Bought a new battery charger for 1/3 the price of Supercheap.

[CyberWasp]

My dad bought an 4Amp Arlec Battery Charger that is the same model as pictured below in 1988 for $49.99.
It has been in my possession now for a while and still keeps my XR6T battery ticking along.
Designed in Australia and made in Hong Kong with a 2 year warranty.
I think we have just got our moneys worth out of it now.

[prktkljokr]

Originally Posted by prydey

As mentioned, it's about quality control. Big brands that manufacture the have their own quality control systems in place to protect their reputation.

People are much more forgiving (or have lower expectations) when a cheap product dies. Not so much when it costs a bit more.

Most of these big brands are outsourcing more and more, they seem to be having more problems with cars now than they ever have in the history of cars, electrical components that fail is pretty common across the board with most manufacturers, the now quality control just gets them out of the warranty period and your on your own.

I remember my parents buying a new 6 cylinder TC Cortina in 73, they kept it for 25 years, only had tyres, service and brakes its whole life, they never replaced a component on it at all.
Now I know from experience that I will not get the same service from a 2020s car, if I get 10 years without a major mechanical or electrical component failure I would be doing well.

Don't kid yourself, the product may be designed by the big name brand, but they are made elsewhere to fit a wholesale price, and if they have to skimp on using top of the range components in a item to get the product for a fixed price that's exactly what they will do, then they will charge the consumer a premium for the brand name, any warranty issues would be factored into the manufacturing price, so whatever comes back failed in the warranty period just gets a new one, Not saying Ozito is a big name brand, but much like Ozito's 3 year warranty, most people would throw it in the bin if it failed after a year, a small amount would bring it back, that percentage is well and truly covered in the sell price, buy 1 but pay for 4, all the major big names work on the same principle.

I wont by the cheap and nasty Chinese stuff, but I do buy the cheaper Chinese product over the more expensive brands, I look at it as I can by 10 Ozitos to 1 Dewalt, it comes with a 3 year warranty and if it dies I take it back and they hand me a new one, where as the Dewalt will have to go to a service outlet and be checked for failure before warranty is given, its a no brainer

[prydey]

Originally Posted by prktkljokr

Most of these big brands are outsourcing more and more, they seem to be having more problems with cars now than they ever have in the history of cars, electrical components that fail is pretty common across the board with most manufacturers, the now quality control just gets them out of the warranty period and your on your own.

I remember my parents buying a new 6 cylinder TC Cortina in 73, they kept it for 25 years, only had tyres, service and brakes its whole life, they never replaced a component on it at all.
Now I know from experience that I will not get the same service from a 2020s car, if I get 10 years without a major mechanical or electrical component failure I would be doing well.

Don't kid yourself, the product may be designed by the big name brand, but they are made elsewhere to fit a wholesale price, and if they have to skimp on using top of the range components in a item to get the product for a fixed price that's exactly what they will do, then they will charge the consumer a premium for the brand name, any warranty issues would be factored into the manufacturing price, so whatever comes back failed in the warranty period just gets a new one, Not saying Ozito is a big name brand, but much like Ozito's 3 year warranty, most people would throw it in the bin if it failed after a year, a small amount would bring it back, that percentage is well and truly covered in the sell price, buy 1 but pay for 4, all the major big names work on the same principle.

I wont by the cheap and nasty Chinese stuff, but I do buy the cheaper Chinese product over the more expensive brands, I look at it as I can by 10 Ozitos to 1 Dewalt, it comes with a 3 year warranty and if it dies I take it back and they hand me a new one, where as the Dewalt will have to go to a service outlet and be checked for failure before warranty is given, its a no brainer

Getting slightly off topic but I only buy brand name clothing. Most of my shirts and shorts are surf brand. Quiksilver, ripcurl etc. They last substantially longer and hold their shape compared to the no brand stuff from kmart, big w etc. Jackets are nearly all Kathmandu. Not all made in China but they are made in cheap labour countries. They have a lot to lose if the quality is sub par.

I prefer to pay extra for something that will last longer.

I don't agree with the mindset that I can buy 3 cheap items for the same price as a quality item. It just creates a throw away society. Waste is a real issue in the developed world. I'm not a greenie, but there is only 1 planet.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by prktkljokr

Most of these big brands are outsourcing more and more, they seem to be having more problems with cars now than they ever have in the history of cars, electrical components that fail is pretty common across the board with most manufacturers, the now quality control just gets them out of the warranty period and your on your own.

I remember my parents buying a new 6 cylinder TC Cortina in 73, they kept it for 25 years, only had tyres, service and brakes its whole life, they never replaced a component on it at all.
Now I know from experience that I will not get the same service from a 2020s car, if I get 10 years without a major mechanical or electrical component failure I would be doing well.

Don't kid yourself, the product may be designed by the big name brand, but they are made elsewhere to fit a wholesale price, and if they have to skimp on using top of the range components in a item to get the product for a fixed price that's exactly what they will do, then they will charge the consumer a premium for the brand name, any warranty issues would be factored into the manufacturing price, so whatever comes back failed in the warranty period just gets a new one, Not saying Ozito is a big name brand, but much like Ozito's 3 year warranty, most people would throw it in the bin if it failed after a year, a small amount would bring it back, that percentage is well and truly covered in the sell price, buy 1 but pay for 4, all the major big names work on the same principle.

I wont by the cheap and nasty Chinese stuff, but I do buy the cheaper Chinese product over the more expensive brands, I look at it as I can by 10 Ozitos to 1 Dewalt, it comes with a 3 year warranty and if it dies I take it back and they hand me a new one, where as the Dewalt will have to go to a service outlet and be checked for failure before warranty is given, its a no brainer

Thats basically spot on,

I've still got my original DeWALT 10.8V drill and impact driver I started my apprenticeship with, though the drill has seen better days and its probably due for replacement.

I thrashed the crap out of that drill, using the drill with small holesaws like 19mm through steel until it would stop and get super hot

But I know what you're saying re warranty - for a customer just giving them a new replacement without needing to go through all the BS over the investigation is a way to win customers as its being easy to deal with.

I find with t-shirts the quality varies massively, I own a ****load of 1320 video t-shirts, as in circa 30 of them, they're all from the same supplier in the same size and they fit differently and some are thinner than others

[prktkljokr]

Originally Posted by prydey

I don't agree with the mindset that I can buy 3 cheap items for the same price as a quality item. It just creates a throw away society. Waste is a real issue in the developed world. I'm not a greenie, but there is only 1 planet.

I don't agree with throw away either, but I also don't believe in paying a premium for a name brand when its more than likely only cost a few measly dollars more to produce over the cheaper brands, but you have to pay 10 times the price.

[Late braker]

I don’t like the tactic of the MG brand being infiltrated and turned over into a cheap throwaway car. I’m fairly sure there are those smitten with the low price, see the name and draw an illogical conclusion.

[Interceptor]

Originally Posted by Late braker

I don’t like the tactic of the MG brand being infiltrated and turned over into a cheap throwaway car. I’m fairly sure there are those smitten with the low price, see the name and draw an illogical conclusion.

something something fools and money....

[simon varley]

Originally Posted by Late braker

I don’t like the tactic of the MG brand being infiltrated and turned over into a cheap throwaway car. I’m fairly sure there are those smitten with the low price, see the name and draw an illogical conclusion.

no, I think they know exactly what they are doing. cheap car with 7 year warranty?

if all you want is something to go shopping why wouldn't you? car sales are nothing like smaller consumer goods. there is a lot of consumer protection for lemons

[Late braker]

I wouldn’t buy one.
I’ve never been accepting of the mentality of the throwaway item. It’s so wasteful and unsustainable. When you actually itemise the raw materials used to build a car then throw it away (trade it) when the warranty is up…
Yes they’re cheap transport and have their place in society I suppose.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by prktkljokr

I don't agree with throw away either, but I also don't believe in paying a premium for a name brand when its more than likely only cost a few measly dollars more to produce over the cheaper brands, but you have to pay 10 times the price.

Sounds like BMW and VAG business model, make cheap and nasty bull**** but put an expensive price tag on it

They're like the prestige MG.

[Junkyard-Dog]

Originally Posted by Franco Cozzo

Sounds like BMW and VAG business model, make cheap and nasty bull**** but put an expensive price tag on it

They're like the prestige MG.

My parents just had the powersteering pump basically explode on their VW Transporter.

Can confirm that the design is nasty bull****

[zilo]

Jaycar sells decent chinese stuff.

[commodorenutt]

Originally Posted by prydey

As mentioned, it's about quality control. Big brands that manufacture the have their own quality control systems in place to protect their reputation.

I work for a global company, headquartered in the USA. We have a significant amount of product made in China, Korea, Vietnam, and other ASEAN nations. I’ve been to several of our Chinese plants, and the parts coming from there are often better and more consistent than some of our US and even German made parts. The QA in China is only high because we have Americans, Aussies, and European people working there in key roles to ensure that standards are kept.

China can produce a quality product, and will do it when asked, and the price is fair. But we have many horror stories from the late 90s and early 2000s, prior to the staffing strategy, where the samples were fantastic. But as soon as production was signed-off and they were left to their own device, quality slipped almost instantly.

The problem with our setup, is the costs aren’t rock bottom, and people expect a rock bottom price for something made in China. The arguments for “I’d pay more for quality” don’t wash with me when for the last 15 years, I’ve heard countless people whine about an AU$120 item of ours that’s made in China vs the same item of ours made in the USA that’s AU$200, but the questionable competition from China is AU$100 for an equivalent. The amount of moaning over $20 is incredible. I tell the inside sales to not even bother arguing - let them go buy the crap. Some even have the hide to suggest ours come from the same factory as the cheaper ones. I can tell you they don’t! Those cheaper ones tend to fail, pretty quickly too, and then they come back to us wanting the decent ones. Cost them more than buying the US ones now they’ve spent their money twice….

But how do you pick that? Generally a lot of the quality brands will have decent QA in China, and the price won’t be rock bottom.

The other hassle is the inability to outright own a factory in China and operate independently. Unlike Australia, where we let anyone buy real estate and build crap, in China there are so many restrictions on overseas companies. Many of our plants started as a joint venture, as that was the only way to get in there.

The people I met in our factories were so grateful for things we take for granted, like indoor toilets, microwaves in the lunch rooms (indoor lunch rooms too) and some even provided lunch for the workers. One lady told me how she does similar labouring work to her husband, but he has a tarp and dirt floor for a lunch room, and outdoor pits for toilets. I asked if he was out in the countryside and she said no, only 200m up the road! They really appreciated the amenities offered by a western run facility. Sadly, as soon as she got pregnant, she had to give up work, and told us she won’t ever work again.

[Franco Cozzo]

There's multiple levels of China, from the dirt cheap to the quality,

Depends on how cheap you want to go, everyone makes you sign ethical supply agreements for them to buy from you as a supplier, but then the same companies turn a blind eye when they know someone is supplying products from slave labour:

Victoria continued to use Uighur-linked firm to avoid delays on $2.4b rail project

Victoria’s Transport department advised the Andrews government to continue with the purchase of train parts from a Chinese supplier linked to exploited Uighur workers because it would have cost too much to find a different contractor on the $2.4 billion train project.

Documents obtained under freedom of information laws show department officials told transport ministers Jacinta Allan and Ben Carroll they should continue with their purchases despite the involvement of Chinese company KTK Group, which was using scores of Muslim workers sourced through a Chinese government program.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/v...14-p580x7.html

Are you happy to save a couple bucks knowing you're supporting slave labour? What about using child labour working in abhorrent conditions in dirt floor factories? Thats what I say when someone asked me to source something from a cheaper supplier in China than the existing Chinese supplier, I'll get it but it'll be kids making it on dirt floors or using Uighur slaves in prison camps - your call.

The one thing I can say about American companies vs the Chinese ones is that the Chinese ones are keen for your business and they will respond very quickly to your requests, getting a response out of an American company is like pulling teeth as they think the world ends at their east and west coasts and they act like you're privileged to be buying from them.

Americans don't do customer service for ****, where as Chinese companies bend over backwards for your dollar. I'd rather jam a pinecone up my *** than deal with Honeywell or Walbro ever again.

We had crisis meetings with Honeywell because we were about to dump them as a supplier, they sent out their new rep to come out to visit us and they hadn't even provided her with a company car, she had to come out to us by train and then walk

Then she was ****ing useless, the local reps and Australian based team had to defer everything to the US for responses.

Then they'd quote lead times and then it would be their quoted lead time +150 days.

Walbro was the same except they decided to blame the Michigan Governor for everything.

China is very responsive and forthcoming to information requests, but that might be to their silly '996 culture' that their government is trying to put an end to:

China steps in to regulate brutal '996' work culture

Chinese tech tycoon Jack Ma famously said it was a "blessing" for anyone to be part of the so-called "996 work culture"- where people work 9am to 9pm, six days a week.

Now, China's authorities have issued a stern reminder to companies that such punishing work schedules are in fact, illegal.

In a joint statement published last Thursday, China's top court and labour ministry detailed 10 court decisions related to labour disputes, many involving workers being forced to work overtime.

The cases covered various scenarios across a wide range of sectors, from tech to the media and construction.

The one thing they had in common? The employers had lost.

"Legally, workers have the right to corresponding compensation and rest times or holidays. Complying with national working hours is the obligation of employers," the notice warned, adding that further guidelines will be developed to resolve future labour disputes.

But will China's clearest warning yet pave the way for real change for some of its overworked citizens?

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-58381538

[commodorenutt]

Originally Posted by Late braker

I don’t like the tactic of the MG brand being infiltrated and turned over into a cheap throwaway car. I’m fairly sure there are those smitten with the low price, see the name and draw an illogical conclusion.

I had an odd experience the other week on one of my office days. One of the guys who knows I’m into cars asked me if I knew who owned the red MG in the car park. I was puzzled, and wandered out to look. Could not see it. I asked him where it was, and he came out with me. I was standing behind an SUV that I’d just assumed was a Ki/undai/maz/ota small SUV when I walked past it earlier in the morning. Then I saw the MG badge. He wants to buy one because his grandad always loved his MGB…… the owner of the “modern” one raves about all the “features” that it had for the price. None of them impressed me…..

At least Atto/BYD/LDV/Haval/Great Wall etc aren’t riding on the coat tails of a classic name.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by commodorenutt

I had an odd experience the other week on one of my office days. One of the guys who knows I’m into cars asked me if I knew who owned the red MG in the car park. I was puzzled, and wandered out to look. Could not see it. I asked him where it was, and he came out with me. I was standing behind an SUV that I’d just assumed was a Ki/undai/maz/ota small SUV when I walked past it earlier in the morning. Then I saw the MG badge. He wants to buy one because his grandad always loved his MGB…… the owner of the “modern” one raves about all the “features” that it had for the price. None of them impressed me…..

At least Atto/BYD/LDV/Haval/Great Wall etc aren’t riding on the coat tails of a classic name.

In MG's defence if the Brits didn't sell out to China, then China wouldn't be using its name its legally entitled to and slapping it on throwaway ****boxes.

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by commodorenutt

At least Atto/BYD/LDV/Haval/Great Wall etc aren’t riding on the coat tails of a classic name.

Love the new advertising Great Wally are using, only referring to them as GWM now.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by roKWiz

Love the new advertising Great Wally are using, only referring to them as GWM now.

Probably trying to distance themselves from those horrid Great Wall V200s - 8 years ago they were impossible to get parts, for repairs and maintenance.

Our local postie had one and was a customer of mine, bash my head against the wall trying to get stuff to fix it.

[marty351]

Bought a $2 shop #2 Phillips sd to tighten a metal gate latch. When I tightened the screw I thought it was threaded, so went to undo and check- nope, the tip of the sd had smeared itself inside the screw head.
There are cheeses harder than this!