Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Having had this item for about a year I would have rated it 5-stars until last weekend when it broke. My 3 1/2 year old has thoroughly enjoyed it and the functionality of the toy is great for this age. However, it recently stopped working and simply said 'DRAWER OPEN' no matter what we tried to do. After trying to reset the register (didn't work) I researched the manufacturer's warranty and learned it was only 30-days. 30 days? Seriously? Pathetic... Being fairly handy I decided to tear it apart and try to fix it. What I found was a small contact switch that was broken on the back of the cash drawer. This switch makes contact and closes to make a connection when the drawer is closed. The problem is this switch was built using two less than paper thin pieces of metal and it simply won't stand up to the repeated opening/closing that any child will surely impose upon the unit. I see two serious design flaws here. First, this thin metal switch (designed to flex every time the drawer is opened/closed) is easily the most 'exercised' piece on the machine and it was clearly under-engineered for the job. Second, when this piece breaks (inevitable in my opinion) the register doesn't simply quit 'dinging' when the drawer is opened/closed it completely locks up, displays 'Drawer Open' and becomes non-functional. This is inexcusable and a severe design flaw. To fix this register, I ended up building my own contact switch using some leftover electronic parts/wires so that when the drawer is closed it will complete the circuit and re-enable the register's operating function. My kid was happy, my Saturday morning was wasted (almost two hours), and this review is the resulting outcome. This design flaw notwithstanding I really like this product. However, anything that doesn't last can only be so good...