Crap-Ola-Ville

[don]

Re: Crap-Ola-Ville

Here's a fitting flashback: remember the Sharper Image Catalog!

Purposely priced over list, for mostly worthless gadgets!!

And it worked...for years!!!

[charliebrown]

Re: Crap-Ola-Ville

sometimes they are forced to. If you make a quality product and have a good balance sheet, but your competitor borrows a ton of money, puts out a cheap and crappy product and seriously undercuts you on price, yeah they might be chap 7 in 5 years, but you may be out of business too as they take a big bite out of your market share. You are forced to play the game.

[flintlock]

Re: Crap-Ola-Ville

And now they're gone!

[Sharky]

Re: Crap-Ola-Ville

I've had a terrible time with appliances, even with expensive brands. Choosing high-quality brands worked for me in the 80s and early 90s, but not any more. It's not just the components, it's also a lack of quality control.

My experience with appliances has been similar to computers and even cars: they either work almost forever without problems, or they really never work right and die an early death.

[flintlock]

Re: Crap-Ola-Ville

I've had a terrible time with appliances, even with expensive brands. Choosing high-quality brands worked for me in the 80s and early 90s, but not any more. It's not just the components, it's also a lack of quality control.

My experience with appliances has been similar to computers and even cars: they either work almost forever without problems, or they really never work right and die an early death.

Some of the premium brands are the worst in terms of reliability.

[big67]

Re: Crap-Ola-Ville

My strategy here in Europe is to buy the cheapest appliances with the basic features you really need.

They do last more or less like the dearest one because they all come from the same factories, the component suppliers are the same etc. very much like in the automotive business.

Moreover the dearest ones are full of unuseful optionals that are there just to justify the higher cost to the gullible consumer.

I bought a fridge, a dishwasing machine and washing mashine three years ago. (PS I rent. I did not buy a house at peak prices...)

The washingmashine is a no frill thing. The only higher level feature it has is the spinning speed, that can go reasonably high, and that I really find useful.
The dishwashing set has just 5 washing programs: do you really need 12 of them? I ended up using just two of them.
The fridge is a good capacity, but otherwise very basic one. Only advanced feature is the moisture control.

I am taking the same apprach also for my car needs.

[LargoWinch]

Re: Crap-Ola-Ville

:eek:

Have you noticed that your heart tends to skip a beat when you're waiting for the popcorn to finish?

Do you get a headache when you try to warm up your cup of coffee?

Do you notice that your tan seems to start earlier and end later than everyone else in the neighborhood?

Does your cell phone randomly call people when your warming up last nights leftovers?

You might want to have that hole looked at.

The "microwave emissions" are not disclosed by the manufacturers in North America.

However, if you look at the specs in Russia, I believe that the "leaks output" has to be disclosed.

[Master Shake]

Re: Crap-Ola-Ville

The flip side of this is that I have had good luck with the reliability of appliances that Consumer Reports recommends. There is a point to data-driven shopping.

Ditto. I use CR for all major purchases, major being anything that costs > $100.

[Guest]

Re: Crap-Ola-Ville

That's pretty funny.

Does your cell phone randomly call people when your warming up last nights leftovers? You might want to have that hole looked at.

[don]

Re: Crap-Ola-Ville

I just got back from a trip to New York and I hit the technological tri-fecta.

I'm greeted by my 11 month old six-grand Mac Pro's video card being again out...with a load of work to be done. This will be the third in its short life. The techie at the Genius Bar (are they aware of the hubris monster?) thought I was impertinent to ask why this keeps happening. Price if not under warranty: $240.00. Price to extend my warranty another 2 years: $250.00.

Meanwhile, back home, my AT&T wall phone has severe cross talk and false ringing throughout the day. I can hear complete conversations of strangers, as in old time party lines. I work my way through the AT&T service robot and have a repair call scheduled in a week. But wait...good news. They leave a call when I'm out that the problem has been fixed. But no, it hasn't. It is now worse. When I get a false ring I also lose dial tone. Nice. I blow up and get a same day response. The repair guy confirms the problem and tells me it will be fixed tomorrow. He doesn't repair that part of the equipment. As he's leaving I notice he has inadvertently disconnected my DSL line. I catch him in time. I think of it as the Restoration Period.

That night, home alone, I watch a DVD movie. My wife calls from PA, where she's visiting the kids. I pause the machine and talk to her for about 15 minutes. When I resume watching, the picture is frozen. I can't get the disc out. After a bunch of semi-superstitious re-ordering of procedures, it gives up the disc. I consult the owner's "manual" and do the unplug routine. I find out the H message means it needs repair.

I have seen the future and it ain't pretty. It could, of course, be worse. I could be called upon to fight with junk like this. Many are.

[cjppjc]

Re: Crap-Ola-Ville

I just got back from a trip to New York and I hit the technological tri-fecta.

I'm greeted by my 11 month old six-grand Mac Pro's video card being again out...with a load of work to be done. This will be the third in its short life. The techie at the Genius Bar (are they aware of the hubris monster?) thought I was impertinent to ask why this keeps happening. Price if not under warranty: $240.00. Price to extend my warranty another 2 years: $250.00.

Meanwhile, back home, my AT&T wall phone has severe cross talk and false ringing throughout the day. I can hear complete conversations of strangers, as in old time party lines. I work my way through the AT&T service robot and have a repair call scheduled in a week. But wait...good news. They leave a call when I'm out that the problem has been fixed. But no, it hasn't. It is now worse. When I get a false ring I also lose dial tone. Nice. I blow up and get a same day response. The repair guy confirms the problem and tells me it will be fixed tomorrow. He doesn't repair that part of the equipment. As he's leaving I notice he has inadvertently disconnected my DSL line. I catch him in time. I think of it as the Restoration Period.

That night, home alone, I watch a DVD movie. My wife calls from PA, where she's visiting the kids. I pause the machine and talk to her for about 15 minutes. When I resume watching, the picture is frozen. I can't get the disc out. After a bunch of semi-superstitious re-ordering of procedures, it gives up the disc. I consult the owner's "manual" and do the unplug routine. I find out the H message means it needs repair.

I have seen the future and it ain't pretty. It could, of course, be worse. I could be called upon to fight with junk like this. Many are.

I laughed out loud. Sorry, but thanks.

[flintlock]

Re: Crap-Ola-Ville

Yeah that made me laugh too Don. Just breath deeply.

[lakedaemonian]

Re: Crap-Ola-Ville

I do the best I can to avoid buying junk.

I also like buying second-hand(something a LOT of people will NEED to get over eventually) when it adds up.

Kids(toddlers) clothes?

We buy the premium, well built kids clothes ni bulk second hand for pennies on the dollar....you can't tell if they are new or used 5 minutes after they are washed and put on the ankle-biters.

Bulk Freezer?

We bought a 2nd hand unit for about 20% the cost of new....it's probably 20-30 years old, but it's built like a battleship and will probably outlast anything sold new today...and being very well insulated, it doesn't hoover up electricity like I thought it would.

TV?

We had a Hyundai plasma TV for 7 years.....good picture, not great...but built like a tank.

Replaced with Samsung...fantastic picture.....but it was the best built unit I could find...pales compared to Hyundai I think.

Vehicles?

I like my diesel ute......not much to it......manual windows don't need poorly built motors to be replaced. Built old Tonka Tuff.

My ute has 360,000+ KM on it. The guy who is fixing two tiny rust bubbles on it offered me more than what I paid for it 3 years ago. With proper maintanence it should last easy another 5 years...possibly 10 if I don't thrash it much.

Toys?

Speaking of Tonka Tuff....What the bloody hell happened to the Tonka Toys of my youth......Tonka Tuff doesn't mean the same thing anymore...

Rifles?

Some moron wants to swap one of my Norinco's for a Tikka...I'm trying to contain my enthusiasm at his stupidity.

Anyone seen the corner cutting of the Remington 710 and now Remington 715? It's like someone said "Give me a classic Remington 700 action, but make it for under $1.49 per unit."

Don't even get me started on the Swiss K31......fricking Rolex compared to the junk made today...You'd have to spend thousands on an overpriced Blaser R93 to even come close....and they have a tendency to explode.

Binoculars?

I got a pair of second hand Swarovski Habicht 7x42 made circa 1970's for next to nothing.....to get anything close to the performance(or the classic design) you'd be paying HUGE money. Pedestrian glass is JUNK....try glassing for game dawn/dusk and the made in china crap is worthless.

Shoes/Boots?

The only made in China crap we buy is for our kids who are growing like weeds......but some of the shoes are only good for a month and literally fall apart.

I'll stick with my Meindl's thanks.

Tools?

There seems to be three classes of tools anymore:

1.) cheap tools made in China that break immediately

2.) cheap-ish tools made in China that break/rust after several uses

3.) way overpriced good tools that don't justify buying new, so I buy second hand.

I rekcon you only pay for quality once.....you pay for sh!t every day(with most of those days being AFTER the time of purchase)

[ThePythonicCow]

Re: Crap-Ola-Ville

Shoes/Boots?

My Lowa boots are doing well.

[flintlock]

Re: Crap-Ola-Ville

I do the best I can to avoid buying junk.

I also like buying second-hand(something a LOT of people will NEED to get over eventually) when it adds up.

Kids(toddlers) clothes?

We buy the premium, well built kids clothes ni bulk second hand for pennies on the dollar....you can't tell if they are new or used 5 minutes after they are washed and put on the ankle-biters.

Bulk Freezer?

We bought a 2nd hand unit for about 20% the cost of new....it's probably 20-30 years old, but it's built like a battleship and will probably outlast anything sold new today...and being very well insulated, it doesn't hoover up electricity like I thought it would.

TV?

We had a Hyundai plasma TV for 7 years.....good picture, not great...but built like a tank.

Replaced with Samsung...fantastic picture.....but it was the best built unit I could find...pales compared to Hyundai I think.

Vehicles?

I like my diesel ute......not much to it......manual windows don't need poorly built motors to be replaced. Built old Tonka Tuff.

My ute has 360,000+ KM on it. The guy who is fixing two tiny rust bubbles on it offered me more than what I paid for it 3 years ago. With proper maintanence it should last easy another 5 years...possibly 10 if I don't thrash it much.

Toys?

Speaking of Tonka Tuff....What the bloody hell happened to the Tonka Toys of my youth......Tonka Tuff doesn't mean the same thing anymore...

Rifles?

Some moron wants to swap one of my Norinco's for a Tikka...I'm trying to contain my enthusiasm at his stupidity.

Anyone seen the corner cutting of the Remington 710 and now Remington 715? It's like someone said "Give me a classic Remington 700 action, but make it for under $1.49 per unit."

Don't even get me started on the Swiss K31......fricking Rolex compared to the junk made today...You'd have to spend thousands on an overpriced Blaser R93 to even come close....and they have a tendency to explode.

Binoculars?

I got a pair of second hand Swarovski Habicht 7x42 made circa 1970's for next to nothing.....to get anything close to the performance(or the classic design) you'd be paying HUGE money. Pedestrian glass is JUNK....try glassing for game dawn/dusk and the made in china crap is worthless.

Shoes/Boots?

The only made in China crap we buy is for our kids who are growing like weeds......but some of the shoes are only good for a month and literally fall apart.

I'll stick with my Meindl's thanks.

Tools?

There seems to be three classes of tools anymore:

1.) cheap tools made in China that break immediately

2.) cheap-ish tools made in China that break/rust after several uses

3.) way overpriced good tools that don't justify buying new, so I buy second hand.

I rekcon you only pay for quality once.....you pay for sh!t every day(with most of those days being AFTER the time of purchase)

I don't think we've ever bought any kids clothes in a retail store. My wife finds designer $50 outfits for the kids for $1-5 at garage sales. Often never worn.

I have a Swiss K-31 also. I've read you'd need to spend $2000 to get a new rifle of similar quality. Don't know if that is true, but I paid less than $200.
I don't understand why a lot of hunters on limited budgets go out and pay $600 or more for a deer rifle when there are so many good surplus rifles out there. Yugo 8mm Mausers are in plentiful supply for about $150. And most of them have practically new barrels.

We don't buy anything unless we first check on Ebay or craigslist for a better deal. People absolutely give some things away just to get rid of them.

The other day I saw a $250 foosball table sitting at the street to be thrown out. A leg had broken. I asked the neighbor if I could have it. $3 for a 2x4 and some spray paint I already had laying around and my kids got a nice foosball table.

We already were the "Kings of cheap living" but this recession taught us how cheap you really can live if you put your mind to it. My wife cut our food budget by 2/3 by using coupons and taking advantage of deals. Incredible savings out there once you learn how it works. She'll routinely show up with $100 worth of groceries that costs us about $20. In some cases, she actually buys items that pay us! So we have hundreds of little first aid kits.