About 2-3 years ago, I decided to stop buying cheap s**t and started buying premium - from power tools (Ozito to Bosch Blue), home reno (DIY to proper contractors for pergola; cheap light/power fittings to decent quality LED and $40 GPOs; bond paint vs dulux wash'n'wear), computers (cheap throwaway laptops to high end surface pro3 ), food (woolies meat to farmers market or single source organic butchers).
Yes my bank has taken a hit, but I'm finding now that I'm happier… because of the after sales support I'm getting. In the last month the following happened:
Nissan X-trail failed EGR valve on the way back from camping (car has 108,000km), had extended warranty (i know i know, i shouldn't have but i was a good deal). The extended warranty covered car hire (Kluger), towing of x-trail back to my place (over 100kms away), and the dealer fixing everything on the car. Essentially, the whole saga cost me nothing and Nissan air freighted the part from Japan. While I have previously disliked Nissan, this was pretty good service (from what I hear - its pretty rare!)
my iMac failed just after 1 year. Both the screen and HDD failed (NFI?!). went in, and was fixed without any q's (because of their 2year minimum ACL guarantee now)
My dog damaged my Weber Q bbq. Weber sent out spare parts that the dog destroyed (electric sparker) for no cost.
I bought some clothes online this week (arrived next day), and they even include return shipping envelope and code if I need to exchange or return. Easier than going to Westfields and fighting the dumb asses in the carpark.
Since I've started paying for better quality stuff, I find i'm not breaking things, and i'm not getting dodgy stuff that i have to return (e.g. meat)… left my Bosch drill on the roof the other night, it was fine; I've had my expensive steel push bike 3 years with no troubles, my last iMac lasted 6 years and am hoping that this one will last a while now that its fixed. Then on the weekend, i bought a 50m hose from bunnings… it was cheap but it was the only 50m hose available… OMFG i was quickly reminded why i stopped buying cheap as chips hardware (kinks, knots, blow out all within 10 mins of unpacking it). I once bought a pack of nails and screws from Aldi… every single one of them bent or was stripped… bunnings stuff was fine (at twice the cost).
As soon as funds allow, my wife and I have decided to replace our crappy 3yo carpet that came with the house (I want a decent underlay) and change the treated pine deck to mod-wood (OMFG that stuff is expensive).
There are still some bargains to be had, but has anyone else drawn a line in the sand and said 'enough of the cheap stuff'? I find i'm happier, because i can get stuff done quicker, better, and not worried about faulty products. And buying from decent shops, means if there's a problem - i'm not up for a fight.
EDIT: forgot one other example.
I purchased a camping ensuite for our camping shower. I'd had the BCF/Oztrail pop up ones snap on me before so I bought a Roman branded one ($110 vs $40). After about 18 months of use, I snapped one of the elastic things (put it in wrong). Emailed Roman (Companion brands) asking how much for a new pole set (no warranty, no receipt)… no charge and they sent me whole new set by courier
Interesting post.
May I ask out of curiosity, was there a change in situation that resulted in you having more disposable income?
I agree with your views, obviously dependent on having the money to let your 'bank account take a hit'