wrote in message
...
In article , Doctor Evil
writes

"r.p.mcmurphy" wrote in message
...

Is it just me or is there anyone else
perplexed by the way modern products
seem to have got worse rather than better?

Overall you are right. The biggest problem I find is the quality of
service - many have telephone answering voices that say "your call is
valued
by us", then a rude slob speaks to you. Far too many tradesmen are
cowboys.
Few people have any pride in their work. Being customer focused is
non-existent in many companies. We need more John Lewis types around.

I find I have to take back products far more than what I used to, that is
why I value long guarantees from organisations that honour them.

Just out of interest John, do you buy extended guarantees?
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Assuming your question wasn't just for John, it depends. I had an AEG
microwave which I bought without an extended guarantee (thinking it was
quality stuff) and which failed a few months outside the guarantee period. I
was then told it was just a rebadged Toshiba, the klystron had gone (which
they do) and it was £80 to fix it. I bought a cheap one from Argos (Hinari)
with a 3 year guarantee for the same price as another AEG one - that seemed
worth it (aside from light bulb failure, it's not gone wrong of course).

I also took out one of those "get your money back if you don't claim
jobbies". I didn't claim and, yes, I did get my money back! - again, seems
worth it.

More often than not, it's not worth it because the items are cheap anyway.
It also depends on your usage. An extended guarantee on a quality washing
machine (Bosch or whatever), if there's just the two of you in the house,
isn't worth it. If you have teenage boys and it's on every day getting a
hammering, it probably is!


--
Bob Mannix
(anti-spam is as easy as 1-2-3 - not)