been throwing them against the wall bringing them in for warranty swap out...
You know, sometimes late at night I get a little maudlin. I don't know, man.
I'm just old enough to remember quality. Talking about when you could buy just about anything and not even think about the warranty because when your grandkid managed to wear it out you'd long be dust in the wind and he would know that the product had been true.
Now... I don't know, you know? People look at stuff and oft times they make their choices based on a product's warranty, whether a company "stands behind" the product.
But you see, these days products (primarily - but not limited to - things manufactured in China)...
Say something has a five-year warranty. You talk to your friends, maybe search on the internet. Sure, you find a few reports of problems. Naturally - human nature being what it is - you're going to know that people with problems are a lot "louder" than people with none.
Please forgive, the govt.-approved meds in the evenings don't leave me with much ability to make sense. Anyway.
So you keep an open mind, take complaints with a grain of salt. You might even read about how someone has had to return a product and was very happy that the company had no problem with sending them a new replacement, that they "stood behind their product."
Thing is, if you spec a product for manufacture, there are various ways you can do it. One has something to do with estimating the number of warranty claims, calling it one of the costs of doing business, and deciding to find a position where you will still turn a profit at the end of the day.
So... If your manufacturing plant turns out products that cost around $31 to produce and you sell them for $200+, I figure that they've got plenty of room for returns. They're still going to make a profit. They'll probably even apologize when a customer has a problem and rush them a replacement right out. After all, said customer can then tell his/her friends, "Yeah, I'd recommend them; when I had trouble they were all over it without a fight."
Not bitching at any one manufacturer, company, or product. I guess I'm just bitching.
I've been interested in the concept of digital ballasts for some time. The efficiency, the ability to drive both MH and HPS, and now the multiple-wattage features, they all look pretty good to me on paper.
Think next time I shop for a ballast, I might just hunt around for a heavy old magnetic ballast. If it quits working I can rebuild it myself. If it delaminates and starts buzzing like a bee's nest I can clamp it together or something. If I bring it home and run it for 72 hours and it doesn't blow and then kick it off the table and it doesn't blow, I won't care if it's got a three-year, a five-year, or a 30-day warranty.
You know, I don't even have a clue what my point was. Maybe I didn't even have one. Think I'm going to turn in. Maybe I'll feel better in the morning. Occasionally I do.
)
