I'm often called a conspiracy theorist myself, but I have to say although this is very true, there are a bunch of work arounds. In New Zealand where things are often dearer and get fixed more, people are more aware of them.

For example, with cars, stick to Japanese. Toyota's go for ever, as do most Japanese brands.

And most other products (not printers though) have cheaper more reliable options. If you stick with one brand you can get very efficient at keeping them going. We have 10 HP computers - the newest is five years old. We are paying around $200 each for replacements and can fix them for next to nothing with parts from our collection.

There is a good reason why most of the cars in NZ are old Toyota Corollas!
(Hint, it's not speed or luxury)