Why are so many products becoming so badly made recently?
Discussion
Another day opening a new replacement for a tool I've used for 10 plus years to find the latest item, while looking largely the same now has working parts that feel cheaply made and inferior to its predecessor. All this dispute the price having increased by about 40%.
Becoming a regular occurrence now. Why are big name manufacturers making worse tools/items.
Think the last few things I've ordered new replacements for after being impressed with their previous quality have been noticeably worse.
Becoming a regular occurrence now. Why are big name manufacturers making worse tools/items.
Think the last few things I've ordered new replacements for after being impressed with their previous quality have been noticeably worse.
Of course, its cost saving and profit. Business seems (obviously obsessed) with cost. Its not acceptable to reach a level and then stay there, its nothing but growth growth growth.
All sorts of business builds an excellent reputation and then produce s
t products or services and only stay so busy off of the back of their once good name.
It then takes years before people realise its st.
I am often amazed at just how poor some stuff is.
When you do buy something which is good quality its like a surprise
even then i find some good quality products such s tools are let down by the odd very very cheap component which costs pennies to improve.
All sorts of business builds an excellent reputation and then produce s
t products or services and only stay so busy off of the back of their once good name. It then takes years before people realise its s
t.I am often amazed at just how poor some stuff is.
When you do buy something which is good quality its like a surprise
even then i find some good quality products such s tools are let down by the odd very very cheap component which costs pennies to improve.m3jappa said:
Of course, its cost saving and profit. Business seems (obviously obsessed) with cost. Its not acceptable to reach a level and then stay there, its nothing but growth growth growth.
Shareholders more than business, I'd say, though the two are generally intrinsically linked.Growth capitalism spoils everything. Stuff gets worse, s
t goes in the rivers and sea, but at least the dividends keep flowing. I would understand more if they were trying to keep prices similar but the last item has gone up by more than 40% in 3 years. It's being sent back so they have lost a sale for probably a quids worth of bits on a £60 item. It's pathetic.
Go back 10 years or so, and every time you bought a new item, you were excited to see what improvements have been made. Now it's a feeling of dread as to how low the quality has dropped.
Go back 10 years or so, and every time you bought a new item, you were excited to see what improvements have been made. Now it's a feeling of dread as to how low the quality has dropped.
m3jappa said:
Of course, its cost saving and profit. Business seems (obviously obsessed) with cost. Its not acceptable to reach a level and then stay there, its nothing but growth growth growth.
All sorts of business builds an excellent reputation and then produce st products or services and only stay so busy off of the back of their once good name.
It then takes years before people realise its st.
I am often amazed at just how poor some stuff is.
When you do buy something which is good quality its like a surprise even then i find some good quality products such s tools are let down by the odd very very cheap component which costs pennies to improve.
m3jappa you mention 'good name' which prompts me to wish that selling of brand names to other businesses should be stopped. Grundig, Murphy, Ultra, and many others were respected makers of quality products in the era in which they thrived. The sale of premium brand names to, say, China (others too) should not be allowed as it is a form of passing off and is almost fraudulent.All sorts of business builds an excellent reputation and then produce s
t products or services and only stay so busy off of the back of their once good name. It then takes years before people realise its s
t.I am often amazed at just how poor some stuff is.
When you do buy something which is good quality its like a surprise
even then i find some good quality products such s tools are let down by the odd very very cheap component which costs pennies to improve.Because by and large people pay for the brand, not the product so once you've built up a reputation for quality, you can cut coats and still sell at a premium. See also the entire German car industry.
It generates a cycle. new consumer brands come along producing good tools, build a name for themself, then cut quality and sell at a premium until the brand name loses it's draw.
Often, but not always, the drop in quality coincides with a private company going public or being bought out by multinatinational.
It generates a cycle. new consumer brands come along producing good tools, build a name for themself, then cut quality and sell at a premium until the brand name loses it's draw.
Often, but not always, the drop in quality coincides with a private company going public or being bought out by multinatinational.
Edited by kambites on Saturday 6th April 09:07
motco said:
m3jappa you mention 'good name' which prompts me to wish that selling of brand names to other businesses should be stopped. Grundig, Murphy, Ultra, and many others were respected makers of quality products in the era in which they thrived. The sale of premium brand names to, say, China (others too) should not be allowed as it is a form of passing off and is almost fraudulent.
I thought that then I had opportunity to look over a friend's new electric EV at which point I realised MG of old never made cars this well.OK, that's a single example but you can't stop people trading brands however I do find internet reviews an absolutely essential part of purchasing things from toasters to tools these days. Someone "out there" will have always been ahead of me in purchasing what I'm after and found any weaknesses or an alternative that I should consider.
Luckily I have never been a brand snob, so don't need to spend a premium because of the name.
Having spent a lifetime in research and development of consumer products I can assure you that any manufacturer will be cutting costs to the minimum they can get away with. They will understand exactly how long their product will stand up to normal usage. There will be no product produced to last forever, there really is no point in that.
If you are a producer selling a car you can expect your customers to want 10 years of reasonable life from it, a washing machine 3 or 4 years, a mobile phone 2 years etc.
If you buy anything and expect more life from it you are not being realistic. You can obviously look after your product and extend its life by quite some time but most users do not do this.
Having spent a lifetime in research and development of consumer products I can assure you that any manufacturer will be cutting costs to the minimum they can get away with. They will understand exactly how long their product will stand up to normal usage. There will be no product produced to last forever, there really is no point in that.
If you are a producer selling a car you can expect your customers to want 10 years of reasonable life from it, a washing machine 3 or 4 years, a mobile phone 2 years etc.
If you buy anything and expect more life from it you are not being realistic. You can obviously look after your product and extend its life by quite some time but most users do not do this.
ARHarh said:
Luckily I have never been a brand snob, so don't need to spend a premium because of the name.
Having spent a lifetime in research and development of consumer products I can assure you that any manufacturer will be cutting costs to the minimum they can get away with. They will understand exactly how long their product will stand up to normal usage. There will be no product produced to last forever, there really is no point in that.
If you are a producer selling a car you can expect your customers to want 10 years of reasonable life from it, a washing machine 3 or 4 years, a mobile phone 2 years etc.
If you buy anything and expect more life from it you are not being realistic. You can obviously look after your product and extend its life by quite some time but most users do not do this.
I think most people would be very disappointed with a washing machine that only lasts for three years or a phone that only lasts for two. Having spent a lifetime in research and development of consumer products I can assure you that any manufacturer will be cutting costs to the minimum they can get away with. They will understand exactly how long their product will stand up to normal usage. There will be no product produced to last forever, there really is no point in that.
If you are a producer selling a car you can expect your customers to want 10 years of reasonable life from it, a washing machine 3 or 4 years, a mobile phone 2 years etc.
If you buy anything and expect more life from it you are not being realistic. You can obviously look after your product and extend its life by quite some time but most users do not do this.
motco said:
m3jappa you mention 'good name' which prompts me to wish that selling of brand names to other businesses should be stopped. Grundig, Murphy, Ultra, and many others were respected makers of quality products in the era in which they thrived. The sale of premium brand names to, say, China (others too) should not be allowed as it is a form of passing off and is almost fraudulent.
It's a bit too late for that now.Sometimes a good brand introduces a budget range to trade off their quality line.
Shimano fishing reels used to be uniformly excellent. Now you have to check if they're the budget range (crap) or the mid/premium range (still good).
I have some budget reels for fishing with kids - I don't wince when those get dropped in the sand / off a pier. If they last a couple of years that's good enough. So cheap crap is still worth it in some cases.
Shimano fishing reels used to be uniformly excellent. Now you have to check if they're the budget range (crap) or the mid/premium range (still good).
I have some budget reels for fishing with kids - I don't wince when those get dropped in the sand / off a pier. If they last a couple of years that's good enough. So cheap crap is still worth it in some cases.
Companies are always working to reduce the BOM cost of a product as it improves cash flow by reducing money tied up in the inventory. Cash flow problems kill companies.
If the company is a high volume manufacturer saving a few cents here and there soon adds up when you are making millions of units.
Also when something is advertised as 'new and improved' whether this is true or not depends upon where you are in the supply chain, as a consumer it probably isn't but as a manufacturer it definitely is.
If the company is a high volume manufacturer saving a few cents here and there soon adds up when you are making millions of units.
Also when something is advertised as 'new and improved' whether this is true or not depends upon where you are in the supply chain, as a consumer it probably isn't but as a manufacturer it definitely is.
Mars said:
I thought that then I had opportunity to look over a friend's new electric EV at which point I realised MG of old never made cars this well.
I was talking to a salesman at an MG/Mazda/Ford dealership. He said the MGs are absolutely horrible to drive and awfully built compared to the other brands they sell. Apparently the younger staff members use their own cars rather than take an MG if they have to travel. He had not one nice word to say, other than he was making a fortune punting them out of the door.
I work for a business that makes products that last 30+ years.
We still make money from those customers with spares, service, upgrades, etc.
Looking outside the consumer area, how long would you expect workshop equipment to last?
I'm thinking of things like a lathe, mill, drill press, hoist etc.
We still make money from those customers with spares, service, upgrades, etc.
Looking outside the consumer area, how long would you expect workshop equipment to last?
I'm thinking of things like a lathe, mill, drill press, hoist etc.
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