"They don't make them like they used to"
Perhaps this post would be better titled, "united we stand, divided we fall", this all comes about from a boat forum I am a long standing member of, its a great forum for questions and answers, opinions and off topic conversations. There was one particular thread about an ever increasing problem, new vehicles, in brief the poster had bought a brand new car and, in the nine months he had owned it, there were multiple visits back to the dealer, often to fix the same problem again and again, they were pretty fed up with the brand and the dealership. Now, as any of you know, if you are a member of any kind of forum there will always be certain types of replies, some offering good, objective advice, others going to extremes with mentions of legal action.
Reading some of the replies of the author, the faulty and unreliable new truck was bought because the perfectly functioning previous one was.....old, nothing wrong with it, just was old. I understand wanting newer things, phones, cars, boats, I do not however subscribe to something has reached the end of its useful life simply because of age when it is otherwise in usable condition.
Part of the problem
I thought I would offer my contribution to the ever growing replies in the thread, suggesting, why don't we stop buying new vehicles, heck, why stop at vehicles, let´s just stop buying as much new stuff as possible, as consumers we should hold producers to a higher standard and not put up with products that simply are not very good, certainly not as good as they once were, well, the replies, I can´t repeat them all, but basically, there was no way that would ever happen (probably very true), good luck, "you go man, power to the people!" and, apparently with my radical thinking I am part of the problem, said problem was never disclosed, so I do not have a clue what I can do about it.
My idea of the problem is we are paying far too much for vastly inferior products that are less long lasting, less reliable and we are being treated badly by a bunch of sellers who may or may not be being totally shafted by greedy faceless corporations who have only one mandate, to make shareholders money above all else.
I have been thinking long and hard about what this problem could be, maybe environmental, a more modern vehicle (don´t know the original age of the truck traded in for the new troublesome one), I did try and research this a bit, I found it hard to find data that compared like for like, obviously if you go from a large pickup truck to a hybrid hatchback, you will use less fuel. From what I did find, using two equally large vehicles, the mildly improved fuel consumption and accounting for the pollution during manufacturing and transport, it takes about six years to offset the emissions or contributions to pollution.
These figures at no point could I see ever mentioned taking the old (perfectly working) vehicle out of service, so in effect there is now an old and polluting (presumably) truck on the road as well as the new one.
I think more likely the problem could the problem be about money, or more specifically a reluctance to spend or worse, waste it. This is probably my own bias, I am not someone who will spend money flippantly, I have never upcharged a client or knowingly overcharged or added unnecessary works on any quotes, that is something I am very proud of. You see, if you do not buy into the corporate architecture of constant buying and renewal, then somehow you are a problem.
What the internet says
I typed this into Google, "What would happen if we stopped buying new things"
"If everyone stopped buying new things, the global economy would collapse due to massive unemployment and business failures, while the environment would see immediate benefits like reduced pollution and wildlife returning to natural habitats. Individuals might save money and experience less stress from clutter, but modern society's reliance on consumption and infrastructure would quickly lead to a breakdown of systems for food, power, and other essentials, highlighting the need for a transition rather than an abrupt stop"
Perhaps I should have been more specific, but the Google paints a picture of a meltdown, I delved deeper but couldn't really find too much to give an opposite opinion, so let me be the Devils Advocate.
The last part of the sentence, "highlighting the need for a transition rather than an abrupt stop", this makes complete sense, of course it´s nonsensical to imagine that we can just stop, but, what about if we stopped making some major purchases until we can get better products and service? I don't think these are unreasonable requests.
Some of the changes I think would happen, and, some changes I would like to see;
- Demand for secondhand goods and items would rise, vehicles, boats, furniture would all become more in demand, so lower production that would lead to lower pollution.
- More independent companies, sellers of pre owned goods, and, very importantly more demand for skilled workers, in the case of boats for example, the ever in demand upholsterers, mechanics and carpenters.
- The demand for more skilled workers would lead to lower unemployment (in the longer term), hopefully also leading to more training for the younger generations who do not go to university or college.
- The really important point for me, I would hope the quality and reliability of new items, houses, cars, boats, all sorts of things would improve, and, their durability and their use life expectancy would rise dramatically. Right to repair, more an obligation and boaters are some of the best at it.
- "If everyone stopped buying new things, the global economy would collapse due to massive unemployment and business failures", this is what Google predicts, I imagine this is probably partially correct, at least in the shorter term, I also think that there would be a change in employment, from mass production to repairs & maintenance. The really important thin is that the large corporations who are going to be made accountable should not be bailed out by their governments, who in turn might find that difficult anyway due to the lack of income from tax on sales.
- A change in consumer law, a minimum warranty or guarantee period, Spain & Portugal for example introduced a new law in 2022, new goods must have a minimum of three years of warranty. The warranty would also have to be worth more than just the paper its written on, something actually binding that a manufacturer has to stand behind their product. The idea is to make something to be proud of, both as a buyer and as a builder. I deal with a lot of warranty claims, the things boatbuilder pass off as fine is amazing (not in a good way), to boot the way they weasel out of paying what the job is worth, some of these defects that are signed off by the quality control department, Marine technicians lament: Who approved that?
Consumer buying (or not) power
After some more searching online, researching consumer spending power and the idea of not actually continuing to buy new, I looked up how boat owners and buyers as consumers can actually affect what happens in the market, the search results were as follows;
"It is consumers' demand that influences the market price and dictates what producers will supply in the market."
On that rationale, if we decided that we were not going to buy more new products, the market price would fall? Would prices go up? So the fewer new boat buyers would have to pay more? Would quality control improve? Less mass produced products would mean more attention to detail?
"Because there are more consumers than producers."
I would agree on this, based on this information, should we not be a more powerful force, demanding better quality, be more picky and discerning in our purchases?
"Because consumer surplus is larger than producer surplus."
Consumer surplus is the difference between what a consumer is willing to pay and what they actually pay, while producer surplus is the difference between the price a seller receives and the price they are willing to accept.
Consumer surplus is when somebody pays less than they were willing to go to, an example of this in the boat world is boatshow boats, usually have a lot of cost option extras but the asking price is much lower than normal pricing, added value to the customer.
Producer surplus is the opposite of consumer surplus, a producer receives a higher price than they were expecting. Cannot really comment too much on this, a few years ago used boat prices were crazy, being sold at the full asking price and reasonable offers were being refused.
Consumer demand for new boats is high, the highest I ever saw demand was post COVID, it seems that everybody suddenly wanted to be a boater and did not care how much it cost, used boat prices were high and what was available on the market was snapped up. I don`t think we are at the same level of demand as a few years ago. Boats are a luxury item, they are considered expensive and not a necessity, but I see less value for money, the quality is not there, but it seems right now consumers are still willing to pay.
"Because consumers can lobby the government to impose regulations on the businesses."
This part about lobbying the government is interesting, I am not sure how you would be able to lobby that the prices of new boats are too high, proper warranties might be a more reasonable demand and not just for boats. If we stopped buying new boats for whatever reason, too expensive, quality is not good enough for the price, what would boatbuilders then bring to the market? There are enough people who buy new boats that can keep the prices high.
I do not see how the new boat market can remain sustainable at the rate prices are increasing and quality control is falling, it is not limited to one particular sector either. I was talking to a yacht broker friend, he was also saying how prices had become absurd, one of the most popular jet skis sold at the moment is actually the top of the line version, it retails for just north of €30K Euros, the most popular new boat he sells oscillates between €200 to €250K Euros, for that you get a 26 to 28 footer, single gas sterndrive, admittedly fully loaded, bow thruster, battery charger, underwater lights, large chart plotter, anchor windlass etc. but 250K for a mid tier bow rider seems crazy. The point of this post and this example is we are paying more than ever for products that are simply not as good as they should be for the money, period, Quality Vs bean counters, the demise of the boatbuilder.
CSI scores
Not crime scene investigators, although some things I see that have passed the QA/QC process are borderline criminal, it means customer service index in this context. Quite a few companies send these sorts of surveys or questionnaires out about the buying experience, the product, dealer and so on. I cannot work out if these are for product improvement or a way to extort more money from clients, certainly I see little to no improvement in the products themselves, perhaps a follow up should be sent out a couple of years after the purchase to get a better look at how things are holding up.
So, what now, no more new boats?
I know a lot of people in the skilled trades, not just boat related either, there is a trend, the very subject I am talking about, a severe lack of quality control and forward thinking, no looking to the future of the products as a whole. From a boating point of view, there is some very good news though, it really is not all doom and gloom, there has never been a better time to address whatever shortcomings your boat has and learn to love it again without buying a new one. Perhaps we can use the megayacht industry as an example, yes, obviously they build and sell new yachts, catering often to the one percent of the one percent, that aside, a major aspect of this branch of the boating industry is refitting older or indeed, really old yachts, anything and everything can be redone, upgraded, painted, upholstered or even, left to look exactly the same and made to look like the day it was first delivered.
The availability of quality products to perform pretty much any task is amazing, the reason of so much of my ranting (objectively of course) is because it is totally possible to install high end products in such a slap dash way that the may as well not have bothered. Join some forums, social media groups or just a quick internet search, there are amateurs (I feel bad calling them that), lets say enthusiasts instead, I refer to individuals who do not work full time in the marine industry, some of the work that they do is amazing, far better than a lot of production boat builders and other professionals, some restorations would give some custom brands a run for their money.
An area I want to comment on is that although the quality of assembly and the control is not as good as it was, the accessories and refit market has never been better, seriously, high quality components with a wealth of knowledge available, the value for money is also incredible, you will notice I said value for money and not that the products are cheap or expensive, the prices paid for the quality of the components is excellent.
I mean it, revamp, revitalise and take a careful look at why you are buying a new boat, if you are already a boat owner and are thinking of buying a brand new boat, look carefully at the reasons why, The best upgrades for your boat for an easy life, and, for future sale. New motors, no problem, at this time if you have an outboard powered boat and are looking to repower, you are spoilt for choice, electronics, the price points and functions available for less than before is tremendous, how about electrical connections, terminals, cables? All a resounding yes.
Summary & conclusion
Perhaps I am old fashioned or, just a man out of time, but, apart from a very, very few newer boats I see, there is nothing that gives me a wow factor, I could walk around various marinas though and see dozens of older boats and get that warm, fuzzy glow, they just have something. That is really the point I am making, renovating, refitting and rejuvenating an old boat is so much more satisfying than buying new, I don't see many new boats that will have fan clubs in the future. Might I draw a simile to living in a castle or chateaux, it looks beautiful and cannot be imitated, but, it does have the convenience of an indoor toilet.
I as a lone constructive critic cannot make a difference, as consumers on a large scale, together we can stand.
I hope you have enjoyed reading this post. Please feel free to follow me on social media.
Comments
Post a Comment