Fed up with shoddy goods!

howsoonisnow

:mad: Money saving is all very welll, but so much stuff that seems a bargain is just plain !!!!!! - what is worse is stuff that is not particularly cheap but is still shoddy.

Just for example: Today I bought 2 dog guards for my car: one from Argos - the self assembly instructions were *completely* incomprehensible and inadequate. I am normally fine with anything self-assenmbly. Next, I tried one from Halfords - instructions were ok but the thing could not be fixed tight enough to stay in place. These things were not cheap considering they are just a few bits of metal and they require self assembly.

Surely stores should be more careful about what they stock (talking generally now, not just dog guards!) - shoddy stuff only ends up getting returned for a refund. Or maybe people in general (not members of this fine website) put up with shoddy goods and that's why the shops are full of them both at "bargain" prices and not-so bargain prices?

Ellie2758

howsoonisnow wrote:

:mad: Money saving is all very welll, but so much stuff that seems a bargain is just plain !!!!!! - what is worse is stuff that is not particularly cheap but is still shoddy.

Just for example: Today I bought 2 dog guards for my car: one from Argos - the self assembly instructions were *completely* incomprehensible and inadequate. I am normally fine with anything self-assenmbly. Next, I tried one from Halfords - instructions were ok but the thing could not be fixed tight enough to stay in place. These things were not cheap considering they are just a few bits of metal and they require self assembly.

Surely stores should be more careful about what they stock (talking generally now, not just dog guards!) - shoddy stuff only ends up getting returned for a refund. Or maybe people in general (not members of this fine website) put up with shoddy goods and that's why the shops are full of them both at "bargain" prices and not-so bargain prices?

It seems to me and OH that 99% of what you buy these days is crap. Also, many people that one comes into day to day contact with cant do their jobs properly.

Was it always like this?

zappomatic

So much stuff these days is made in China. Made in China does not necessarily mean poor quality, but the process does have to be carefully managed and monitored from start to finish to ensure acceptable quality. I work on the buying side of retail and experience has shown that if Chinese factories think nobody will notice they will readily change components or spec without notification - the product as shipped can differ somewhat from the agreed production sample!

Incomprehensible instructions are just laziness on the part of Argos. If it's an own brand product it is quick and simple for them to make up their own instruction sheet to be included.

Astaroth

I would almost argue that it is the fault of sites like this that we get shoddy products.

I dont know anything about dog guards but in general people are increasingly expecting to be able to pay less than everyone else and get the same quality. People are forever saying that "you are paying for the brand" or "its made in the same factory" etc. Whilst there is some truth in it there is a lot more truth in the fact that the washing up liquid under the Tesco Value brand is not the same as Fairy.

At some point people will have to realise that it is value for money they should be looking for and not simply price. Manufactures and stores only respond to demand so once the fad for disposable low quality goods go so will the supply.

I wont go down the other possible argument path of saying people trying to live beyond their means also fuels this.

Stockie

The main trouble is that most items are now made to a price (or for a price), rather than making something that works well and then pricing it. The fact that everyone in the uk is after a "bargin" or only willing to buy the lowest price for any item only componds it. Most large chains (supermarkets,argos,dixons group etc) use reverse auction systems for suppliers (think price-drop tv stylee with manufacturers continuing to underbid each other to secure the contract) which also causes questionable product quality.
Personally i don't see this trend going away anytime soon.
What's far worse in my opinion is that the service in shops is being stripped out just to drive the prices down. I can vouch for this at work(argos) and when shopping (tesco's queue busting policy :rolleyes: make that a quarter of the tills open with 7-8 people at each)

Ellie2758 wrote:

Also, many people that one comes into day to day contact with cant do their jobs properly.

Was it always like this?

Great saying that applies to retail now "if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys". There is always the odd exception that you can find who actually cares about the work they do and the customers they serve.

Stockie

C_Ronaldo

Stockie wrote:

What's far worse in my opinion is that the service in shops is being stripped out just to drive the prices down. I can vouch for this at work(argos) and when shopping (tesco's queue busting policy :rolleyes: make that a quarter of the tills open with 7-8 people at each)

re what Stockie said about tesco, i used to work for sainsburys and in the evning there was only 1 member of staff(that member of staff was me or someone else) who you could ask about products, i dont know whether it was the managements choice to not have the staff or not but it didnt make sense to me

daymo

C_Ronaldo wrote:

re what Stockie said about tesco, i used to work for sainsburys and in the evning there was only 1 member of staff(that member of staff was me or someone else) who you could ask about products, i dont know whether it was the managements choice to not have the staff or not but it didnt make sense to me

This happens everywhere, our Local Tesco cut down on staff overtime because.....and get this..... they couldn`t afford it!,this leaves them understaffed on alot of occasions,they also have removed Sunday rate wages from new staff so Sunday is the same flat rate,this can cause resentment as longer serving staff members are still paid double time due to different contracts, this inturn means they struggle getting Sunday staff... makes you wonder how they make such a large profit:p

Fleago

I think that when it comes to dog guards you really do get what you pay for. Several cars ago we had a cheap, universal one and even when we could get it in securely enough that the dogs didn't knock it down by bashing against it, it was never so secure that it would have remained in place in the event of a crash, with potentially fatal consequences.

For our last three cars we've had the car manufacturers' guards specifically designed for the model of the car. These are certainly far pricier, but they have all been designed to bolt securely to rigid and fixed fittings on the body of the car. The extra cost has been well worth it for the safety aspects and the peace of mind that goes with them.

Fleago

vickyj

daymo wrote:

This happens everywhere, our Local Tesco cut down on staff overtime because.....and get this..... they couldn`t afford it!,this leaves them understaffed on alot of occasions,they also have removed Sunday rate wages from new staff so Sunday is the same flat rate,this can cause resentment as longer serving staff members are still paid double time due to different contracts, this inturn means they struggle getting Sunday staff... makes you wonder how they make such a large profit:p

At the end of it though each shop has a budget for labour and unless we want to lose the rewards like cheap shopping and loyalty points we have to put up with it.
We all have to bear in mind that we cant have it all our own way something has to give. businesses are exactly that, they are not there simply to provide us with stuff.
Sorry for the rant but sometimes we all need to remind ourselves that largely we get what we pay for.
Vicky

howsoonisnow

Fleago wrote:

I think that when it comes to dog guards you really do get what you pay for. Several cars ago we had a cheap, universal one and even when we could get it in securely enough that the dogs didn't knock it down by bashing against it, it was never so secure that it would have remained in place in the event of a crash, with potentially fatal consequences.

For our last three cars we've had the car manufacturers' guards specifically designed for the model of the car. These are certainly far pricier, but they have all been designed to bolt securely to rigid and fixed fittings on the body of the car. The extra cost has been well worth it for the safety aspects and the peace of mind that goes with them.

Fleago

I agree - I've given up on the universal ones and just shelled out for one that is not made by the car manufacturer (not available for SEAT). This one is made by Saunders, and they make several - each one fits several vehicles. It's very good (the dog doesn't think so!) and stays solidly in place - but even though it cost over twice the price of the Argos one, the instructions were just as bad - a single sheet with one indistinct diagram.