I'm not sure why

    1. Companies say they won't raise rates, or that rates will go down
    2. People believe them

Every year, employees expect raises -- at least a cost of living adjustment, and every year senior management gets huge bonuses and such.

Prices for parts and labor for repairs and upgrades will increase, if only because these costs are additive -- things will break, new tech will need supporting, etc...

The real question, IMO, is at what frequency do costs rise and by how much? Sure, I'd like to limit the amount of big money transfers to execs, but that's not really possible.