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Its happened to all of us at sometime in the past. You buy something new, get it home and plug it in, only to find that it doesnt work! Bad as this is, theres something else thats even worse and thats when something doesnt actually work quite as described. Frustration levels go through the roof and you feel cheated!

The truth of the matter is that the cost in real terms of consumer goods has been steadily declining over the years. Things are cheaper now than theyve ever been. The pertinent question to ask is how can this be? Manufacturers will tell you that economies of scale are responsible and we should all be grateful. From where I sit that doesnt ring true.

Let me explain. I used to be a computer engineer. Ten years ago PCs were very expensive items and, when repairing a PC, you would quite often need to open it up and inspect the internals. The one thing that you could be certain of then was that the quality of the components was very high. Individual items were beautifully made and replacement parts would usually come with all the extras.

Take a look inside a modern PC and the difference is immediately obvious. Its full of low quality high volume production parts quite often made in some country youve never heard of. And this is the nub of the matter. Sure production volume has something to do with it, but the biggest factor in reducing costs is not economies of scale, its reduction in quality!

Over the last eighteen months approximately 65% of every new thing Ive bought has either failed just out of warranty or doesnt work as expected. Whats worse is where an item has failed, its usually multiple failures rather than a single failure making it uneconomical to repair.

Making sure that the item you buy new is going to last and give good service is now an exact science. No longer can we apply the maxim well, theyre all the same because put simply, theyre not! Avoiding buying something that is destined to fail is a tough task but Ill show you how to avoid the real rubbish.
The first thing is to find out about the product you are thinking of buying. Most manufacturers produce glossy brochures and sales material and this usually contains the specifications of the item in question. The internet is, of course, a wonderful place to find out about products. You are looking for material to make a comparison between

different makes and model and a good proportion of on line shops have a compare feature. Make good use of it! Most manufacturers also have a web site and its worth checking there for specs and comparison data. Warranties are an important feature of any new buy. A manufacturer that offers a longer warranty than its competitors is saying something about the trust they have in their own products.

Having done your research you should now have an idea about which models and manufacturers you may want to think about. Ideally you should have narrowed down your choices to three or four potential buys. The next step is to ask friends and relatives about the new item you want to buy. You want a new washing machine? Ask those people you know about their new machine. Have they had any problems? Does it perform well etc? Does it exhibit any peculiarities? First hand knowledge is a powerful friend and to ignore it is to set yourself on a course to failure before youve even begun.

Having discussed it with friends and family, the next step is to get back on the net and search for those products. Any that have a bad or poor reputation will certainly show up on the search engines but it depends on the search terms you use. Try searching using the make and model and adding the word failure or problems.

If any of your chosen products appear to have a particularly bad reputation, discount them from your list. With whats left on the list it now comes down to simply deciding which gives the best value for money. Theres an important distinction to draw between cost and value for money. If two similar items appear to have the same features but one is 15% more expensive than the other, it doesnt mean that you should necessarily opt for the cheaper one. Does the more expensive one have a longer warranty or is delivery included in that price? If you can see a good reason why one is more expensive than the other, you will have to consider whether the additional features are worth the cost.

If you follow the guidelines Ive set out above, you have a good chance of buying something new that will perform well and give good service over a reasonable period of time good hunting!

About the Author

Rob Mills is webmaster at www.ihatecrap.net. A non profit site dedicated to improving the quality of the goods we buy as consumers

Written by: Rob Mills

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