Absolutely, built-in crapiness is mostly the standard now.. The only way to get around it is to do deep research into all the manufacturers and maybe find one that is better (such as evga when it comes to computer components and maybe meile with white goods) and then probably pay a premium.

I remember at university they had toasters in the student kitchens that cost something like £1000 each (yes, just for making bread toast) because they are guaranteed basically forever.

This all comes down to a mixture of 'less wealthy people' needing to buy items they can afford (most people) and manufacturer's just being greedy by default.