Brands That Are Expensive but Crap

Trying2SaveABuck on 22/08/2023 - 21:36

So special thanks to immrnonamehello for posting this https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/794905?page=1#comment

it got me thinking what brands market themselves to be 'quality' or charge a 'premium' price but is a 'sub-par' quality product compared to its peers.

The obvious ones for me are 'certain' European [German] cars which charge a premium price but are not nessarily better quality then other then say their Japanese or Korean counter parts.

Gillette is another brand ive found to be 'expensive' RRP but not better then less known shaving brands

up market clothing brands also tend to be a bit over rated - Polo, Rahlp Laurne etc all charge a lot but ost of the ive found to be 'made in China' and not much better quality then id entry brands…..

General Discussion

Comments

        • try2bhelpful on 24/08/2023 - 11:20

          BRO! WHAT IS? DEVICES THAT LAST WELL AND HAVE GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE? FRANKLY THAT DOES TO BE SOMETHING WORTH SHOUTING ABOUT.

      • atj on 03/10/2023 - 19:26

        They're okay but some of their products aren't as solid as I'd expect for the money. Their laptops have the worst track record with me as I've variously had a PowerBook G4 with faulty DIMM socket, a MacBook with the front casing crack problem, a MacBook Pro 15 with the toasty GPU problem, a MacBook Air 11 with the RAM solder issue, a MacBook Pro 15 with expanding battery, and a MacBook Pro 13 with the keyboard issue. The majority of those were fixed under warranty and a couple outside at no charge. The few that weren't were way outside the warranty period. Their software quality is overall just okay and is certainly well below what it could be with the resources they have.

    • GOCAT9 on 23/08/2023 - 12:35
      +8

      I agree about apple. We are still using an iPhone 6S and an iPhone X.

      In fact the biggest reason I choose Apple iPhone is just because of the build quality. The software is usually pretty good (and well supported also).

    • Ghost47 on 23/08/2023 - 14:29
      +9

      Apple is far from "crap". Overrated maybe, but definitely not crap.

      • caitsith01 on 23/08/2023 - 23:17
        -1

        Until their recent chip developments their gear was routinely twice the price for half the power (phones/computers particularly). They have finally caught up, so now it's just twice the price for the same power.

    • zombie hunter on 24/08/2023 - 17:12

      Nope expensive yes crap no….

    • Kiro on 26/08/2023 - 00:48

      Darn right…… People don't see it but they do

  • Jimothy Wongingtons on 22/08/2023 - 22:32
    +11

    Samsung

    • Phlume on 22/08/2023 - 23:58
      +2

      Dealing with Samsung support is also a nightmare. If I wasn't so heavily invested in the Samsung ecosystem I would change immediately.

    • Kayrhcp on 23/08/2023 - 08:11
      +2

      Apparently they’re the most complained about Australian company this year.

      • Ramrunner on 23/08/2023 - 16:24

        Wow - gotta admit that's an impressive feat considering we have Telstra vying for the crown every single year.

    • conan2000 on 23/08/2023 - 20:56

      Agreed, every Samsung product I have owned has been poor/had issues. Phones, fridge, dryer, TV. I'd say the most over-rated brand out there.

  • Mokr on 22/08/2023 - 22:43
    +1

    Expensive. Only to a serf.

  • Godric on 22/08/2023 - 23:02
    +14

    Razer

    • Typical16-bitEnjoyer on 22/08/2023 - 23:09
      +2

      Not entirely. Razer mice are god tier. Keyboards….so so

      • buyer-123 on 23/08/2023 - 09:16

        My Deathadder V2 Pro just started spontaneously restarting when in anything other than wireless. Do not reccomend.

        • Munki on 23/08/2023 - 21:31

          I'm starting to see input lag on my Deathstalker V2 Pro at random times. Never with my Logitech G915s.

      • caitsith01 on 23/08/2023 - 23:18

        Depends on the mouse. I had a Razer Ouroboros and it was a total POS. Deathadders have also dropped significantly in quality IMHO.

      • drprox on 24/08/2023 - 16:23

        Love my viper ultimate

      • OzBarAnon on 26/08/2023 - 22:22

        Never had a keyboard from them, but I have a deathadder that's still working well since 2018. The rubber grips on the side sometimes come off as the glue has weakened, but can't recall having any issues with the functionality.

    • rumblytangara on 22/08/2023 - 23:56
      +1

      Agreed- makes me a little bit sad whenever I see someone spend money on a Razer keyboard, a brand that was so crap that at one stage they went and sourced their own specially cheap and extra shitty mechanical switches.

      I've only ever come across one Razer product that I admire, and I own it. It is a lump of metal that holds my mouse cable stable on my desk. The one product of theirs where I don't have to worry about poor design, poor manufacture, or malware (https://www.pcmag.com/news/razer-offers-rewards-to-gamers-fo…).

    • fairyflossgrapes on 24/08/2023 - 16:07

      Their laptops are amazing. Haven't been able to kill one yet (and I'm talking burning them to a crisp with overheating, spilling stuff all over them, lol).

      • Ramrunner on 24/08/2023 - 16:14

        Wow, I literally had to send one back twice as it kept freezing and blue screening pretty much constantly out of the box (so was on a third unit) - all within the space of 9 weeks or so. Then they didn't do refunds only credit so I had to get a model $1k more, which then also proceeded to bluescreen on average once or twice every 3 or 4 days.

        Never was able to contact them directly only over emails which due to their timezone I had to wait till next day for a response every time. 18 months after I had the more expensive laptop the battery swelled and nearly snapped my chassis in two. I had to remove the battery and use it with the charger.

        Abolute garbage in my opinion.

        Glad to see you managed ot get a good one but I would not buy Razer again ever…..

      • rumblytangara on 25/08/2023 - 08:54
        +1

        https://www.reddit.com/r/pcmasterrace/comments/7cqt1c/a_list…

        I won't buy any Razer product that has electronics in it.

  • madreece on 22/08/2023 - 23:05
    +29

    Smeg appliances.

    • BargainCowboy on 23/08/2023 - 09:29
      +3

      No roaches though

    • JimB on 23/08/2023 - 11:23
      +6

      I came here to post Smeg but you beat me to it.

      I'll probably add ILVE to the list.

      • conan2000 on 23/08/2023 - 20:57

        ILVE oven purchase is one of my biggest regrets in life. $3k+ burned.

        • JimB on 24/08/2023 - 00:24

          Sorry to hear. What’s wrong with it?

          • conan2000 on 24/08/2023 - 22:31

            @JimB: Major issues with the gas lighters on the stove top (it was a 90cm freestanding stove/oven), probably had their technician out 10+ times to look at it during warranty, replaced pretty much every part. E&S trading were the retailer and were completely useless as well. We just gave up and replaced it.

            • JimB on 25/08/2023 - 09:24

              @conan2000: gas wouldn't stay on or the electronic ignition didn't work? e.g. need to use a gas lighter?

              I've got an el cheapo Omega freestanding oven in my rental property. 13 years later, I'm surprised it's still working :)

              • conan2000 on 25/08/2023 - 12:32

                @JimB: Issues with lighting it and with the gas staying on. It would jsut randomly shut off in the middle of cooking. Terrible product, terrible support.

                • JimB on 25/08/2023 - 14:26

                  @conan2000: randomly shut off is very annoying.

                  You wonder how that can happen to a device/technology that has been around for years and has no moving parts.

    • PurchaseAnxiety on 23/08/2023 - 21:50
      +1

      I’m pretty sure this smeg coffee machine is just a re-badged cheaper Delonghi coffee machine. I think that sums up the brand pretty nicely.

      • binti33 on 30/08/2023 - 07:01

        Yes it is

    • caitsith01 on 23/08/2023 - 23:19

      Out of interest, are they really bad or just overpriced? E.g. looking at induction cooktops there's a decent looking Smeg for less than the cheapest Bosch.

      • rumblytangara on 25/08/2023 - 08:58
        +1

        Mine are mildly bad.

        Gas cooktop doesn't have as much heat output as my parents' random brand. Oven has a terrible UI (how it's possible to mess up the UI on an oven is a good question).

        Their home appliances are made of plastic designed to look like old school enamelled steel. And your paying the prices for enamelled steel.

        Had a look at their blenders the other day, the motor to blade interface was plastic too, instead of metal like you get on the good brand (Vitamix or Blendtec).

    • knasty on 24/08/2023 - 09:59
      +2

      This. Smeg is rubbish for the price. Definitely form over substance.

    • jaypee06 on 25/08/2023 - 09:49
      +1

      I can never think of Smeg as luxury because I always think of the word smegma

    • buddy389 on 01/09/2023 - 15:36

      Smegma

  • Ozbar Gain on 22/08/2023 - 23:09
    +16

    Russell Hobbs disappointed me a few times

    • kerfuffle on 23/08/2023 - 07:09
      +7

      Since when is Russell Hobbs (unlike Smeg in the previous comment) considered expensive?

      • Ozbar Gain on 23/08/2023 - 08:02
        +3

        Where I'm from RH is considered upper class.

        On the flip side, Sunbeam has surprised me a few times

    • offside on 23/08/2023 - 14:34
      +1

      This,

      We had a russell hobbs kettle which the button labels wiped off with the first cleaning.

      Then leaked from the clear plastic fill indicator 9 months later. Junk.

    • Brick Tamland on 24/08/2023 - 08:14
      +3

      I always thought Russel Hobbs was junk?

      You can tell by looking at it. It feels cheap and nasty.

  • Typical16-bitEnjoyer on 22/08/2023 - 23:10
    +16

    VW
    (cough dodginess that made resell value plummet ffs)

    • Blargman2001 on 23/08/2023 - 16:49

      VW production is so geared at volume and cost cutting they are literally the German equivalent of Toyota. They are seen as that pretty much everywhere except Australia where they're seen as a premium brand. You get all of the negatives of European cars without the positives. Front wheel drive, shared platforms and parts throughout their entire range (Skoda, SEAT, VW, Audi etc), expensive parts and maintenance and so on, hardly prestige.

      • JimB on 24/08/2023 - 00:25
        +4

        VW do drive well though.

        VW could only dream of Toyota’s reliability.

  • Caped Baldy on 23/08/2023 - 00:10
    +1

    LV

    • Gunnar on 23/08/2023 - 10:12

      I’d extend that to most (if not all) of the Brands in the LVMH group, particularly their clothing and accessories brands. They were excellent but the workmanship and longevity of recent stuff is not great

    • fairyflossgrapes on 24/08/2023 - 16:09

      Has gone downhill but isn't necessarily 'crap'. Canvas wallets, eg, still last forever. Super popular stuff like the Neverfull aren't made as well as they used to be.

  • iridiumstem on 23/08/2023 - 01:06
    +4

    I find that a lot of lower end of the "premium" brands are not worth it (i.e. my workphone is a low end Samsung phone and it runs terribly, because of its specs).

    Other than that… there are few brands that I can think of that might fit the bill, Moleskin notebooks look pretty, but their paper quality isn't that great for fountain pens (be fair, fountain pens are finnicky with papers). GMK keycaps are expensive, but there are whole debacles on their QC issues and how long it is taking for the group buys.

    • kerfuffle on 23/08/2023 - 07:09
      +2

      Use Leuchtturm1917 if you want Moleskine-style but better paper

  • Vancomycin 1000mg on 23/08/2023 - 01:41
    +16

    Jeep

    • SupeNintendoChalmers on 23/08/2023 - 22:56

      almost $80,00 for a base Wrangler?

      Miss me with that, I'd rather chance it on a Haval Tank 300,

  • Vancomycin 1000mg on 23/08/2023 - 01:43
    +29

    Panadol, don't be fooled with their cringe advertising and labels.

    Buy homebrand or PANAMAX. Its exactly the same.

    • Nugs on 23/08/2023 - 06:12

      If only they too were 1000mg
      .

      • diss on 23/08/2023 - 16:56
        +4

        Just take two? You’re still saving money

        • Nugs on 23/08/2023 - 18:28
          -2

          Three barely makes a dent
          .

          • diss on 23/08/2023 - 20:25
            +1

            @Nugs: You’re complaining about pill size but it’s the same stuff, I mean just take as many as you need to equal however many of the 1000mg pills that you prefer lol

          • caitsith01 on 23/08/2023 - 23:19
            +1

            @Nugs: In your kidneys?

    • ForkSnorter on 23/08/2023 - 08:04
      +1

      Placebo is apparently just as good, according to many studies. Plus it has no side effects.

      • [Deactivated] on 23/08/2023 - 13:59
        +3

        Paracetamol is so toxic to the liver yet people knock this stuff back like lollies.

        Also, why doesn't Panadol have the country of manufacture on the packaging like the other brands do? List all the countries that each tablet/capsule pitt stops at during manufacture.

        • 900dollaridoos on 26/08/2023 - 22:52
          +1

          I get laughed at for this (including by my doctor gf) but i swear there is some weird shit in panadol. I rarely dream but if im on panadol i cop the narliest dreams and nightmares and even when awake i feel my brain performing differently. Not worse, just differently.
          I established this connection even as a kid before i even really knew side effects were a thing.

          • [Deactivated] on 26/08/2023 - 23:24

            @900dollaridoos: It's not good if you don't dream. Google it.

    • iridiumstem on 23/08/2023 - 11:24
      +3

      I have heard that some people have reactions to other ingredients that are not the active ingredients of the medication. I haven't had that experience but, I have heard that being one of the reasons why GPs do sometimes mention no generics.

      That said, I did see people complaining about medications and claiming that changes to branded had helped (when more likely explanation is that their body adjusted to the antidepressant that they were prescribed with).

      • rumblytangara on 25/08/2023 - 09:02

        Listened to an interview with a researcher who'd looked into generic drugs the other day.

        Huge amounts of fraud in the industry, and the FDA has no meaningful manpower to check anything made overseas. And the rest of the world relies on the FDA.

        Almost all generics are manufactured in China or India, where corruption is systemic.

        I've had generics not noticed problems. But I can easily believe that these problems when then are mentioned are real.

        • iridiumstem on 25/08/2023 - 09:19

          Me too, I have few medications that I take as an ongoing thing, and I haven't had any ongoing side effects even though all of them have been generics.

          I do hope TGA in Australia also do their job right in making the medicines well regulated and safe, I genuinely don't need affects of changed dosage of SSRIs that I haven't anticipated in my life :P

          • rumblytangara on 25/08/2023 - 10:15

            @iridiumstem: I don't know what the TGA actually does, but I suspect they have close to zero ability to do widespread meaningful testing on imported medicines (because these would be similar to the late stage trials conducted in R&D, where the costs to market run in the billions) and would just take the manufacturers' word for it. They certainly wouldn't have any influence in the countries of manufacture.

            I've seen some generics made in Oz, which really surprised me. At least that's reassuring in that the production facilities are going to be clean.

    • CowFrogHorse on 24/08/2023 - 14:42

      Even though most people went to school and supposedly learned how to read, they cant read the packaging….

      same for toothpaste, all toothpaste has the same active ingredients.

    • omgilia on 25/08/2023 - 08:29

      True fact to live by. Always ask for the generics if possible unless you're somehow allergic to the filler but API dose is still the same!!!!

      Also the expiry dates of drugs are generally ignored they are still good especially if still in blistered packs and not exposed to air (i remember it was 50-60 years past expiry date for panamax) unless its something like antibiotics

  • 0FoxGiven on 23/08/2023 - 01:47
    +4

    Smeg
    Samsung (TVs, Phones)
    BMW
    Sony (TVs)
    Jeep
    Designer wear and watches

    • Typical16-bitEnjoyer on 23/08/2023 - 12:08

      🎵 one of these is not like the other…

    • caitsith01 on 23/08/2023 - 23:20

      I have a Sony OLED and it's comfortably the best piece of non-vintage consumer electronics I've ever owned.

      • 0FoxGiven on 24/08/2023 - 07:30

        Sure. The top end and prolly most expensive tvs in the Sony range. That comes at very premium prices. If that failed as well, then they are not much better than the likes of JVC

    • Hugh G Rection on 24/08/2023 - 14:48

      i agree with smeg, bmw, samsung phones, sony tv, and designer watches.

      samsung TV's are awesome, that is all i buy. i use to own Sony and LG.

      Jeep is fine if you are a veteran.

      • 0FoxGiven on 24/08/2023 - 16:15

        Well their OS is pretty crap. I got a Samsung too but always run it via a firestick

  • p3rsonally on 23/08/2023 - 01:48
    +2

    Jaguar. There is no Jaguar that isn't worse than the equivalent Mazda.

    Also any FCA/Stellantis vehicle: Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Citroën, Fiat, Jeep, Maserati, Peugeot.

    Oh and Land Rovers.

    • Ramrunner on 23/08/2023 - 16:28

      Oh yeah. My Giulietta QV has cost me decent money to keep going so I actually agree with you - don't get me wrong.

      BUT

      OMG I've never driven a more fun/better handling with good road feel car yet. And I've driven heaps of sports cars. Will admit II haven't driven a Honda Type R yet which is supposed to be amazing.

    • jzdhgkd on 23/08/2023 - 17:53
      +1

      I doubt there is any consumer Mazda that is equivalent to the f-type svr!

  • Ocker on 23/08/2023 - 06:07
    +50

    Qantas

    • kyle on 23/08/2023 - 07:12
      +5

      Absolutely

  • kyle on 23/08/2023 - 07:12
    +9

    People buy European cars for their driving experience not necessarily reliability

    • SupeNintendoChalmers on 23/08/2023 - 22:58

      my mates 330i probably damaged my kidneys, such was the awful ride quality.

    • caitsith01 on 23/08/2023 - 23:21

      So buy a VW and get a Euro car that's actually got a good driving experience. I had a reasonably sporty BMW and it was a complete dog compared to a Golf R.

    • syousef on 24/08/2023 - 14:41

      If it isn't reliable, what experience are they paying for exactly? Sitting in their car in their driveway? Trips to the service center?

      • kyle on 24/08/2023 - 15:24

        Don't think you're their target audience then

        • syousef on 25/08/2023 - 10:06

          Thankfully I'm not.

  • kyle on 23/08/2023 - 07:13

    We'd all be shopping at Aldi and Kmart the way this thread is going

    • gromit on 23/08/2023 - 21:18

      Aldi and kmart are cheap and crap. Well kmart is. Aldi a bit more mixed

  • Lord Fart Bucket on 23/08/2023 - 07:47
    +10

    Pretty much any health insurance.

  • Ozbar Gain on 23/08/2023 - 08:04
    +5

    I see Samsung get mentioned a few times here. Honest question, which other flagship phones have cameras as good as the Samsung flagships?

    • Bman17 on 23/08/2023 - 09:30
      +4

      Huawei phones! Sadly, no Google services.

    • brendanm on 23/08/2023 - 10:39
      +15

      Pixel.

      • SuperLate on 27/08/2023 - 11:58

        Pixel cameras are the best. I've had Samsung S series throughout life until now ( bare few Nokia ). I'm amazed with my latest Pixel 7 photo qualities especially colours they reproduce. In good light they beat iPhone photos. Now iPhone photos look more like unrealistic or Photoshopped when compared to Pixel ones.

    • Caped Baldy on 23/08/2023 - 11:22
      +5

      Most phones are comparable in bright settings and the big differentiation is low light performance and gimmicky features. Some Chinese phones and pixels have good low light performance.

      It's worth noting as well that Samsung faked their moon photos. The phone recognises that there is a moon like object and then pulls up a render for more detailed images. Some youtubers tested this by bringing an image on a screen and pointing the phone to it and the phone had more detail.

    • Thinkswithelbow on 23/08/2023 - 15:03
      +1

      Pixel

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