Money saving by careful choice

Ticked

So, thanks to two threads, we know which restaurants to eat at, and some to avoid. Easy to judge a restaurant, you would either return or not, quick decision. Not so easy when purchasing household goods, especially electrical (Hobs, fridges, washing machines etc.) or garden goods (lawn mowers, patio tables). Those of us who have been bitten with shoddy goods have the experience and could share it, possibly save someone else from being ripped off.
For instance, over the years we have kept a dehumidifier in the conservatory and we've tried many makes. Most have been short lived rubbish, such as Delonghi, now we've found a super dehumidifier, an L8DHW10 made by Logik. Superb item, very efficient and long lasting.
Other makes I avoid are Zanussi (in fact, anything under the Electrolux umbrella), Fiat, Renault and Citroen.
Brands to consider are Miele, Bosche, LG, Sony, they seem to out perform the usual cheap and nasties.
This is all my opinion, feel free to disagree, but please post your findings and recommendations. Buy cheap - buy twice!

jenny-wren

Panasonic TVs seem to last in our experience. And my OH spends a lot of time in front of the telly!

Our Zanussi washing machine lasted 17 years. I knew that a new machine from Zanussi wouldn't have the same life expectancy so we opted for Bosch.

It's not just about value for money in terms of how much it costs compared to how long it lasts. Cost and ease of servicing / repairs if something goes wrong would influence my decision when buying. I would have considered buying a Miele washing machine only for the fact that if anything did go wrong, I believe that getting somebody in NI to repair it could be a problem.

Ticked

Yes, fully agree about Panasonic, and thanks for your other comments, well thought out! That's exactly what I was looking for in this thread, constructive input!

warmhands.coldheart

Controversial One here.

Dyson Vacuum Cleaners. They're like Marmite, you either love them or hate them. Personally I think they are one of the best on the market where suction and carpet cleaning is concerned, OK they are a bit big but I personally believe where a lot of people fall down with them (and I have no doubt it's the same with all vacuum cleaner) is they do not read the instructions so do not know there are filters in them that need cleaned regularly and replaced. I have an old Dyson (think it's a DC04 or something like that and it's still going strong. Nothing I've had comes close to it when vacuuming carpets....

Mistral001

Henry vacuum cleaners. They are very well designed in my opinion. They are powerful and straight-forward. They also have a manual chord winder which means that the chord is very long. I like the massive bags which can be bought for about 50p each on ebay.

motorguy

Hmmm.

Have to i'm not really seeing the point in this thread, the "bad" restaurant and "good" restaurant threads.

If i'm looking a nice restaurant in an unfamiliar area, i'll look up tripadvisor rather than locate those two threads and trawl through hoping someone has a recommendation in that particular town.

Likewise with household items - lots of online retailers have customer reviews so i'll look at those with the highest reviews over the most people.

Not sure someone having a positive experience from some TV they bought maybe 10 years ago is going to sway me to buy a particular brand now...

Finding it all a bit odd

tommie

what`s great for one is rubbish for another,

eg. although i wouldn`t recommend Renault i had a Laguna diesel for 10 years, ran it religiously on Jonesboro fuel , ....never missed a beat

motorguy

tommie wrote: »

what`s great for one is rubbish for another,

eg. although i wouldn`t recommend Renault i had a Laguna diesel for 10 years, ran it religiously on Jonesboro fuel , ....never missed a beat

Yes. Therein lies the problem i was talking about - technically you would be recommending Renault as you've had a very positive experience over a long period of time. It doesnt necessary follow that if i was to buy a new one now, i'd have as satisfactory an experience.

motorguy

Also, expectations play a big part.

I could buy a skoda and say its an exception car and my reasons for saying that might be because i value economy and reliability over all else.

However someone else might own the same car and think it terrible, if their priorities were luxury trim and performance.

jenny-wren

We had a Ford Focus. At the time, everyone was singing their praises. My brother had one at the same time as us and never had any bother with it. Ours, however, was a Friday afternoon model. Nothing but trouble. Three paintwork repairs to the same area under warranty. Petrol gauge fell off in the tank, another warranty repair. I would never buy a Ford again. But that's just my experience.

I have a Dyson. It's my second one. It's ability to pick up the hair of a recently acquired pet is questionable. Next time it'll be a Miele, from Dalzells in Markethill. Competitive pricing and free delivery within a few days. Saved us £40 on the price in Currys for a new washing machine.