Buying inferior products

[Brian Fein]

I have a question.  I'm looking for life experiences here.

Has anyone bought a product based on brand name, word of mouth, reputation, etc, and found out that it sucks?  What recourse did you use?  Were you able to do anything about it?

I have two examples:
Many of you know I am in an adult softball league.  I bought an EASTON bat for $160 and used it for like one season.  Now, the EASTON bat is falling apart and EASTON won't allow me to return it under warranty because I threw my receipt away.  If I kept every receipt for every item I bought, my home would be filled with random slips of paper.

I also bought a set of knives, fairly nice 13-piece set, cost me $80 at Bed Bath and Beyond.  The instructions said "not dishwasher safe, hand wash only" so I soaked them in a sink of soapy water right out of the box for an hour or so.  Right after that, I pulled the knives out of the water and they're all rusted along the sharp edge.  This company is willing to take them back to examine them, but I have yet to send them since they refuse to provide me with RMA or any tracking.

So, in short, don't buy EASTON bats, and does anyone else have any stories where they were able to convince a company to make them happy regardless of their policies?

And oh yeah, don't buy anything from EASTON!

[Fau Teixeira]

you could file a complaint with the better business bureau

[Guru-In-Vegas]

Take the knives to Bed Bath n Beyond.  I mean I wouldn't look for Martha Stewart if my sheets fell apart after washing them according to the instructions, I would want a replacement or my money back.  Let the retailer deal with the manufacturer.  You'd be surprised what you can get away with at big retailers.

[Dave Gray]

For the Easton bat, I'm guessing you didn't pay cash, right?  You can get your credit card or debit card bank provide you with a receipt equivalent.  Call the company and ask to talk to a manager...don't waste time with the regular customer service rep.  Keep at it, and you'll get what you want.

[Thundergod]

Has anyone bought a product based on brand name, word of mouth, reputation, etc, and found out that it sucks?  What recourse did you use?  Were you able to do anything about it?

I usually stick with brand names for products such as shoes, computer parts/electronics, car parts.

Dunno if this is along the same lines since it's easy to test out these products before you buy, but I never buy games/movies by word of mouth/rep (including reviews). I have to watch a few movie/game trailers or test play a game by either renting, borrowing, or downloading it. I know ALOT of people who buy DVD's / games without knowing what the hell they're about. No sir no sir no sir, can't do that.

Speaking of DVD's, I would never buy a bootleg movie (no, not for moral reasons) but they look like ass, and even if they look decent it just still doesn't feel like it's the same quality.

[Philly Fin Fan]

I got my wife a Sony Vaios laptop for Christmas based mostly on brand. I was torn between getting her an Apple laptop or a PC laptop, and opted to go with the Sony Vaios, which they were trying to sell as the "trendy PC laptop equvalent" to an Apple- complete with snazzy colors like raspberry. So I got her the laptop, and after 2 days we were having major issues with the CD drive. I had bought it at Best Buy, and I did buy the extended warranty, but the thing was brand new, so I told them I wanted a new one, not a repair. It was a hot seller, so I had to go to like 3 different Best Buy's before I found one. I got that home, and had the same issue with the CD drive. I ended up returning it and getting her a Dell.

On the flip side, when we bought a new computer for our house several years back, I didn't go "brand name" and instead bought an e-machine at Best Buy and it was actually a great computer, and still serves its function.

[CF DolFan]

People rip off the bat companies all the time.  All of them intistutued the reciept thing several years ago as far as I know. Prior to that I knew guys, as well as myself, that always had a new bat and never had to pay for them.

[BoSoxGrl]

Brian,
Take your knives back to Bed Bath & Beyond.  We just registered there and they must have told us about a billion times that they have a "No Hassle" Return policy.  If you don't have your receipt, they will exchange them for you for whatever the cost is the day you return them (so just make that they are not on sale and you're good!)

[Brian Fein]

I've written a really nasty email to the Easton customer service.  I wanna see how they respond.  I hate people like CF mentioned that play a whole season with a bat, then go swing at a fence-post with it and dent it and send it back and get a new one.  They're the ones that are making my defective product unreturnable.

As for the knives, I never thought to bring them back to the store.  I really like the set, and I'd take the exact same set but its been sitting on my kitchen counter for over a year and I don't know if its too late for the store to do anything about it.

[BoSoxGrl]

As for the knives, I never thought to bring them back to the store.  I really like the set, and I'd take the exact same set but its been sitting on my kitchen counter for over a year and I don't know if its too late for the store to do anything about it.

As long as they have it in stock, they will replace them.

[Phishfan]

As for the knives, I never thought to bring them back to the store.  I really like the set, and I'd take the exact same set but its been sitting on my kitchen counter for over a year and I don't know if its too late for the store to do anything about it.

You had a product that was defective from it's first use and you let it sit around a year? I would have a problem making an exchange whether I was the manufacturer or retailer.

[run_to_win]

I've written a really nasty email to the Easton customer service.  I wanna see how they respond.  I hate people like CF mentioned that play a whole season with a bat, then go swing at a fence-post with it and dent it and send it back and get a new one.  They're the ones that are making my defective product unreturnable.

Dishonest people suck.

The problem is, so many people are dishonest now-a-days that every is expected/believed to be dishonest and it's the honest people who come off looking like schmucks.

[CF DolFan]

Dishonest people suck.

The problem is, so many people are dishonest now-a-days that every is expected/believed to be dishonest and it's the honest people who come off looking like schmucks.

A lot of people don't feel it is stealing if they are taking from a corporation.  Fortunately I'm no longer in the business of taking short cuts but I have done my share of dishonest things.

[Brian Fein]

You had a product that was defective from it's first use and you let it sit around a year? I would have a problem making an exchange whether I was the manufacturer or retailer.

Yes, because I didn't know what to do and I was getting jerked around by the company that has a "lifetime warranty"...

Not only that but it was purchased from their website and they don't stock it in stores.  Its not exactly easy to return stuff to a web site.

[Phishfan]

That makes a bit more sense, but all you had to do was consult with BB&B rather than going to the manufacturer. Returns are always simpler that way.