the physical world?
If a company offers to deliver a large, defective-by-design paperweight at my doorstep I don’t consider it “scamming” to repair the device and restore it to full operation.
It would 100% be illegal and you know it. Don’t try and dress it up.
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It doesn’t really matter what YOU consider it to be. You are clearly stating that you would happily commit fraud. I assume you would be ok if I committed fraud against you, as that appears to be the kind of world you want to live in.
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Then don’t buy a subscription washer, get an old fashioned one. Job done
It’s not out of spite, it’s not a sentient thing just out to get you
Except it’s not defective. It operates as intended and doesn’t need “repairing”. If it’s not for you, don’t buy it - the manufacturer won’t forcibly block your front door with one if you don’t want it
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I suspect there would be a minimum term for the subscription model before you’d be able to pause or bypass the £6.90 fee. In order to cover appliance costs.
It would presumably be a breach of contract or license agreement, whether actually illegal or not I’m not sure? Not that it matters - keep in mind that jailbreaking iOS used to be (or still is?) illegal in certain jurisdictions and the only reason the law changed around it is because a large majority was doing it. Realistically speaking it wouldn’t matter anyway - it’s not like people have an always-on camera in their home that would actually ever catch them in the terrible, horrific crime of “hacking” their own phone or washing machine (
), so discussing whatever crime would hypothetically be committed seems irrelevant. I am not a lawyer and am absolutely not interested in arguing about the legal status of this, which varies per jurisdiction and is bound to evolve over time.
In any case, I’m not trying to dress it up, just explaining my reasoning. if you are so offended because you’d rather defend corporate greed I apologize but will not absolutely not change my stance on this - if this terrible idea of a product exists then there should absolutely be a jailbreak for it. Personally I am more offended by a company actually making a product that’s intentionally designed to render itself useless than by someone discussing the idea of “hacking” it.
I assume you would be ok if I committed fraud against you, as that appears to be the kind of world you want to live in.
I don’t think it fits the definition of fraud but anyway:
If I ever fell as low as to have to build devices designed to nickel & dime the customer, intentionally disable themselves even if its hardware is perfectly working (which means the thing is bound to end up in landfills when the company goes out of business) and marketed in a way to trick the customer into thinking they’re getting a good deal then I absolutely encourage you to “commit fraud” against it - you’ll get free washes subsidized by corporate greed and in the long run your efforts will give a second life to thousands of these machines and prevent perfectly working units from ending up in landfills when the company inevitably folds or decides to abandon that particular product.
A society where the consumer has equal power against corporate greed is absolutely the kind of world I want to live in. Sadly it seems like this opinion is in the minority here, and most people are happy to accept increasingly strong technical solutions to deprive them of doing things we took for granted a couple decades ago. Right now this is limited to a niche product, but if this catches on (and people even defend it) it’s only a matter of time before the only kind of washer you can buy is a subscription-based one.
Then don’t buy a subscription washer, get an old fashioned one. Job done
Indeed, I am not in the market for a washer anyway at the moment. However if this is a thing then I absolutely want a jailbreak for it to also exist, both to give people the option to make their own decision as to what to do with the hardware, and also to prevent perfectly functional units ending up in landfills because the company folded or discontinued the product.
This is why we can’t have nice things in life. People not paying for parking because they are unlikely to be caught so less money for councils; shoplifters’ bills paid for by everyone else through increased prices, etc
The legal status of this is fraud in every single possible jurisdiction I can think of. Get a subscription-based product with the sole intent of not paying the subscription but using the item? So different from iOS jailbreaking because there you aren’t directly damaging the manufacturer
No one is defending corporate greed, we just don’t immediately think of fraud when we don’t like something. If the product isn’t for you, vote with your wallet. If people don’t buy it, it won’t take off and you can have your regular washer
I could quote the rest of your comment for the above point. Defrauding or otherwise damaging companies is not acceptable consumer behaviour and it most certainly isn’t an appropriate response to “corporate greed”. Vote with your wallet or move to North Korea 
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Those are completely different things and none of them rely on negative externalities like making devices that are bound to end up in landfills due to their design.
So different from iOS jailbreaking because there you aren’t directly damaging the manufacturer
Apple would disagree and absolutely argue that jailbreaking does cause damage to them, along with a lot of other excuses like “security” (which they - and a consortium of auto manufacturers - are currently using to try to stop a “right to repair” law from passing in the US). Fortunately at least in the case of iOS jailbreaking they have lost that battle because regardless of the legal status, some people (who according to you are the reason we can’t have nice things) decided to do it anyway.
If the product isn’t for you, vote with your wallet. If people don’t buy it, it won’t take off and you can have your regular washer
Indeed the product isn’t for me, however I want a jailbreak to exist and people to be able to make their own choice whether to use it or not. I wouldn’t be sure about it not taking off though considering how the marketing is trying to make it sound like it’s a better deal than a conventional washer. If this really had no chance of taking off they wouldn’t have built it in the first place.
Quite clearly, on both statements.
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You wrote an awful lot to try and justify stealing a washing machine.
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This is a conversation and a half that came out of nowhere - I love this place 
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In other news, has anyone tried Smol’s new fabric softener? 
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Yes. I’m not sure if it’s possible to be enthusiastic about a fabric conditioner but it makes the clothes softer 
Just wanted to add another service people may be interested in.
On That Ass. Funky boxer shorts delivered monthly with your first pair free.
Got the free pair to try and am now 6 months in. Good quality, comfortable and very nice designs each month.
There’s probably a reger a friend scheme but I can’t be bothered looking into it. Just thought some people might be interested 
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