-Consumerism. It's a driving force these days. We see our environment being affected by it's by-products of plastic waste and overflowing landfills, and yet we still hear - "I"ll buy the less expensive (fill in the blank) and if it breaks it's so cheap I can just get another one." Ouch! What are the costs associated with this? Is this truly the smart way to go? Let's do a little analysis.
Customer 1 buys a product for a very low "bargain" price and imports it from another place where these items can be found at this amazing price. He then imports it, pays the customs charges, the duty, the import charges and the item lands in his office, hopefully not damaged in shipment (and have I got another story about that!). Ah, the instructions are not in a language he can read, but he gets it up and running and uses it successfully after a few weeks of trial and error. All good. A year, or maybe two down the road, he finds the machine is not doing the job as well as it used to. It seems to be giving error messages, but they are not in a language he can read so he is unsure of what is going on. He spends a lot of time on Google translate getting gobble-de-gook that makes no sense. Some days the machine doesn't start at all, so he spends time off the bench, researching who can fix this machine. He finally realises he is not going to find anyone. He has work piling up and he is faced with flying someone in from the country where this machine is supplied, or continuing his search for domestic assistance. He finally finds someone in one of his many searches that knows a bit about his type of machine and comes out to have a look, First invoice, travel + time. He gets a recommendation for the parts he needs and he now must find them from the manufacturer. First he has to find someone there who speaks his language, can identify the part number, can get the part out to him...and still the work is piling up. The parts are installed and the machine runs for a time. Invoice 2, travel + time. Additional parts are required for a new problem, or perhaps something related to the previous problem that was not identified because there is no service documentation for the machine. Invoice 3 identifying new problem, potentially quite a bit of service time due to the lack of documentation. Find another person at the company who speaks his language and can identify the parts. The work backs up. He decides to replace the machine rather than pay for more repairs. It's cheap, after all. He begins another search, perhaps for a little better brand, still in the same price range, but how to judge what is better without other users in his area? After more time researching, and more work piling up because now he's back to doing the job the "old way", he finds another machine in the same price range. He has to now dispose of the old machine.....that can be a bit costly as a buyer cannot be found for a broken machine from another country. A few years down the road he finds himself repeating the scenario.........He's now spent the equivalent of what he would have paid for a well known brand, with a reputation for longevity and service available in his country, in his language, and a machine display that he could read. He still has no support that he can call to answer his questions. He cannot see if the display is saying "Change filter" or "Danger over voltage state." He is at risk of again disposing of his machine after just a few years and adding to the growing pollution problems we are experiencing, and having to go through all the research and waiting for the third machine to arrive. Customer 2 buys the best machine he can afford. It has a knowledgeable service team available, who interacts with the manufacterers own service team. The dealer carries parts and consumables in his country for quick dispatch. The machine display is readable. The machine is ordered, it's delivered to his location, and the dealer arrives. He is taught how to do basic maintenance, how the machine works, and he has training on using the machine. The dealer is available at any time by phone for assistance. Customer 2, having these advantages, uses his machine with more and more skill and confidence over time allowing him and his staff to increase their production with quality new pieces and repairs of old pieces. This works out quite well, paying for the machine quite quickly with extra work brought in, and a growing reputation for the excellence of his work. He knows with confidence that the reputation and reliability of the machine he bought will see him using it for many, many more years to come without having to go through all of the time and aggravation involved in choosing a machine to begin with. Moral of this long tale? Perhaps the "bargain" isn't so much of a bargain. My mother always taught me that you get what you pay for. Have you paid for a quality piece of gear that is going to last you through, or are you looking to waste a good deal of time and money again and again doing repairs, and researching brands and going through the purchase process over and over again? A good piece of kit will have a reasonable pay back period, but after that period will go on to give you years, and perhaps decades of service. When looking at brands, look beyond the price tag. Look at quality, reputation, service, parts availability. Is the dealer willing to install the equipment and teach you how to use it and maintain it so that it reaches its maximum lifespan, or is it all "proprietary information"? Is maintenance and repair easy? Are parts plug and play? Do they have to "bag out" another brand or dealer, or are they confident enough in their brand to be able to present it's best features without that? Give a thought to the truth that consumption can be more than just disposable. Real consumption can be buying it once and buying it well. Bye for now - and have a thought as to why some machines just aren't available in the used market! #longlifenotdisposal #bargainsarenotbargains #serviceisimportant #laserservice #yougetwhatyoupayfor Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
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