When we hear the term “paid DLC,” video games probably come to mind, like expansions, cosmetics, boosts, or other microtransactions. But kitchen appliances and downloadable content are not two things many would imagine going together, yet GE Appliances made it a thing. Rather disturbed by the fact that he had to pay $79 to unlock his GE 5000 Wall Oven’s air fry function, one California man made a post on r/mildlyinfuriating.
“There’s DLC for my oven apparently,” the oven owner remarked, posting a screenshot of his smart oven requiring $79 for the “Air Fry Digital Upgrade.” In other words, the baking device is able to air fry already; customers just need to pay almost a hundred dollars to unlock it. This annoyance is on top of the aggravating “Was $159.00” label, which seems nothing more than a sale scam to entice people to buy it. For reference, the GE ovens can cost upwards of $1,500, so an $80 additional purchase technically isn’t too much of a deal. Yet, it’s the fact that it’s a separate purchase that gets on people’s nerves.
“What were you thinking?!” exclaims an angry reviewer for GE’s digital upgrade. “Charging your customers $80 for a feature that their oven they paid for can already do, and pretend that it’s on sale seems predatory to me.” The customer adds that the company did away with barcode scanning to make the concept an “exclusive feature of the higher end Cafe models.” One commenter on GE’s 5000 Series Wall Ovens YouTube trailer felt the same way: “Why isn’t this a free upgrade? This seems like a money grab! After spending thousands on the oven this should be a free download. Lame.”
Those on the California man’s r/mildlyinfuriating post were a bit more sarcastic with how they felt about the oven’s air fry DLC. “Next you gotta gather experience by cooking stuff to be able to cook more stuff,” joked one person. “Can’t wait for Oven Battle Pass unlock lasagna at tier 20,” laughed another. “You wouldn’t download a casserole,” quipped a third. Whatever the case, this situation with GE ovens is definitely going to make some people think twice before they buy home devices that involve internet connectivity. In other words, the fancy “smart” options with ovens and other kitchen appliances aren’t always “smarter” than the usual.
