» Overpriced?

[Dorsetmike]

[rant mode]
I sometimes wonder at the gullibility of some people; they pay way over the odds just to have a branded product when an equally good in all respects alternative is available withouth the "big" name; some examples -

Camera battery, manufacturers own brand £69.99, almost identical item except for the name £10.79, only difference the non branded item has slightly lower capacity, so you only get 380 shots to a charge against 400; if you want a "clone" that has the same capacity as the branded item then you pay about £24.

Camera Lens, made by Tamron £349, same lens but with a Sony badge £469

Camera remote Sony release cable 50cm long £37.42, unbranded 1M long, Ebay £3.45, wireles remote control works up to 100M Ebay £21.

Similar price differences for other manufacturers.

Same sort of thing happens with most things we buy now, even foods, branded (and heavily advertised) often more than twice the price of a supermarket own brand.

Just how much is a name worth? How much is down to advertising costs?

In quite a few cases items come off the same production line in China some with a "known" brand name some without, cost the same to make but sell for widely different prices. Why do we let it happen?

Slightly different is software prices, in Europe we pay up to twice as much for the same item than is charged in USA, Adobe and Microsoft in particular; one excuse that was trotted out was translation into a different language, errrrr helloooo, in UK we speak English so what translation cost?
[/rant mode off]

[Krummhorn]

Hi Mike

You bring up some really great points. I agree on your views about a store brand being equally good enough, but not for all items. For instance, I love Crystal Light in assorted beverage flavours - it's a dry mix added to water - the usual "recipe" is two little tubs of mix added to one gallon of water. The name brand container has 6 of these little tubs of dry mix ... the store brand container has 5! Yes, it's cheaper because there is less in the same sized package!

If I use the usual recipe of two tubs of the store brand, I get basically coloured water with a slight hint of flavor ... where with the name brand with two little tubs, the full flavor comes through, every time. So, I pay the higher price as for me, on this item, there is good value for what I have spent.

On the "language" issue ... wonder if the "translation" they are making reference to is for the spelling of certain words: color vs colour and so forth. Both spelling are quite correct, and accepted all over the world though.

Camera lenses ... I have a Nikon D40 (digital slr) with Nikon lenses. Possibly an off brand name lens might be able to produce the same picture, but the off brand of changeable lens lessens the overall value of the name brand camera, and in some cases, functionality of the camera body electronics, like auto focus and the like.

Batteries ... I have no problem with the store brands - they are just as good as the higher cost name brand ones, and last almost as long.

My biggest beef is with the US Pharmaceutical companies ... in the US we pay through the nose for our meds. The SAME name brand medication available in Canada and/or Mexico, all manufactured by the SAME US pharmaceutical companies, and our insurance will not cover the cheaper alternatives ... why? The almighty dollar, I guess. [/my rant mode off, too ]

[J.H.C.]

I do agree, we get flooded with Chinese stuff here "Brand Name" but of such low quality, E,g a pair of casual shoes good quality $100 + will last about 3-5 yrs, a Warehouse pair "Brand name" @10-15 last a few months and fall apart, and nearly all of our jobs in the manufacturing sector have of course been lost

[J.H.C.]

Originally Posted by Krummhorn

Hi Mike



My biggest beef is with the US Pharmaceutical companies ... in the US we pay through the nose for our meds. The SAME name brand medication available in Canada and/or Mexico, all manufactured by the SAME US pharmaceutical companies, and our insurance will not cover the cheaper alternatives ... why? The almighty dollar, I guess. [/my rant mode off, too ]

We have a separate Govt dept 'Pharm co or similar', that uses the tender process to get cheaper Drugs + generic substitutes make quite a difference, and being a poor old pentioner I only pay a max of $3 for some the rest is free.

[Krummhorn]

Grrrrrrr ... just kidding -

I do envy those countries that have socialized medicine. The US is so far behind the rest of the world on many things. I've often thought about leaving the US and living abroad ... maybe Denmark - but my wife can't take the cold/damp winters, so we reside in the miserably hot high desert of Arizona.

[J.H.C.]

Is not your new President going to fix the health system I thought this was one of his platforms?? or do you think he will face too much opposition from the big money?

[wljmrbill]

Only thing I know for sure is:: LIVING ON A RETIRED INCOME i.e. Social Security .. you have to use many generic/store brands if you are going to have anything at all. If it were not for Dollar General and Walmart I couldn't make it. Bigist problem with American goods is the problem of over paid workers compared to the rest of the world and therefore higher cost for products are higher....Many of our jobs I have always thought were overpaid for work performed.... of course I was a music major and performer and we all know what that pays as well as working in the hospiltality industry,,, so not the big paying jobs..... so guess some of it is my fault for occupations..... I sure agree with Lars about medical treatment and drugs in this country,,,,, but we line the pockets of the big wigs here in the old USA.. and that is why we are where we are now with this economy ( which everyone want to blame Obama for). Could be the Good Lord is trying to tell us something too?????

[dll927]

Marketing must be quite a science, if one can use that term. Several comments on the preceeding posts:

1) Yes, store brands can be every bit as good as the national brands, and they are often packed by the same companies.

2) Costco sells mostly S&W canned goods - and you pay far less per can than in the major markets. Take black olives - Lindsay olives at Costco run just about $1.00 a can in a pack of six, while in the markets they think they have a 'special' at something around $1.39 -- and that is NOT the regular price.

3) As far as health coverage is concerned, that isn't out of the bag yet, and it's starting to look like it may never come out. Bam-bam really blew it on that one by letting Congress do the work, and the result is like the famous camel -- a strange animal because it was designed by a committee. And the public is pretty tired of the political shenanigans over it. If it ever comes to anything, half of it will wind up in the courts to be settled.

4) Drug companies and most 'chief executives' should be lined up on the highest hill and shot. Greed, plain and simple, is the rule here, and no self-serving excuses are going to justify some of the practices going on.

5) The U. S. and its rabble-rousing labor unions started pricing the country out of the world market soon after World War II. The ones who lean to the left carry on about 'poor working conditions' in other countries, but it's mostly because they are wondering where the jobs went - and forgetting that a lot of those poor people are darned glad to have the jobs.

6) Socialism is an economic, not political, system. Its only relationship to politics is getting enough of them elected to go that direction. And it is highly questionable whether it has ever really worked or solved any problems, in spite of those who denounce the capitalist system.

[J.H.C.]

Originally Posted by wljmrbill

Many of our jobs I have always thought were overpaid for work performed...

I have just read that an actress, 19year old Emma Watson apparently the star in the Harry Potter film was paid £20,000,000 for the 2009 year. Daniel Radcliffe her leading man was paid £25.6 We get CEOs being paid £5,000,000 and upwards and not because of what they know, The people who should get top wages are IMO the Engineers, Scientists and some of the tradesmen who convert ideas into reality without the knowledge of these people we would still be in the stone age.

[Dorsetmike]

This may also help to prove your point


WHO IS THE ODD MAN OUT? - And more importantly - WHY??

1. Lord Stevenson: former chairman, HBOS (HBOS and RBS are Banks)

2. Sir Fred Goodwin: former chief executive, RBS

3. Andy Hornby: former chief executive, HBOS

4. Sir Tom McKillop: former chairman, RBS

5. John McFall MP: chairman of Treasury Select Committee

6. Alastair Darling: soon to be former Chancellor of the Exchequer

7. Gordon Brown: soon to be former Prime Minister and a former
Chancellor

8. Sir Terry Wogan: former presenter of Radio 2's Breakfast Show























You're probably thinking Terry Wogan.............



And you're right.



However, the reason may surprise you...........







Terry Wogan is the only one out of this motley crew who actually holds
any formal banking qualification.

[Krummhorn]

Originally Posted by J.H.C.

Is not your new President going to fix the health system I thought this was one of his platforms?? or do you think he will face too much opposition from the big money?

I'm not holding my breath . The opposition comes from Congress, who btw, have "their own" exclusive healthplan, which of course, the people who vote them into office are not allowed to have ... it's just for Congress members ... ... pooh on them.

At age 65, US citizens are "required by law" to sign up for Medicare, and give up their own present insurance coverage plans. Medicare lately, is being refused as payment by many doctors here because they are not getting re-imbursed in a timely manner. As Medicare doesn't cover everything, people here are then required to purchase supplemental insurance, usually at a cost much higher than they pay now for their own private insurance. Go figure ... At one time, being a senior citizen in the US meant having everything provided for you for the rest of your life. Not any longer ... If retired Congress members were relegated to live on the same healthplans as "normal" citizens, you bet things would get changed.

[J.H.C.]

You have my sympathy Krummhorn, you can't fight city hall eh.

[Dorsetmike]

Originally Posted by J.H.C.

and being a poor old pensioner I only pay a max of $3 for some the rest is free.

Also a pensioner, I currently have 6 repeat prescription items, I get an 8 week "supply" of each on request, free; I have some difficulty bending so I get free chiropody every 8 weeks to trim toe nails; I get a free sight test yearly but do have to pay for any glasses (although there is probably some scheme to assist with that if needed)

In UK hospital treatment is free, but you may have to wait if it is not an emergency, private (i.e. paid for) treatment is available which usually means no waiting, but you may well get the same doctor!!

I see a number of problems with paid for health care, needing the money up front before treatment even when delay could mean life or death, that should never be allowed; also the sort of thing that happened to a sister in law living in USA, she had a "partial" hysterectomy, then about 2 or 3 years later she had to have the remainder removed, so they got paid twice to do the job.

I'm also sure there are quite a few dentists who work on a similar idea, at one time you rarely if ever heard of anybody needing a filling replaced every 3 or 4 years, and why do they insist on doing a filling when the patient asks for extraction, yep, getting paid twice for the same job, no wonder they have flash premises and top of the range cars etc; I've never had a filling!

[teddy]

Mike
My wife had the same operation twice. Firstly on the National Helth. It almost killed her and I am not joking. A few years later paid for privately and it was a total success. When I had my heart problems I was told i would have to wait up to 12 months for the appropriate tests. My insurance paid for me to have them straight away with the result that within one hour I was rushed into threatre for an emergency operation which saved my life. Unfortunately the insurance is geting expensive (because of our ages) and the last goverment removed the tax relief for the over 60s. So private health cover not only improved our lives but also enable the next in line to move up for a state operation. I am sure that if tax relief was given on health insurance more people would take it out and thereby relieve the waiting list. If all politicians had to use public transport, National health facilities and rely on the state pension at retirement we would see an awful lot of changes in this country. Unfortunately while they have their snouts in the trough there is no hope of this happening.

teddy

[J.H.C.]

I had a Hip replacement Private, a simple but moderately big operation unfortunately it was infected during the opp, I was then put into the public system because the private hospital did not have the expertise or the will to do the remedial followup, so 2 years and 6 ops later it is hopefully right, I was amazed that a private stuff up could be shunted onto the public system.
Initial cost of private opp NZ$17000 the cost to the public system is $100,000 and still counting, I could say more but don't want to bore you