In Thailand Everything Is Built Not To Last, Or So It Seems.

[MikeyIdea]

The main problem is not that quality does not exist to buy, it does of course. The problem is that quality is not appreciated the same way it is in the west. Even if you buy quality, the workers fitting it doesn’t understand your thinking; you now expect this part and the installation to last for 20 years. The worker sees expensive good quality stuff and thinks; Nice stuff, better make a good installation that will last for a long time (that’s 5 or maybe even 10 years in his mind...) Time is not valued the same way here

[ArthurPewty]

I would suggest it is because of zero quality rules. I have toys for my daughter that were bought in Britain, made in China and have the CE quality control marks on them.

Best I see here is a sticker that has a QC number stuck on the side. Then their is my view that Thais either don't care about quality or can't see it.

[toptuan]

I would suggest it is because of zero quality rules.

Exactly. The CONSUMER is not yet a protected species in Thailand. They're trying, but they're about 40-50 years behind the developed world in this regard.

Pray for a Thai Ralph Nader to hit the spotlights someday, and that he stays there long enough before some disgruntled manufacturer hires a hit-man (which is precisely how advocates for the "common man" are routinely dispatched in LOS).

[bkkjames]

Sure there is a lot of crap you can buy here that is made of low quality materials and poor workmanship if you choose to.

But buying a mop with screws in the part that goes in the water and having it rust apart isn't exactly rocket science.

Heading to places like Big letter after B and The store name after a plant and looking for high quality goods is again something that don't go hand in hand.

For the record my Blackberry was made in China and (touch wood) is still working fine after a year. I even bought some cheap t-shirts off the street that still look terrible but haven't fallen to pieces.

[Samuian]

All this is result of improper consumer protection laws and the complete lack of enforcement!

Ever seen on TV when someone tried to have a "Lemon" also called "Monday car" replaced?

Some are waiting in despair for months if not years!

If the Companies here and supplier companies from China would have to stick to Consumer protection laws there would be a different picture!

European countries do have some very stringent rules, about claims and replacement of faulty equipment!

In other areas very shoddy craftsman ship is the problem, it works, it works and this is fine enough, for how long well, that's up to you, your luck, you karma, well you!

[Bagwan]

I think even Big C and Tesco Lotus are forgoing quality for lower prices.

Tesco made its name by 'piling it high and selling cheap'. Discerning people in the UK would never shop there and I found much of the stuff they sell to be sub-standard. It has always been popular with the not so well off. For some time before I left the UK Tesco sold petrol at the lowest price that I could find. I cannot say that I am a fan of Tesco Lotus here in Thailand either and the same goes for Big C.

These are worth a read, particularly Tesco activities in Thailand. Both articles made me think of a certain ex Prime Minister.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesco

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirley_Porter

[caf]

I think even Big C and Tesco Lotus are forgoing quality for lower prices.

Tesco made its name by 'piling it high and selling cheap'. Discerning people in the UK would never shop there and I found much of the stuff they sell to be sub-standard. It has always been popular with the not so well off. For some time before I left the UK Tesco sold petrol at the lowest price that I could find. I cannot say that I am a fan of Tesco Lotus here in Thailand either and the same goes for Big C.

These are worth a read, particularly Tesco activities in Thailand. Both articles made me think of a certain ex Prime Minister.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesco

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirley_Porter

Pile it high and sell it cheap refers to volume sales making prices cheaper, nothing to do with quality. tesco but petrol in bulk and have many outlets and can therefore undercut; the actual petrol as the same as in a higher priced outlet. they just sell more of itb so can keep the price down.

[Richb2004v2]

I've always found Tesco in the Uk to me very good. Even Tesco here is not bad. I must be one of those poor type mentioned earlier. I've also shopped at Aldi which I guess makes me worse than just poor.

[lapamita]

first dont buy any chinese products,,,only named products with servicecenters

thais can build new but cant service

if it comes to houses

i was buliding a village in high quality material,, yes now, nearly no repairs..............but for sell. difficult

because buyers dont care about construction,,,,even foreigners , wnat cheap,cheao,cheap

others building,,,looks good for a year,,,, no 3ringankers only 1,,,, no top washable colour only standard,,no insulation.............but for same price more sqm............it looks good when sold

but after 2 years they wannt to get off, due to many problems comming

but sorry,, the next time i do the same

buliidling, selling and kiss my .................

quality most people dint want pay for

[OlRedEyes]

The core problem is the consumers, not the manufacturers. Quality dies in a market where consumers overwhelmingly demand the cheapest price, be it products or service. In the end those manufacturers who produced quality have no option but to join the trend or die, if they are serving the mass market. Small niche high-end markets are all that is left to serve with quality.

Then those self-same consumers whinge about the quality they receive. I have watched quality drop worldwide over decades in everything from matches to specialist services because of this. It's the era of the snake-oil salesman that has returned, thanks to ourselves. Hey, didn't we just love it when China started churning out all this cheap junk....

Try and find a quality web site designer in Thailand. They've abandoned the idea, because the first question is 'how much'. So he has to compete with Joe and Somchai who doesn't know how to produce quality and doesn't care.

[neverdie]

Its funny because when I first read Richards opening post I immediately thought of buildings, not appliances. I say this because I have never seen such shoddy building practices in all my life, plus often when I have visited somewhere new or a friends parents home or whatever I look at the building and think, geeze this place must be 20 years old, only to find out later it was only 3-4 years old. Its common to go into new building develpments and see houses that are obviously new but theres already things falling off them and paint peeling away from the walls etc.

By the sounds of things Richard, I think you have some kind of a haunting there,with light bulbs and the like blowing that quickly.....maybe youve upset the spirits by picking up too much rubbish off the beach or something

[007]

Just build a beautiful house used the finest products , German or Japanese...

Mind you, that 'German' or 'Japanese' products sold in Thailand are often manufactured here, and they are frequently of worse quality than in those countries. Mercedes cars produced in the Rayong area, for example, were (still are??) substandard with many faults.

[mccw]

No problems at all, appart from the exstention plugs.

[MrHammer]

One lightbulb more gave up today, that marks 4 within two weeks!

[Richb2004v2]

I don't think that necessarily everything made in China is bad. Over the past few months I've bought some quality products that I expected where made in Japan or Europe only to see they were made in China. I think China is getting better and better in this respect, but it's a big producer and still does produce a lot of sh*t.

On the light bulb issue, I noticed whilst in bed that my bedside lamp has the same Philips bulb and has been on the go for probably 4-5 years.

In Thailand the majority can not afford quality products so the standard is very low. The market has only low demand for high quality items so import in low numbers. The price is then higher than Europe etc for these items and makes it even more difficult for the average Thai to afford. I guess this is unavoidable.

What is avoidable is the shoddy methods of construction and installation used by the Thais over and over again even when it must be obvious their methods are flawed. Installing bad electrical appliances is one thing but installing bad appliances badly is another. This probably comes down to their inhibition to complain about anything and their accepting attitude. If no one complains why change their practices.

[OlRedEyes]

I don't think that necessarily everything made in China is bad. Over the past few months I've bought some quality products that I expected where made in Japan or Europe only to see they were made in China. I think China is getting better and better in this respect

Every once in a while I hear this said. Maybe China is managing quality products in some isolated instances, I don't know. Quality is a relative concept. In my short life, I must say I have never seen a quality Chinese product, not once.

The party surely would like to follow Japan's model, starting with crap to kick-start the economy, then switching to quality. Maybe that's why people are being executed for instance in the milk scandal. If this model isn't followed, the whole house will come crashing down as the economy grows, as the population will increasingly expect a better standard of living and therefore higher wages, causing a lack of competitiveness in the low-end market. But Japan is another kettle of fish altogether. It has had a culture of striving for quality for centuries, China has not. Culture is crucial in producing quality. I do not see China managing this. My personal opinion is all this is a pipe-dream, China is heading for big troubles. India may be different.

[t.s]

One lightbulb more gave up today, that marks 4 within two weeks!

i have already given you the solution to this issue. replace incandescent with compact fluorescent bulbs. these bulbs are no longer only available in the gruesome fluorescent white light, but now match the warmer tones of incandescent.

i have not had to change one of these in over a year in both my bangkok and island houses. the island house was going through a couple lights a month.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/home_journ...nt/4215199.html for more info.

when buying just make sure you get the warm and not the white toned bulb. there are several manufacturers any available at most supermarkets, DIY stores etc.

[greytown]

Any suggestions for a good portable power conditioner / surge protector (available to purchase in the west or Thailand) to use when traveling in Thailand with a laptop?

http://www.apc.com/products/resource/inclu...ase_sku=LE1200I

An excellent product --- can be purchased in Thailand. If you import make certain to order the international model.

Thanks. I have this product here in the UK. I will use it if it is the most portable regulator available. I believe this model (Line R 1200 / model LE1200I) is compatible with all voltages (?) though it only says 220, 230, 240 switch in the documentation...

Edited November 25, 2009 by greytown

[mahtin]

But Japan is another kettle of fish altogether. It has had a culture of striving for quality for centuries, China has not. Culture is crucial in producing quality.

Under the succeeding Tang and Song dynasties, Chinese technology and culture reached its zenith. The Tang Empire was at its height of power until the middle of the 8th century, when the An Shi Rebellion destroyed the prosperity of the empire. The Song dynasty was the first government in world history to issue paper money and the first Chinese polity to establish a permanent standing navy. Between the 10th and 11th centuries, the population of China doubled in size. This growth came about through expanded rice cultivation in central and southern China, and the production of abundant food surpluses. Within its borders, the Northern Song Dynasty had a population of some 100 million people. The Song Dynasty was a culturally rich period in for philosophy and the arts. Landscape art and portrait painting were brought to new levels of maturity and complexity after the Tang Dynasty, and social elites gathered to view art, share their own, and make trades of precious artworks.

But don't believe wiki, there's a lot more out there.

History's so strong...

[Bagwan]

Pile it high and sell it cheap refers to volume sales making prices cheaper, nothing to do with quality.

A fact that I have been aware of since infancy. I did not make any such link.

[Scott]

I think another problem here is the humidity. I've bought a lot of things that have just corroded away.

As for light bulbs/florescent tubes, When I moved into my house, they were all new and they tend to burn out about the same time--at least the regularly used ones. I buy a good brand. I bought a cheaper brand and found that they literally crumbled as I was trying to install them.

[greytown]

You can buy a pre-plug in surge protector in the west to use for low use items such as computers and lamps , then plug your item into it , the ones you can buy similar in Thailand do not last long . I have a large surge control unit here in Cambodia and have not lost even a light bulb in over 4 years . Hope that helps .

Thanks. not sure what a "pre plug in" surge protector is.

[Richb2004v2]

Its funny because when I first read Richards opening post I immediately thought of buildings, not appliances. I say this because I have never seen such shoddy building practices in all my life, plus often when I have visited somewhere new or a friends parents home or whatever I look at the building and think, geeze this place must be 20 years old, only to find out later it was only 3-4 years old. Its common to go into new building develpments and see houses that are obviously new but theres already things falling off them and paint peeling away from the walls etc.

By the sounds of things Richard, I think you have some kind of a haunting there,with light bulbs and the like blowing that quickly.....maybe youve upset the spirits by picking up too much rubbish off the beach or something

I agree. Houses and buildings generally deteriorate incredibly quickly here. I have a small cheap house in the Uk which is over 120 years old, which isn't old for the Uk, and is in better condition than my 5 year old house here in Thailand. It's also better equipped and better in most ways than most high end houses I've seen in Thailand. I think part of it is that Thais don't maintain anything or seem to re-paint their houses unless they are about to sell them or rent them out.

I was in the Uk again recently looking at houses and was amazed at the contrast in the standard of even the cheapest houses there compared to supposed quality houses here designed for the well off. There is really no comparison.

The beach cleaning is a distant bad memory now I learnt my lesson not to try to fix something that doesn't want fixing .

[carmine]

Its funny because when I first read Richards opening post I immediately thought of buildings, not appliances. I say this because I have never seen such shoddy building practices in all my life, plus often when I have visited somewhere new or a friends parents home or whatever I look at the building and think, geeze this place must be 20 years old, only to find out later it was only 3-4 years old. Its common to go into new building develpments and see houses that are obviously new but theres already things falling off them and paint peeling away from the walls etc.

By the sounds of things Richard, I think you have some kind of a haunting there,with light bulbs and the like blowing that quickly.....maybe youve upset the spirits by picking up too much rubbish off the beach or something

I agree. Houses and buildings generally deteriorate incredibly quickly here. I have a small cheap house in the Uk which is over 120 years old, which isn't old for the Uk, and is in better condition than my 5 year old house here in Thailand. It's also better equipped and better in most ways than most high end houses I've seen in Thailand. I think part of it is that Thais don't maintain anything or seem to re-paint their houses unless they are about to sell them or rent them out.

I was in the Uk again recently looking at houses and was amazed at the contrast in the standard of even the cheapest houses there compared to supposed quality houses here designed for the well off. There is really no comparison.

The beach cleaning is a distant bad memory now I learnt my lesson not to try to fix something that doesn't want fixing .

Apparently they do use a high quality chewing gum though when wiring up the electrics

[Bagwan]

When I first moved into my house I thoroughly checked the electrics. The mains were connected the wrong way round! Alerted, I then checked all the wall connection boxes and had to swap the wires over on three or four of them. All the plugs of appliances are colour coded to ensure they are entered into the connection the right way to correct direction of current flow.

When building our house up country I hired a firm to put the roof on. I was horrified whey then stared to hammer in the 6" screws to fix the stringers. I took their hammers away and insisted that they drill and screw. The boss said that this was too much trouble and if I wanted that done I would have to pay more. They saw sense when I told them their services were no longer required. I elected to install the electrics and plumbing myself. This surprised the locals and I am not sure whether it was the revelation that falangs were capable of physical work or that I had the knowledge to carry out the task.

[sassienie]

In Thailand Everything Is Built Not To Last, Or So It Seems., Cheap but breaks quickly.

This is not true.

My sister in law was built in Thailand, she`s cheap and although her bodywork`s going a bit, her engines still running.

[Bagwan]

In Thailand Everything Is Built Not To Last, Or So It Seems., Cheap but breaks quickly.

This is not true.

My sister in law was built in Thailand, she`s cheap and although her bodywork`s going a bit, her engines still running.

Have you road tested her?

[LivinLOS]

Fits in with the cost of living and 'its not cheap to live well' threads..

I was in UK during the summer.. On my return to Thailand in Aug over a period of 7 - 10 days I had about 70k worth of 'breakages' on stuff that would back home have been covered in a 1 year warranty. PC components, electronics, furniture, etc etc etc. 70k in under a fortnight, and yet its 'cheap' to live here ??

As I type this I look over at my 7500 USD speakers with a woofer missing as its needing replacing AGAIN !! The amp no longer holds its settings if the power is cut, etc etc etc.

[khaowong1]

this dovetails with the everything i buy is too expensive thread.

"yes, i know you can buy a fan at the market for 900 baht, but i dont want to buy another one to replace it next month". never actually happens in my home, but have witnessed the conversation.

incandescent bulbs are the worst, but if you are not running dimmers, fluorescent bulbs now come with that warmer incandescent tone.

i have a nasty beard (not as shown), but have no issue with razors, a complaint i hear often from others.

the power is just too dirty off the grid, with fluctuation from 190 to

240+ in my house in central bkk. i have had a number of western appliances like mixing boards, home theatre amps etc. i have stopped buing things with electric timers as well. microwaves especially.

i also bought a large power conditioner and rewired critical circuits. havent had an issue since, but it trips almost monthly.

I've noticed that about razors here.. back in the U.S., a new razor blade would last me at least a month, sometimes a month and a half... here, I have to change them every two weeks.. at least..

[khaowong1]

In Thailand Everything Is Built Not To Last, Or So It Seems., Cheap but breaks quickly.

This is not true.

My sister in law was built in Thailand, she`s cheap and although her bodywork`s going a bit, her engines still running.

Have you road tested her?

he'll be replacing or repairing the body work soon...