At some point companies came to the conclusion that it's cheaper to give refunds than to do quality control.
The most recent example for me is when I tried to top off the air in my trailer tires. On one tire the valve stem had no threads. There was no way to screw on the air hose from my little compressor. Eventually I used one of those clamp on air hoses. Of course, without the threads to provide grip, it kept popping off. The only way to top off the tire was to hold it onto the valve. I don't know if I'll live with it or get annoyed enough to get the valve replaced. Of course, I bought it over a year ago and the receipt is long gone.
My mechanic says that he loses a lot of money due to parts being defective right out of the box. Sometimes the problem is obvious, like when I discovered Ford brake pads in a Dodge brake pad box. Often it's impossible to know if the part is good or not until it is installed. The parts companies always replace the part, but his labor is lost. His clients aren't too happy with the delays either.
If you live out in the country it's even worse. I order a lot of stuff by mail. If it's bad, days are lost when it's shipped back. Sometimes it's for important things like water pumps or generators -things you are depending on.
Then there is defective safety gear. One time I ordered a battery powered emergency beacon that clips onto a life jacket. The company sent me three defective ones in a row. How does that even happen? As you can imagine, I had zero confidence in that piece of safety gear. Imagine falling overboard at night and your beacon fails. Guess which comapany I'm never dealing with again.
-Sixbears
And then there is the mook who sends you an GM timing chain kit when what you ordered was a Honda Odyssey engine mount. The warehouse monkey stuck the wrong label on the wrong box. Never mind the boxes look quite different, and the one I received clearly said GM timing chain kit on the front of it. Three weeks after the fact I finally get my refund and am able to order from a different vendor.
ReplyDeleteWhen I got two left sided brake rotors I was told that the warehouse workers don't read English. That would explain a lot.
DeleteNobody fixes anything anymore, either. If your 200 dollar GE dehumidifier breaks down, you have to throw it away. There are no more "fix it" repair shops like there used to be.
ReplyDeleteWhat drives me nuts it that often the problem is something like an internal fuse or a defective switch.
DeleteWorse is some simple part, but one that only that company makes.
It's called customer no service and most places could care less. I ditched the local phone company for that very reason.
ReplyDeleteI did the same. Went with an Internet phone service. Got better service, customer support and saved money.
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