Things I bought and wish I hadn't
In the age of the innernet, everybody seems to think it necessary to review every item in their lives. Every book, CD, DVD, car, guitar, pair of shoes, box of matches, and elephant foot umbrella stand, gets a star rating and an on-line review.
But the fatal flaw is that, once people have paid for something, they're reluctant to admit they've made a mistake. And you can't trust magazine type reviews, because it's all done with bribery, backhanders, and alcohol.
So here is the first of an occasional visit to the dark side, things I bought and paid for and wish I hadn't.
1. Our cooker. When our old one went wrong last year, it was quite exciting to be shopping for a new one. When you think of the vast choice out there, and how much I hated the old one, you'd imagine I might buy well. But we felt rushed, because we were without a cooker. And we weren't really ready to buy new, because the kitchen is so appallingly designed it needs a complete rethink. And then it turned out we don't have a 30 amp socket connection in the kitchen, so we had to buy gas again, even though I was looking for electric. Anyway, the cooker is bad. It's an ugly monstrosity, and the hob is ridiculously hard to clean. I hate it and thoroughly unrecommend it.
2. My Fender Blue Flower Telecaster. As you know, it's a nice guitar, plays well, and is probably better than anything else I could have afforded at the time. But the fact remains that I regret the blue flower finish, and wish I had something more conservative. You know what I really wanted was something like this, but it wasn't available at the time. Now, more and more of the Japanese Fenders are being imported, so there's more choice. And the Japanese instruments are superior to anything other than the really expensive US-built Fenders.
3. Coffee machine #1. This was a mistake, it never made a good cup of coffee, and it now sits upon the kitchen windowsill as a rebuke, making it harder to justify the Gaggia purchase.
4. Every time I see a Mazda6 (and watch out for the music), I wish I hadn't bought the Passat.
5. Our Sony telly with built-in video. Not one of the little 14" things, but a full size living room TV. It's always a mistake to buy a multi function device. Because Elodie has stuffed the video with flat food, wooden toys, clothes pegs, and barbie accessories, we had to buy a separate VCR anyway. Which I didn't want to do because I really want a DVD or hard drive recorder (see 1 above). I hate being forced to buy when I'm not ready to buy.
6. Pushchairs, child car seats. We've ended up buying far too many because we were short of cash to begin with and never liked what we originally had. For having only two kids, we've had a ridiculous number of the things.
That is all.
But the fatal flaw is that, once people have paid for something, they're reluctant to admit they've made a mistake. And you can't trust magazine type reviews, because it's all done with bribery, backhanders, and alcohol.
So here is the first of an occasional visit to the dark side, things I bought and paid for and wish I hadn't.
1. Our cooker. When our old one went wrong last year, it was quite exciting to be shopping for a new one. When you think of the vast choice out there, and how much I hated the old one, you'd imagine I might buy well. But we felt rushed, because we were without a cooker. And we weren't really ready to buy new, because the kitchen is so appallingly designed it needs a complete rethink. And then it turned out we don't have a 30 amp socket connection in the kitchen, so we had to buy gas again, even though I was looking for electric. Anyway, the cooker is bad. It's an ugly monstrosity, and the hob is ridiculously hard to clean. I hate it and thoroughly unrecommend it.
2. My Fender Blue Flower Telecaster. As you know, it's a nice guitar, plays well, and is probably better than anything else I could have afforded at the time. But the fact remains that I regret the blue flower finish, and wish I had something more conservative. You know what I really wanted was something like this, but it wasn't available at the time. Now, more and more of the Japanese Fenders are being imported, so there's more choice. And the Japanese instruments are superior to anything other than the really expensive US-built Fenders.
3. Coffee machine #1. This was a mistake, it never made a good cup of coffee, and it now sits upon the kitchen windowsill as a rebuke, making it harder to justify the Gaggia purchase.
4. Every time I see a Mazda6 (and watch out for the music), I wish I hadn't bought the Passat.
5. Our Sony telly with built-in video. Not one of the little 14" things, but a full size living room TV. It's always a mistake to buy a multi function device. Because Elodie has stuffed the video with flat food, wooden toys, clothes pegs, and barbie accessories, we had to buy a separate VCR anyway. Which I didn't want to do because I really want a DVD or hard drive recorder (see 1 above). I hate being forced to buy when I'm not ready to buy.
6. Pushchairs, child car seats. We've ended up buying far too many because we were short of cash to begin with and never liked what we originally had. For having only two kids, we've had a ridiculous number of the things.
That is all.
posted by Anonymous at
Friday, October 31, 2003
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