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

[David006]

On a positive note: The trucks/cars built in Thailand, which are also exported, seem to be exceptional..my old Mazda pick up puts up with all sorts of abuse..only spent about 20k baht on it in 4 years...'course now I have said that the bleeding thing will probably conk out on me..lol

....but mop/broom garden tool handles ......another story... I also have numerous "heads" which detached/snapped after "days" of use...as I write the wife is up a tree barefoot cutting new hardwood handles....

Edited November 29, 2009 by David006

[Briggsy]

When you have strong consumer protection laws that are actually enforceable in reality, you will get higher product standards. There is a Consumer Protection Bureau in Thailand but like all things bureaucratic and legal in developing nations, it is slow and cumbersome to use.

Ever tried getting your money back in Thailand? It's tough.

[Chipbarm]

I agree totaly with the original post.

Products here are mostly cheap and foremost outright dangerous. You could run a brass/copper ground/earth rod from the garden to the trip unit inside, providing you live on ground floor, however this would only save your appliances and yourself if there was say a bad storm surge.

However <deleted> extension cords with only 1mm thermal protection moulded from the cheapest bbe plastic is leathal if it arcs on you, with no earth you wouldnt just get a buzz, youd fly n fry more doubt.

The plumbing is something to be desired, the ancillaries are pathetic unless you pay a fortune for the best you can possibly get your hands on, even then the warranty on these products in Thailand isnt worth the paper its written on and thats even if its in english, even italian would be desired.

As for car and bike tyres, concrete roads, hot tarmac and asphalt, nobodys gonna get anything like as much miles out of them like back in the real world.

My house is stocked with UK, US & EU goods as where best i can find them or friends bring them back for me, im chuckin less and less out from new.

`You pays for what you gets`

[Richb2004v2]

When I plug things in here I quite often get a hel_l of a spark shooting out. I've definitely got to be out of here before my kids are old enough to be able to touch too many things.

[Stumbo]

Sounds like you have a Haunting. Time to get a psychic to visit.

[Stumbo]

It is true that you (usually) get what you pay for. Most everything you buy cheap is rubbish, works out more expensive replacing it over and over than buying a quality name brand to start with.

Same applies to so-called "chang", meaning any <deleted> that walks in and claims to be a tradesman. By the time you replace all their ineptitude it works out more expensive than using someone who actually knows what he is doing. However these are few and far between and you don't know until they have done or butchered the job.

All part of living here.

[Andrew Hicks]

Look Mr Dawkins,

It's all about natural selection. The fittest survive by selecting the best stuff in the shop.

Those who are deluded enough to go in and pray to The Lord that he will provide the very best of products are bound to fall by the wayside.

Caveat emptor, I say!

Andrew Hicks

[phil2]

I noticed it with power extensions (we call them "power strips" in my country) when I first came here. Back in the west, I had at least 5 or 6 of these and never replaced them over a period of 10+ years. Here, I also have about 5 or 6 of these units, and I'm replacing them at the rate of 1 every 3 to 4 months. It doesn't matter what price I pay for them, either.

All the Carrefour home brand (4 of them ) I got lasted for less than a week.

[phil2]

Honestly I have those items that work just fine that are almost 10 years old. My guess is you have had a run of bad luck or need to shop somewhere else. But I would agree their is a worldwide quality deterioration in consumer products. I think the Thais that don't have much in the way of decoration probabbly can't afford it. All the homes in my neighborhood are decorated and similar to a home in America as far as decoration goes.

Maybe it is because you bought yours 10 years ago, quality just keeps dropping, all the chinese crap flooding the market is driving prices and quality down. Really the consumer is to blame because most will buy the cheaper product rather then the more expensive quality item, so the manufacturers fight it out on price.

Sometimes the cheaper products are of better quality than the more expensive ones.

[phil2]

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

Over the past 5 years and more noticeably this year, it seems Tesco and Big C have replaced many items with cheaper quality junk from China.

From Electrical to tools, many, many items are very cheaply made.

I had a large tupperware tub in the shopping cart, it fell out on the floor and a 14" piece broke right out of the side. This is absolute junk if you ask me.

Small appliances I always stick with Brand Names and try to buy at Central so at least they last.

But all in all, you have to be very, very careful and check everything before you buy it

Money is becoming more important than ever here in Thailand and all ethics are flying out here as fast as lightning

They even sell packed meat and fruit that shouldn't be sold.

[dumball]

greytown' date='2009-11-25 23:24:31' post='3164306'='dumball' post='3157804' date='2009-11-23 04:06:15']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.

It is a plug similar to the one on the end of your appliance wire that plugs into the wall receptacle , then your appliance plug on the end of the wire plugs into it , you can purchase the same surge protector that screws into the light bulb socket .

[ColinChapman]

Even power extensions break after a few months or don't work in the first place

I have tried loads of these and have found that the Electon brand sold in Central are as long lasting as in the UK, but all the others gave up after a few months. I have six of these, the oldest is more than four years old. They are all still working except for one which has one non-operational socket, but I'm fairly sure it got some water in it that caused the switch to short circuit.

[Richb2004v2]

Look Mr Dawkins,

It's all about natural selection. The fittest survive by selecting the best stuff in the shop.

Those who are deluded enough to go in and pray to The Lord that he will provide the very best of products are bound to fall by the wayside.

Caveat emptor, I say!

Andrew Hicks

I'd say that if it really were all about the fittest surviving there would be few Thais remaining . I guess maybe their version of fittest is different to ours. Looking at the roads here I might say that only the dumbest survive .

[chickenslegs]

Car tyres - I am about to replace 2 original Bridgestone tyres on my Ford - 72,000km and the dealership says they are not yet below the acceptable tread depth - I am not about to grumble.

New Bridgestones are 3,500 THB each. Would be double that price in the Uk.

The rear tyres still have at least 5,000km left on them.

On the other hand, I bought a cheap rechargeable torch a while back and the first time I plugged it into the mains to recharge it started a fire.

Luckily for everyone I was sitting at my computer at 1.00am and smelled the burning, so I was able to get everyone out and put out the fire quite quickly. Still, the house was filled with dense black smoke.

I don't think you can place any trust in electrical items here.

I have invested in some smoke detectors. Not cheap, but recommended.