200p Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 Create a crap product, market it as "fantastic". Customer gets use out of it for a calculated period. Once life cycle is over, customer goes back and buys another. Create the problem, and create the solution. Winner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnlyMe Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 Levi's used to cost me 45quid and last 3+ years. They are £70-80quid now and don't seem to last 10minutes. My wife is in Switzerland for the next few weeks as her business forges ahead with 2011 plans. She is a high level executive and is in board meetings right now and I could not believe what she told me (she plays corporate) a few days ago : They are dropping one their Chinese suppliers because the quality of the finished product is .... too good and does not fit in with the 'Product Cycle' and they are now going with another Chinese supplier of inferior products. I must emphasise there is no cost saving in the move. now it makes sense that the stuff from Chindia is S**T!!! it's because the corporates are asking for it to be this way. I kid you not, you heard it here first. That has to rank as one of the most bizarre posts I have read on this site. But then again....... Maybe there will be a time that you have to outskirt the importerts and resellers to get the best products, not just the best prices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pole Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2KLyYKJGk0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drainman Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 I have noticed that bread is starting to have lots of big air holes in it, so it looks the same size but weighs considerably less. Heh I bought a cake recently the bottom of the container was domed about 1 inch. Thus it looked the same but was considerably less cake. Burgers recently appear to contain a lot of saw dust too. i always get pi55ed off when you get to the bottom of nice bottle of red wine and as you look at it you think yeah thats just enough there to finish the nite and as your pour theres bugger all ......look underneath and theres a bloody great divot in the base :angry: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Green Manalishi Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 As an IT consultant and supplier, I have noticed a huge drop in quality of computer products. A particular laptop manufacturer we used to consider as one of the better quality ones have recently been terrible. Build quality and plastics have been appalling, and reliability terrible. Considering the margins on these things (lucky to make £20 profit on a £500+ item despite being a registered dealer) we have had to send back/repair just about 1 in 3, completely destroying any profit and usually making a loss. Unfortunately, most electronic items are manufactured in the Far East, mostly by Japanese owned firms. Because of the strength of the Yen (or conversely the weakness of the pound) it would seem that the manufacturers are having to downgrade the quality of the kit to bring the prices to the levels we are expecting to pay for such items - hoping no one will notice. Unfortunately, it is getting to the point now where it is not worth the bother of supplying such items as it is more trouble than it is worth. We often send the punter to PC World to buy the kit as we cannot compete on price anyway, and let them worry about the chance of breakdown. Not a great way of doing business, but we make the money out of our quality of service and labour. Conversely, as a keen photographer, I can tell you that a quality lens that has a long product life span such as the 70-200mm VR lens from Nikon, has risen in price from around £950 to around £1700 in the last 2-3 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
douggggy Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 Still i expect the landlord who owns the chinese can hike the rent a bit more, until he puts them out of business, knowing full well he will pay ****** ALL RATES on an empty shop. Things MUST change. unnecessarily upsetting our friends from Fujian is not necessarily a good idea for the long term health prospects of the small time commercial property landlord Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
200p Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 I wonder if inflation will get so bad, that bread will be made from sawdust - Germany after WWI Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken_ichikawa Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 (edited) I wonder if inflation will get so bad, that bread will be made from sawdust - Germany after WWI Heh those seed loafs when eating them the seeds don't seem very seed like they seem very much paper like... Have a look at this http://dailyfacepalm.com/2009/06/05/cardboard-box-meat-bun/ Note this story is fake! http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSPEK13875520070812 The guy who made it up had 2 years in the Laogai a euphamism for a death camp (Arbeit macht frei) where people are simply worked to death for reporting this. Heh UK reporters who make stuff up *cough cough* Daily *cough cough* Mail have NOTHING happen to them! Edited January 18, 2011 by ken_ichikawa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rxe Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 Did you get a miele? I've heard only wonderful things about them.It's like they didn't get the memo about built in obsolescence that the other manufacturers sent out! Yup. I was swayed by the Mieles that some rellies have: 24 years old, been though 3 children, still working, never had an engineer. It comes with a 10 year warranty, which indicates some faith in the product. And it has a light that comes on when you open the door! This is where brand loyalty is going to change. It isn't about sponsorship or some toss on telly - it is about making stuff that works, and being able to charge a premium price for it. My other favourites: Festool - woodworking gear made in Germany. Tough as nails, works forever, smooth, quiet and the dust extraction works properly. Yes, paying £350 for a sander sticks in the throat a bit, but it really is 10x better than the price of crap you can get in B&Q. Stihl - chainsaws and stuff, again German. I regularly use one made in 1972, and my more modern one has the same quality. Snap-on - sockets and spanners, USA. Beautifully made, clever designs. They rebadge welders and other stuff that is very average, but their hand tools are excellent. Barbour Jackets (still made in England!) - not cheap, but mine has lasted about 10 years so far, so that's about £20 a year. There's a lot more life in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rxe Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 Considering the margins on these things (lucky to make £20 profit on a £500+ item despite being a registered dealer) we have had to send back/repair just about 1 in 3, completely destroying any profit and usually making a loss. And I'll pick up on this. One thing that can be done is to make the retailers lives absolute hell for stocking this crap. You're quite right not stock it, but PC world carry on selling it and relying on the apathy of the consumer when it comes to service. The kids were given some wind up torches for Christmas - they probably cost £15. They generate power OK, but they don't store it. The RAC imported them, slapped their logo all over it, and flogged them. So I've sent them back, one at a time. I've made them pay for the postage, they will be paying for return postage. When the new ones come, I will check them. If they don't work, then they will go back, again one at a time. If the new ones fail before Christmas 2012, they will go back. I'm going to make bloody sure they lose money on this deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sleepwello'nights Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 Create a crap product, market it as "fantastic". Customer gets use out of it for a calculated period. Once life cycle is over, customer goes back and buys another. But isn't this caused by the consumer, always wanting the lowest priced product. I'm always accused as an accountant of causing inferior products to be produced because I'm always supposedly looking for cost savings. I don't confuse price with value, the buyer does. In general I've noticed that US companies with their concept of value engineering have lead the downward spiral. Mercedes didn't take long to realise this after their unfortunate dalliance with Chrysler led to a noticeable drop in the quality of their passenger cars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beggar Thy Children Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 Snap-on - sockets and spanners, USA. Beautifully made, clever designs. They rebadge welders and other stuff that is very average, but their hand tools are excellent. I actually find Halfords Professional tools are at least the equal of Snap-On in most cases and I work on cars A LOT. Lifetime warranty too, which I've only ever used on occasion for getting things like Torx bits replaced after serious abuse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sonic the Hedge Fund Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 Levi's used to cost me 45quid and last 3+ years. They are £70-80quid now and don't seem to last 10minutes. My wife is in Switzerland for the next few weeks as her business forges ahead with 2011 plans. She is a high level executive and is in board meetings right now and I could not believe what she told me (she plays corporate) a few days ago : They are dropping one their Chinese suppliers because the quality of the finished product is .... too good and does not fit in with the 'Product Cycle' and they are now going with another Chinese supplier of inferior products. I must emphasise there is no cost saving in the move. now it makes sense that the stuff from Chindia is S**T!!! it's because the corporates are asking for it to be this way. I kid you not, you heard it here first. Makes perfect sense for the retailer, note the phrase 'product cycle' King Gilette (inventor of the disposable razor) said (I paraprase) 'if you make a product that wears out quickly, then the customer has to buy another, and another' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longtomsilver Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 (edited) Can anyone recommend a computer manufacturer - my Dell XPS is on it's last legs after catching a virus that I am unable to defeat so it sits in one of the admin accounts... two keys have fallen off and electricity runs through my fingers (literally, design floor apparently, not harmful BTW). I'm possibly looking at an Apple iMac for ?quality and an iCore5 - any suggestions, ideally I would like to buy something second hand (as i'm trying to avoid VAT) but used comps can be a problem, my max spend is £1,500 and I want an emphasis on quality. Sonic the hedge fund : Yes, good point. I have been using Wilkinson Sword disposables for years (green packs of 10) and have notice they no longer last more than a few days and now rust, they didn't before. I used to get a good weeks shave from one but now 2-3days max then the rust sets in. Edited January 18, 2011 by tomposh101 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken_ichikawa Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 I actually find Halfords Professional tools are at least the equal of Snap-On in most cases and I work on cars A LOT. Lifetime warranty too, which I've only ever used on occasion for getting things like Torx bits replaced after serious abuse. Halfords lifetime warranty is worthless. My 150pc tool set broke the big ratchet broke (the ball holding in the socket) they absolutely refused to honour the guarentee. First they accused me of stealing it, at which I went home angry and turned my flat inside out looking for the receipt. Then they said the receipt was too faded. Thus they said buy the £6 repair kit or get lost. James (the guy who defeated the DVLA) also claimed off them, he was refused, he then questioned their claim in court because the receipts do not last a life time. They nearly lost and settled instead and replaced his tool sets. They changed the T&C because of that case such that the life time guarentee is meaningless. It's like life insurance that says you have to die of natural causes else the policy is invalid. Halfords is an enemy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken_ichikawa Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 Can anyone recommend a computer manufacturer - my Dell XPS is on it's last legs after catching a virus that I am unable to defeat so it sits in one of the admin accounts... two keys have fallen off and electricity runs through my fingers (literally, design floor apparently, not harmful BTW). I'm possibly looking at an Apple iMac for ?quality and an iCore5 - any suggestions, ideally I would like to buy something second hand (as i'm trying to avoid VAT) but used comps can be a problem, my max spend is £1,500 and I want an emphasis on quality. My Toshiba hasn't been too bad, made in China yes, plasticy but runs most stuff, problem is it comes with a ton of shovel and nag ware on it though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken_ichikawa Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 Makes perfect sense for the retailer, note the phrase 'product cycle' King Gilette (inventor of the disposable razor) said (I paraprase) 'if you make a product that wears out quickly, then the customer has to buy another, and another' Smarter people use straight razors then instead. I've used one a few times it cuts WAYY too close for my liking though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drainman Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 I actually find Halfords Professional tools are at least the equal of Snap-On in most cases and I work on cars A LOT. Lifetime warranty too, which I've only ever used on occasion for getting things like Torx bits replaced after serious abuse. yes but what mechanic wants halfords on there snap off toolbox....and lets be fair its not the same rubbing your body with a williams super slim as it could be with a rigid tool ! do you think theres any inuendo in some tool products..i always liked my dads king dick.........spanners that is , p.s. never did like the the sound of britool ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken_ichikawa Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 I actually find Halfords Professional tools are at least the equal of Snap-On BTW SNAP on replacements are paid for out of the Snap on agents commissions, therefore they are motivated to fob you off as much as possible and to try to BS you into thinking your warranty is invalid. Again James proved this when his Snap on kit broke taking off a troublesome rear nut on a van. The agent kept lying about the T&C until James threatened to tkae him to court. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beggar Thy Children Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 (edited) Halfords lifetime warranty is worthless. My 150pc tool set broke the big ratchet broke (the ball holding in the socket) they absolutely refused to honour the guarentee. First they accused me of stealing it, at which I went home angry and turned my flat inside out looking for the receipt. Then they said the receipt was too faded. Thus they said buy the £6 repair kit or get lost. James (the guy who defeated the DVLA) also claimed off them, he was refused, he then questioned their claim in court because the receipts do not last a life time. They nearly lost and settled instead and replaced his tool sets. They changed the T&C because of that case such that the life time guarentee is meaningless. It's like life insurance that says you have to die of natural causes else the policy is invalid. Halfords is an enemy! Well I've had my main set for 10+ years now and both the tools and receipt are going strong. So I'm quite satisfied with that. Even if they all broke tomorrow and the receipt fell to bits, considering the amount of use and abuse they've seen, I'd still feel I've had my moneys worth. I do also have some REALLY old Facom tools, I think they were my dad's originally... they are also still going strong, don't know if their current output is as good. Edited January 18, 2011 by Beggar Thy Children Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken_ichikawa Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 I do also have some REALLY old Facom tools, I think they were my dad's originally... they are also still going strong, don't know if their current output is as good. Facom thats a name I've not heard in years! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drainman Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 BTW SNAP on replacements are paid for out of the Snap on agents commissions, therefore they are motivated to fob you off as much as possible and to try to BS you into thinking your warranty is invalid. Again James proved this when his Snap on kit broke taking off a troublesome rear nut on a van. The agent kept lying about the T&C until James threatened to tkae him to court. lifetime gurantee as long as used correctly , i.e. dont use as pry bar or chisel etc , etc , but the best thing is most of the tools are not paid for so when they said that to me i said well feck off i,m not paying , so mostly you got em by the balls ,unless your using your rachet as a hammer. they are fab tools and quite innifitive ,most other companies offer lesser copies, that said i would rather have a morgate on a house ! i have to go as i have ran out of wine. hic! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccc Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 I find Shimano bike stuff is still quality. Got a bike 3 years ago and only 2 things broke on it so far. Both S-RAM. Replaced one with Shimano and no issues so far. Everything else on the bike is Shimano. Kept it clean and lubed and all works perfectly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drainman Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 Facom thats a name I've not heard in years! them too , thats exactly what i thought , fac om Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longtomsilver Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 I find Shimano bike stuff is still quality. Got a bike 3 years ago and only 2 things broke on it so far. Both S-RAM. Replaced one with Shimano and no issues so far. Everything else on the bike is Shimano. Kept it clean and lubed and all works perfectly. Yep... Shimano stuff is brilliant, I have all the XTR stuff on my specialized mountain bikes and recommend their bikes over all others. I am not chopping and changing anymore but found they command good resale prices on ebay even after 2-3years of use. So a £1k bike sells for £500-600, rinse and repeat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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