"Most anything under $ 500 is a throw away now unless you can fix it
yourself."

That is more a socioeconomic issue almost. how did it get that way ?

"With companies charging $ 50 to $ 100 per hour labor,"

In the old days I had a TV shop, the rent for 3,500 square feet was $350 IIRC, the elctric bill was low, and beer was like two bucks a sixpack. Gas was cheap, food was cheap.

"the
cost to ship it back, especially if it is big or heavy, all tht ammounts "

Have you tried to drive lately ? Back then we bought a hundred dollar car, threw whatever plates we had on it and just drove. there were no problems because we did not hit the other cars. Never even heard of seat belts either..


"up fast. Sort of like the socket sets from 40 years ago with the
lifetime warrenty. The whole set was about $ 5. If you sent the broken
part back and $ 4.50 for retrun postage and handling, they would send
you a replacement for the broken part. "


Sears started this **** where if your ratchet screwed up they handed you a kit to fix it. Do that to me and I will hand it back and say, well ? You fix it, it is not my job. Having known someone who worked there, actually they do it for you. If the customer asks anything just fix it for him, when you first go to work there it is in your training.

That is actuially alright but I stil don't buy their ****. I wanted wrenches that were Xrayed, not made so cheaply you can replace then fifty times and still show a profit on the books. When I am underneath a car with the tranny on my chest I need that tool not to break, not to have to drive (my transmissionless car) 25 ****ing miles to see if your store is open to get a replacement Chinese piece of **** I oculd have gotten for a tenth of the price over at Harbor Freight.

Rant over.