On Thu, 12 Aug 2004 21:45:47 +0100, "IMM" wrote:




You jest of course. A one year guarantee
packs up after 2 years and they
will totally disown you. A 3 year guarantee
packs up after 2.5 years and
they either fix, replace or money back.

I never jest about things like this.

I have successfully pursued issues like
this with retailers by pointing out to them
the statutory situation and making it quite clear
that I will pursue them in the courts if I need to do so.

So each time something breaks down outside the guarantee you go to lawyer.
Please get in the real world. Imagine, we would have lawyers on every street
corner. "The kettle has packed up Dear". "OK I'll just pop across the
street to the lawyers to do some suing, be back in a jiff". ...2 hours
later...."Is the kettle fixed Dear, I'm gasping for a cuppa"? "No, not for
another 6 months as the lawyers is starting the court proceedings".

That isn't what I said at all. I don't require a lawyer to have a
friendly discussion with a retailer in which if need be I explain
about consumer legislation. I also would not require a lawyer if it
became necessary to take him to court.

In the case of power tools, I have only ever had to raise the issue
and make it clear that I am prepared to do just that if need be. The
process is quite simple.

However, by the use of good quality choices, the issue has very
seldom arisen at all.


If a power tool is about 4 years old and needs
repair, a Makita or DeWalt repair
will be just as much as a new one.

This is not true in my experience.

Look at the current threads someone here ditched one because repair was so
expensive. I know guys who ditch Bosch tools because of the same. May as
well get a 3 year no quibble guarantee PP Pro.

I would prefer not to have the issue. Having a quibble with PPPoo
stuff would be from the outset because the usability and quality of
many of the products is so poor. That's before anything breaks.



This begs the question whether it is
worth buying high priced tools at all,
and using them only for DIY is
ludicrous.

It doesn't at all.

I does.

You does what?


With a good degree of consistency, that comes from
the major globally branded manufacturers.

DeWalt is pants, to give one of your sarf Lahdan words. Many here say the
same thing, and that is a global brand. Kress is far better, yet costs less,
and is full pro, no PP stuff.

As I already said, I cherry pick products according to requirements
and check reviews carefully as well. The DeWalt routers are
consistently good and solid performers. I have one of their
screwdrivers that is also excellent. I ran into a design defect with
one of their biscuit jointers and the cost was refunded nearly two
years later.

DW has a good sliding mitre saw (DW708), but the Makita LS1013 is
smoother, so I have one of those.

I wouldn't give the Wickes OEM Kress stuff house room because it is
not even in the same league as these products.



One pays extra for that
and I choose to do so.

You pay for their marketing and hype you mean.

Nope. There is undoubtedly a cost in establishing and maintaining a
global brand, and I have no real problem if they do so. I select
purely on quality, service and ease of use. For example, I have a
Metabo random orbit sander. This is a well respected brand, but the
main reason is because this is an excellent sander which I can use all
day and not have tingling fingers at the end.

Many telecom companies
undercut BT, yet use BT lines. BT can't undercut them because they spend
billions on national advertising, the little boys don't, undercut and
provide the same service even on BT lines.

They really don't. I have been around the houses with some of
these operators, including some of the larger ones like NTL, who have
been hopeless.

I buy all of my telecoms services with one exception with business as
opposed to residential service levels. For the services required,
BT is really the only operator able to deliver what I need and has
demonstrated that.

Big name does not equal big
reliability.

True, but it is often the case and there is a well defined path to
take if there are problems.


..andy

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