Quoted from soltic

  We've got some of the best manufacturers here in Canada (mostly Quebec) that's decently priced w/ great warranties & support. Yet for .05 or .10 per sq.ft. less people will buy some Chinese garbage that sat in a container for weeks / months in uncontrolled humidity, meanwhile you lose the sale but then get a calll wondering if we will do repairs...lol

I think that's a key point.  

Years ago when non-Canadian products entered our markets there were many campaigns and consumer awareness of what was Canadian.   Now it is very hard to know what is Canadian and where to buy it.   I'd love the media to have regular segments that could help inform us what is Canadian made.   The only thing I know of is the Fuller screwdrivers at Rona which are 2X more than Mastercraft... ...

Quoted from TwilightZone

You guys have me wondering if my stuff is crap, but it's been in my place for years (at my old place) and never, ever had an issue.

It's nothing new.

Another example was when I bought a dishwasher years ago. I went and looked at a Sears Kenmore washer. The salesman told me it was identical to a Whirlpool and was just labelled differently and cost slightly less. I then looked at the Whirlpool. There was a device in the back that was like a garbarator for chunks of food that were not taken off before putting the dishes in. It was completely omitted from the Kenmore and you could even see the stamping where the device should have gone.

All I am saying is be educated about what your buying.

Quoted from TwilightZone

You guys have me wondering if my stuff is crap, but it's been in my place for years (at my old place) and never, ever had an issue.

Duane

That's the attitude that road & bridge builders took over the last 40 years "look, it's almost good enough. we didn't cut any major corners. it's standing. it should still be years from now."

Take relief in knowing that your stuff is only semi-crap

Everything at home depot and the other big box stores was intentionally manufactured with sub standard parts. every corner that could be cut, was cut, so they could market an artificial savings... that is the big box store business model: attracting suckers thinking they are saving $$ on brand name items.

for example, plumbing fixtures. the metal parts are nearly identical, they get a $10 advantage by using krappy values that have short life expectancy.  The manufacturers make more money in the long run selling you the valve to keep the fixture up and running. (and most people just change the whole fixture after 24 months since they figure it was time anyway).

an electrical contractor told me how  the wiring uses inferior plastic that is not flexible like real wire and you lose ungodly amounts of time trying to fish the wire through walls.  So what are you really saving?

as somebody else has stated, only g/d knows where that wood has been sitting.

no amount of education will change the cheap bastard mentality. over the last 14 months, doing a major renovation. i've seen stuff that just boggles the mind in what corners can be cut at the manufacturing/supply level.


i know several hotels that they used chinese plumbing fixtures. they have at least a 30% failure rate but to the bean counters, it's still cheaper to install crap (buy 30% more fixtures and change them) over the next few years than to install the right thing the first time.

If I go to shop at a place like Home Depot, I don't go to save a couple bucks, I go there because that's the only place I know that has that kind of stuff. It's more out of convenience than anything. I haven't done a big project like upgrading a sink though, maybe I'd put more effort into learning about other stores then. Also, here in the burbs, often times the big box stores is all we got.

Désolé pour les résidents de la belle province du Québec, mais IJ4 ne peut être commandé car la pinball est seulement en anglais.....  Voici la réponse que j'ai eu lorsque j'Ai placé la commande.....  

Article 1 Veuillez noter:
    •A CAUSE DE LA LOI PROVINCIALE SUR LA LANGUE FRANCAISE, CET ARTICLE NE PEUT PAS ETRE VENDU AU QUEBEC. VEUILLEZ SUPPRIMEZ LES COMMANDES DES CLIENTS AYANT LE CODE REGIONAL 514, 418 450 OU 819.


Merci a notre bon gouvernement de nous 'protéger' contre la langue anglaise...  

INCROYABLE mais VRAI !!!!!!!  

Does this mean the LOTR that starburst sold me (in Montreal) is illegal?

If this was true, Starburst would not sell NIB games in Quebec.  It doesn't make any sense...

are all the machines Stern sends overseas English-only as well?

Quoted from Dino

Does this mean the LOTR that starburst sold me (in Montreal) is illegal?

If this was true, Starburst would not sell NIB games in Quebec.  It doesn't make any sense...

I know, but it's the policy of SEARS...

Quoted from ALJO

AYE

C'est tu anglais ou francais ca ?!