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Why is it hard to buy things that work well?

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Re: Why is it hard to buy things that work well?

#351

Post by jokoon »

Because most consumers don't know how tech products work, so they're unable to make the best choice for them. They end up forcing "tech-literate" people to use crappy products, by the force of the market.

That's why marketing beats product quality. Liars can win as long as there are enough gullible people, and as long the government doesn't enact laws to protect the public's interest.

There is no way to improve product quality other by regulations. The "invisible hand of the market" was misinterpreted.

You can win in any competition if the rules don't prevent bad faith players.

Libertarians and other silicon valley start up bros will downvote me.

Re: Why is it hard to buy things that work well?

#352

Post by astrange »

wheybags wrote: post #319
astrange wrote: post #158

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't have any plastic stuff that breaks. My supposedly bad Ikea furniture has all survived 3 moves, none of my kitchen tools break, car's about to last 10+ years. I think my worst problem with something I own is my PC fans are too loud.

Presuming it's a desktop, and you haven't done so already - try replacing the fans with some noctua ones

It turns out anytime you update the Gigabyte BIOS it loses all its settings including the custom fan curves/undervolting I built from the advice on random reddit posts.

Do need to replace the fans and maybe PSU though.

Re: Why is it hard to buy things that work well?

#353

Post by giantg2 »

emodendroket wrote: post #208
giantg2 wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But the concept of water being fed through pipe, from a reservoir, chlorination, etc have been around a long time. Sure implementation details change, but they and the concepts they build off of have been around. You mention pvc, copper, and pex (lead is over 50 years old and many have been replaced). Those are just materials. How do they affect end user on a daily basis? How long has electrical be 120v AC? How long…

That feels like we're stretching the claim a whole lot. The "basic concept" of a Tesla isn't that different than a Model T but I think most people would reject the claim that cars haven't really changed much.

Road design and laws have mostly stayed the same in the past 50 years. How about controls (pedals, wheel, etc) - more or less the same as well (subject to regulations).

There are similarities in your example. The fact that Tesla has autopilot and is an EV represent two of the biggest moves away from traditional car concepts. If you used an ICE car I would say the concepts haven't changed much.

Re: Why is it hard to buy things that work well?

#354

Post by jfk13 »

Ekaros wrote: post #287
ncmncm wrote: post #232

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't even know how I would identify a good toaster to buy, nowadays. Electric kettles are a problem, too.

Last Yule I bought a toaster for my brother. All of them felt kinda like crap, flimsy cheap, scratchy action... I was not even looking at cheapest but something I imagine to be reasonably mid-range that is around 50€ mark. After all it is a moving platform, some heating elements and case. Not at all complicated.

It's been mentioned on HN before, but in case you haven't seen it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OfxlSG6q5Y.

Re: Why is it hard to buy things that work well?

#355

Post by andrepd »

>But, when people are mostly making decisions off of marketing and PR and don't have access to good information, there's no particular reason to think that a product being generally better or even strictly superior will result in that winning and the worse product losing.

Absolutely hit the nail on the head. Advertising distorts the market, meaning what would be a good idea in theory becomes a completely different thing in practice.

Re: Why is it hard to buy things that work well?

#356

Post by giantg2 »

astrange wrote: post #303
elil17 wrote: post #185

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Economists (imperfectly) take this into account when calculating inflation. In cars, for example, economists estimate the price of individual features (e.g. a power steering wheel, ABS, a cup holder) so that they can accurately account for increases in quality.

Those calculations are the ones that make it look like American factory workers were automated out of their jobs, because a 2010 computer is a zillion times faster than a 1970 computer, therefore each factory worker is now producing a zillion times as many computers. Basically, it works better a year at a time.

The jobs were mostly shipped over seas. The ones that were left had to compete with the lower prices that were the product of third world cost of living/labor. Management took advantage of the fact that most of their workers don't understand/pay attention to inflation.

Re: Why is it hard to buy things that work well?

#357

Post by sneed »

dotancohen wrote: post #265
roland35 wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe more expensive up front but probably cheaper in the long run!

Just like a quality automobile, to bring the discussion closer to the article. For example, a Tesla Model 3 might cost more than a Hyundai I10, but after three years of ownership you've not had to change the oil, fill it with gas, get the tailpipe emissions inspected, possibly see the catalytic converter stolen, etc. And the difference in maintenance only grows from there, when the plugs and timing belt and seals and…

It all catches back up to you when the battery replacement cost nearly totals the car though.

Re: Why is it hard to buy things that work well?

#358

Post by mattgreenrocks »

klodolph wrote: post #167
jseliger wrote: post #140

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's like most people don't read carefully or for comprehension: https://jakeseliger.com/2022/01/31/most-people-dont-read-car... (A few of the replies I've gotten purely answered the title and didn't discuss the content.)

Most people can’t. “Read carefully or for comprehension” would probably translate to level 4/5 prose literacy skills in the NCES NAAL (National Center for Education Statistics National Assessment of Adult Literacy). Recent survey puts this group (level 4/5) at 12% of the adult population. Levels 4 and 5 are no longer separated because of the small percentage of people that fall into group 5. Level 4 tasks require you…

This explains so much about our ambient media environment and misinformation.

Re: Why is it hard to buy things that work well?

#359

Post by kidsil »

angarg12 wrote: post #107

I just moved to the USA from the UK (having lived in Germany before) and the quality of the services I'm experiencing here is appalling. To get concrete, we submitted an application for an apartment let. After not hearing back for 4 days we reached out and it looks like somehow they misplaced our application. By then the unit we wanted was gone so they asked us to pay a holding fee to ensure they would keep another u…

Having lived in Germany, I must say the quality of customer service there is the worst I have ever seen.

+ A fridge I purchased was delivered with a 2 weeks delay, at 10:30PM (!!) on a Saturday (only because I kept calling every other day).

+ I've ordered a new broadband connection for an apartment I was renting. After several months (!) of waiting and calls, I found out that the former tenant had unpaid bills with the provider and they therefore refused to establish the connection (I was only informed about this after 5-6 weeks of wait during which I was told everything's ok and pending execution).

Here's a story about how my laptop was broken and I was calling a repair shop:

Me: "Good morning, my laptop doesn't seem to display anything, looks like it's a problem with the screen, how does the pricing work in this situation?"

Shop: "Ugh...", the guy is annoyed.

Shop: "This is like saying you have a headache, and asking a doctor what needs to be done!", He shouts.

Me: "No need to get angry, I was just wondering-"

Shop: "Just bring it to the store!" - hangs up.

This is a perfectly normal experience dealing with customer service in Germany.

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