You would never buy an automobile or a refrigerator that offers as little protection and as great dependency as the software on which our information society is built. If we made trucks, pharmaceuticals and radios the way we engineer software, our economy would still be stuck in the early era of industrial development. In just about every other industry, consumers have many ways to get faulty products replaced.
Many companies offer meaningful guarantees and warranties.
Consumers may successfully sue manufacturers for damages from defective products, especially if the manufacturer was negligent. Manufacturers have been forced to disclose information about the quality and dangers of their products. The old buyer-beware attitude is out. Consumers now demand that sellers be accountable for how their products are used. Consider a typical software installation process.