Remorse after making a purchase ...
Remorse after making a purchase ...
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Discussion

TopGear7

Original Poster:

340 posts

205 months

Friday 5th June 2020
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Thought this may be an interesting topic to share our purchase stories.

So, I've been after a new laptop, something for general browsing, excel, SQL.

Now... there's many, many laptop that can handle this workload, it is not particularly taxing. However after much YouTubing, browsing tech forums, reading tech review websites I somehow convinced myself a £2,399 Macbook Pro 16".

It turns up, I use it for a few days, very impressed and then over the proceeding few days I suddenly start feeling really guilty that I'm basically using this laptop I've spent £££ on to do things that a £800 laptop could handle with absolute ease.

Thankfully, Apple have a very generous return policy where you can actually use it and still return it. I have now returned it.

Anyone else got really carried when buying something?

Magnum 475

4,159 posts

161 months

Friday 5th June 2020
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I did similar when I bought my MacBook Pro - realised I'd spent a stload of cash on a machine that I'd probably never use to the max.

Unlike you, I decided to keep it. That was late 2013, and I'm typing this reply on it right now. I've also got a Unix VM running on it in the background using Virtual Box, a project planner on a different monitor, and two presentations that I'm working are also open. Keeping it was the best thing I ever did, as I can't think of another laptop that I could have bought that would still be going strong 7.5 years later and coping effortlessly with any workload I throw at it.

2 sMoKiN bArReLs

32,009 posts

264 months

Friday 5th June 2020
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25 pints one Wednesday afternoon.*

Decided on Thursday that it wasn't maybe such a great idea.

* could have been 24 or 26

Chicken Chaser

9,062 posts

253 months

Friday 5th June 2020
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I moved away from Mac about 4 years ago after having it since 2011. Sold it to a mate who is still using it daily and it still looks great. As expensive as they are, they're well built and should last for years.

I think the only buyers remorse was over a car where I thought I'd overpaid by about 10% but I needed it and didn't have time to keep on looking. I've had it 3 years now so it's lasted the distance but I won't make the same mistake twice.

shih tzu faced

2,597 posts

78 months

Friday 5th June 2020
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Yup. A few years ago decided I needed a multi tool. Did all the research and ended up going for a full on Makita corded jobbie. Great piece of gear and very useful, but shortly afterwards I started to build up a collection of cordless tools.

The expensive Makita now just sits in its case doing nothing, while the cheaper cordless one gets all the use because it is just so much handier.

We’re not talking fortunes here but it still irks me whenever I look at it!

Hard-Drive

4,291 posts

258 months

Friday 5th June 2020
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I bought a Mac once too. It was the top of the range one on a limited offer, a Grand Big Mac. I soon decided it was too much and a regular one would have been perfectly OK for my needs.

toasty

8,405 posts

249 months

Friday 5th June 2020
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An F10 M5, the most I've ever spent on a car.

It's a lovely thing but I hardly ever drive it and it just sits there depreciating quickly.

kingofdbrits

630 posts

222 months

Friday 5th June 2020
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I bought a macbok pro last week, but didn't convince myself the 16" worth worth £1k over the 13", so went with the smaller screen and happy to be back with a Mac. No remorse yet as I paid my car off last month so man maths says I'm saving ££'s, it'll likely come in a couple of months when the deals start and I want to buy a new car and I look to put a deposit down.

bobtail4x4

4,409 posts

138 months

Friday 5th June 2020
quotequote all
shih tzu faced said:
Yup. A few years ago decided I needed a multi tool. Did all the research and ended up going for a full on Makita corded jobbie. Great piece of gear and very useful, but shortly afterwards I started to build up a collection of cordless tools.

The expensive Makita now just sits in its case doing nothing, while the cheaper cordless one gets all the use because it is just so much handier.

We’re not talking fortunes here but it still irks me whenever I look at it!
ditto I bought a mains sabre saw to replace an old one
used it twice then bought a battery one,
the battery one gets used for cutting firewood / bolts etc, never used the mains one since.

anonymous-user

83 months

Friday 5th June 2020
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I ordered a watch yesterday, and immediately was overcome with guilt about it afterwards. I don't even know why, its got a lot of features that will be really useful to me, but it felt like a lot of money to spend on something that wasn't essential! I spoke to my girlfriend about it and she pointed out that if you work hard for your money then you shouldnt feel guilty on spending it on nice things sometimes, felt better after that smile

Mort7

1,489 posts

137 months

Friday 5th June 2020
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I bought a 1/2" copper pipe cutter from the Pound Shop 25 years ago, and have never used it. Does that count? scratchchin

droopsnoot

14,653 posts

271 months

Friday 5th June 2020
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I used to get this, some time ago. Now I only buy things when I'm really, really sure that I need them. I second-guess myself all the time, justify stuff to myself, even sometimes when it's trivial stuff. At least the OP bought something hideously expensive and felt guilty about it - I've bought all sorts of relatively cheap things and regretted it.

anonymous-user

83 months

Friday 5th June 2020
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Aren't Apple one of the hugest profit margin companies so you pay a lot for not much i think. And don't even look at people running mac os on pc hardware.

Anyway consumerism is about buying st to make us feel happy.

mx stu

837 posts

252 months

Friday 5th June 2020
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Slight remorse, also Mac based.

Have been thinking of changing my 8.5 year old macbook air for a while. Still runs "fine" for most things, but doesn't have any battery life in it and struggles to process videos off the go pro plus a few other things.

Put the order through last night (could have just paid for it but took advantage of the 24month 0%) at about 10pm - macbook air, magic mouse 2 and usb c to usb adapter

Woke up this morning from an e-mail from my wife's company's benefits provider. Headline of 7% off Macbooks and accessories. Would have probably saved about £85. If I had paid cash I would have cancelled and re-ordered but with the finance tripe it's too much like hardwork.


Drive it fix it repeat

1,046 posts

80 months

Friday 5th June 2020
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I'm normally a complete skin flint (unless its car related), for my mother's wedding I decided to treat myself to some nice shoes. Got myself some very good normal brown leather shoes. Next day I must have been feeling flush or something as I went back to the shoe shop and dropped a fair amount (for me) on some lovely dark brown leather brogues I'd eyed up the previous day. Wore them for the big day and I must admit it felt good to be tarted up for once, nice suit and had taken a serious diet and hit the weights for several months before hand and the nice shoes really topped it off. 3 years later and they havent left the box since. They are a bit much for anything non formal and I want to keep them looking nice and as a result I havent used them. The tightarse in me begrudges what I spent on them but it is nice to go out of character and treat yourself sometimes.

anonymous-user

83 months

Friday 5th June 2020
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My Mac mini is one of the few things I have never regretted getting, bought in 2012 and still going strong! Runs all my music, recording software, all my films etc . If/when it dies I wouldnt hesitate to buy another one.

Hub

7,131 posts

227 months

Friday 5th June 2020
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I had big budget creep looking at amps and 5.1 surround systems in Richer Sounds - wanted a system for both music and TV. Ordered something for about £2k, which was about 4 times my original budget - had massive buyer's remorse overnight and went back the next day and cancelled! Ended up with a cheaper Marantz stereo and a pair of speakers instead... though sometimes I wish I had the 5.1 setup!

alorotom

12,784 posts

216 months

Friday 5th June 2020
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Apple is a strange one. I’ve recently bought an iMac 5k and it wasn’t cheap but the MacBook Air it replaced was 11 years old and I sold it on eBay for £250!

If the iMac lasts 5years and I can get £200 back for it thats only 95p per day.

I have had buyers remorse before though on a PS4 and 12 games from Smyths ... I bought it just before lockdown and it’s been used about 7 times for roughly 10mins per time. Total waste of money. You live and learn lol

B'stard Child

31,092 posts

275 months

Friday 5th June 2020
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2 sMoKiN bArReLs said:
25 pints one Wednesday afternoon.*

Decided on Thursday that it wasn't maybe such a great idea.

* could have been 24 or 26
rofl

I bought an 9 year old vauxhall minicab 20 years ago for £15 grand. Still got it, bloody drinks fuel if you start using it hard and is high maintenance - I regret it because should have bought a TVR

Johnnytheboy

24,499 posts

215 months

Friday 5th June 2020
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The most I ever spent on a CD was a Nine Inch Nails album called "The Fragile" which for some reason was £23 in the late 90s.

I'm fairly sure I have only listened to it once.