They can be better if you are looking in the right places and are willing to pay for it.

But people expect a fridge to always be the same price and never take inflation into account.

How much did this "basic" fridge cost when it was bought? I'd wager the equivalent price today is $2k or more. Most people wouldn't pay more than $500 (well, $1k now because of shortages) for something like this. Well that price difference had to come from somewhere, and it came out of durability and longevity.