General Enquiries And Questions

Going back to the original question, I think the John Lewis brands are OK, pretty good middle of the range appliances. A three year guarantee is quite promising too.

I have bought quite a few things from John Lewis over the years and their customer service is excellent. Their delivery guys are better than most in that they don't abuse or mishandle the packages. And they do honour their guarantees, and then some.

Zanussi have a reputation for being mid-range, but not as good as Bosch etc, but I often wonder why AEG are considered a better brand than Zanussi when they are effectively the same company making almost identical appliances? I'd far rather buy a Zanussi than anything made by Candy, Hotpoint et al, or heaven forbid, Beko and Teba.

I think you also have to take the end user into account. Some people aren't in the market to buy an appliance that should last 20 years, because they will expect to move house, or get fed up with cosmetic appearance (remember the fashion for biege/brown goods?), or decide to have a new kitchen with integrated appliances, and so on.

And not forgetting, some people buy on appearance alone, they want a retro style fridge, or a hi-tech model that dispenses crushed ice. There is even a hi-tech American style fridge with a built in TV screen on the door. I think I saw that one in John Lewis.

So many choices, so many reasons for buying - some buy on price, some buy on reliablity, some buy on features, some buy on appearance or even gimmick. I would guess that the John Lewis own brand is probably at a midpoint between price and reliablity, and some people will like the uncluttered appearance of their appliances.

nerdette wrote:Some people aren't in the market to buy an appliance that should last 20 years, because they will expect to move house, or get fed up with cosmetic appearance (remember the fashion for biege/brown goods?), or decide to have a new kitchen with integrated appliances, and so on.

A very astute synopsis if I may say so nerdette.

Whilst I agree whole-heartedly with all your comments I must take some issue on the highlighted passage regarding product reliability. In as much as (quote) "some people" do not take that into consideration at all until the cheap product they have recently purchased, fails. Then they question its reliability factor based (in many cases) on seemingly respectable leading brand names.

20 years is a long time based on changing fashions and habits but NOT in terms of product reliability. It is a well known fact that (for example) washing machines produced before 1995 had that factor 'built-in' and many such products are working quite happily today with the potential of another 10 years to go!

However the manufacturers were among the first to realise this and sought to downgrade their products in order to bolster continuing sales. The end result is (for the most part at least) a product that 'does what it says on the tin' but ends up on the scrap heap in under 6 years. Many more end up there much much earlier.

So, the future is a fickle as public trends dictate, for the moment at least, but soon enough, those that have purchased these heaps of junk will vote with their feet and demand better value for money based on reliability and reliability means great longevity

I agree 100% with what you say about reliability, and personally, I am very wary about buying any product made to a price. I also hate the disposable, planned obsolescence, nature of consumerism anyway, not to mention the environmental impact.

Cheapness, in my experience, goes hand-in-hand with poor performance, and that's even when the item is working properly. Everyone, I'm sure, has at one time had the experience of a relative who has bought the cheapest hifi in the Argos catalogue and has been subject to the poor, tinny sound that just grates on the eardrums.

I used to have an Electra washing machine, which I had to buy in an emergency. From reading this forum I have learned it was either a Creda or Hotpoint, and it's performance was pretty awful right from the start. So much for it's so-called A wash, clothes came out dirty and had to be rinsed under the tap. It was noisy, and could almost jump across the kitchen when it was on the spin cycle.

My neighbour has a Beko cooker, and I can truly say that it is one of the most crudely made cookers I have ever seen, it is nothing more than an over sized Baby Belling, and the finishing is pretty poor too. She had trouble with operating the all-in-one grill/oven, and I remarked that it was better to pay a bit extra to get something decent. Believe it or not, she protested, saying that it was an expensive cooker! These things sell for around the £170 mark. Yet how much did a cooker cost 10-15 years ago? You couldn't have bought a new cooker at that price.

Some people won't pay for quality, can't understand why a £200 appliance can be any better than a £500 appliance.

As for the John Lewis brand, these are clearly not top of the range appliances, but they are surely better than the budget and low-end brands, and are probably aimed at a particular customer profile who just wants a half-decent machine that doesn't blow their budget. I'm sure these Beko and low end brands are also aimed at a particular sector of the market.

At the moment, I've been shopping around for a cooker, and I quite like the Zanussi models with the halogen hob. I don't think John Lewis make cookers, or not yet, but if they did the same model at £50-100 cheaper, I'd probably be tempted to go for it.

nerdette wrote:
Some people won't pay for quality, can't understand why a £200 appliance can be any better than a £500 appliance.

Which is why I waited ten years before splashing out £1200 on a pair of active monitors for my home recording setup. Ten years ago I could have simply bought a pair of budget quality speakers for £200 approx and got what I deserved! However I waited and now I have speakers that make you gasp at how good the quality is and more importantly.......they make the job a lot easier and more comfortable/pleasing on the ears.

Usually by spending more you get a better product that will last for years. Sometimes you can be very unlucky too but generally things work out for the better.