Thursday, July 14, 2016

The lack of content

There’s a proverb called ‘old is gold’, which meant that old things are valuable as gold and what’s happening with things produced these days proves that quality is something we lost in the past and what’s in the production today couldn’t deliver the best and anything we take is out of content and quality. I’m not denying quite that all things made are useless but less in quality and quantity. The manufactures produce more than enough things these days and we aren’t in lack of getting things but do they all make feel content? Lately, I feel more the quality is something sacrificed on almost everything we purchase. Because I could obviously see the difference in quality on things bought back (at least in less than 10 years) and now. For example, my new wheelchair is just 7 months old and the front wheel tyre is torn out!

I am using power wheelchair for more than 9 years and until I get the new one lately I was constantly using a power wheelchair (which was my primary) purchased in 2007. The wheelchair is in good working condition and I use it sometime to keep in touch and sustain with its comfort, even though its tyres are worn out there isn’t a piece of damage to them and the joystick is still doing well for even the wheelchair manufacturers to amaze! Because, they themselves admit the joysticks provided these days couldn’t last more than 3 years. And I don’t want to say anything more on it. Even though the technology has advanced they couldn’t sustain the quality make feel worse.

Other days on my evening outing in wheelchair I spent some time at my uncle’s workshop and was amazed to see the plastic chair that was bought in 1990, when they started the Maruti workshop, still exists without damage. Only its legs have shortened due to long and excess use. I have seen the chair used for all sort of activities and many a time the chairs have supported the car engines during reassemble.  But with today’s chairs we are supposed to be beware sitting, because the chairs aren’t strong enough like before and a small drag will see its legs bending. So was the quality of plastic used these days. We had couple of chairs and a stool from 90s and until I got my fracture in 2013, I used the stool for bathing and even the color of the stool was faded and it came with a damaged leg, but continued to support without a mishap. We had searched for a similar stood but couldn’t get a strong one alike anywhere.

I know there are different kinds of mirrors in market to see our face, in colourful frames and design… but do u believe I still use an old car wing mirror to see my face daily. Yes, it was a side view mirror that broken from a car door, long back, at uncle’s workshop and we have dropped it down number of times but haven’t see a damage or fading mirror. I mentioning it mainly because the plastic and the mirror where such standard piece and I didn’t need a change as any mirror do the same. Another thing that makes me believe the quality has lost its foot was the Air con machine (split a/c); we bought at the same time I got my first wheelchair (2007).  

Our LG A/C is more than 9 years old and only last year we are forced to change the indoor unit due to gas leak but the outer unit (compressor) continues to work well supporting the second hand Samsung blower unit. I know few people have changed couple of ACs during this period. Ours was so far raised only minor issues and the AC was under annual maintenance contract (AMC), though it is one of the reasons for its long stability but that alone is not enough I believe, because if the unit wasn’t a  quality content it’s impossible to survive.  We bought another AC for my brother in 2013 and before completing a year it witnessed a major problem and the enter coil unite was changed in the outer unit. And about a year from then, the compressor goes off and made a huge sum for mending. It all makes clear what kind of standard we are living.

Could we replace the Nokia 1100’s stability? Though I know today’s mobiles are sophisticated but when it comes to calls I think the former is best. Even though we could manage with certain things that support life from outside, the food that lack quality is impossible to digest. I really want to say I fear to intake anything got from the tiffin cafĂ© or hotels and eat with hesitation that nothing indigestion should happen. I have experienced trouble having food from the hotel, but I think its normal thing to happen sometime and another thing I like to put front is the taste and quantity of food served.

Almost restaurants have raised their price tag, perhaps, due to economic growth and increase price of grocery, but why do they reduce the quantity of food? When the price increases, at least the amount of food should have sustained, right? The couple of idly and vada got from the hotel couldn’t feel me content and taste different from one time to another. Though it was perhaps the intention of restaurant owners to reduce and increase certain things, the naturally gown Apple deceives me to feel bad. I eat an apple per day and I find the apples aren’t tastier and easily chewable these days.

We used to buy apple and other fruits a familiar woman who sells them from a roadside stall and being a well-known, she only gives us if the fruits were good enough. The apples don’t expose any damage or insect bite and sometime comes in delicate pink and dark in red, but until we cut-off we couldn’t guess the quality inside. Sometime it’s very hard to nibble and taste similar as pears and futile to eat. I know everything has a market in this world, and there could be some people projecting what kind of apple should be grow in what quality and quantity. I believe it’s the hybrid cultivation that keeps the nutrition away… the apple industry (and any kind of farming these days) seems to focus on only high yield and don’t care about the quiddity.  I feel the content of eating an apple is possible only if we eat more than two apples… but when I can’t eat a one, how could this possible.

The complaint about quality has been in trend for long but I feel it more lately compare with things available around. I feel very imbalance with this kind of trend where things become costlier but the quality and quantity couldn’t reach that height.  Thanks for taking time to read my frustration…

10 comments:

  1. I have often felt that things are no longer made as well as they used to be made. My parents bought a refrigerator when they first got married, and it was still working 70 years later. I don't think a modern refrigerator could come close to that.

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  2. We get things for cheaper rates now and many brands have come in all gadgets, either it is TV, fridge or washing machine. But I feel the 'long time use' purpose is not there now. All are 'use & throw' gadgets. Nothing can be repaired for using for a longer time.

    Your frustration is right.

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  3. I think it's the cost of living. We keep increasing the cost of living so fast that manufacturers are forced to make more money by sacrificing quality. That has also created a culture of use-and-throw which damages the environment severely. Most problems can be traced back to our greed.

    Destination Infinity

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  4. Anonymous6:02 am

    I agree, Jeevan. The quality in products has taken a dip downwards. It's like people have lost their sense of pride when they make a product. Like "good enough" is satisfactory them to cash their paychecks and go home at the end of the day. Sad, really.

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  5. Totally agree Jeevan

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  6. I hear you loud and clear.
    Unfortunately, increasing the price, while not maintaining or improving the quality, is one way to increase the profit :(

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  7. Very true. All products especially electrical things lost their quality nowadays...

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  8. sadly, manufacturers are cutting more and more quality materials and replacing with ones that 'just barely get by' to cut costs, improve profit margins. we have become very much a disposable society and it is sad.

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  9. You are good at observations of the market today. Over here they raised the price of food and the amount of food. They make more money at the higher price and the customer sometimes just doesn't take the leftovers home with them. Fancier cafes tend to keep shrinking the food size think we are impressed with their fancy presentation. We bought a new waffle iron for nine dollars and that had only gone up a couple of dollars from the one we had bought fifteen years ago. I didn't mind that. It actually is a better waffle iron.

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  10. Jeevan, well written. Just for your information, I am working with people with disabilities. The quality of the materials used 15-20 years ago is nowhere to be found nowadays. Sometimes its really disheartening to see poor parents spend thousands in purchasing things like walkers, manual/powered wheelchairs, buggies etc only to realise that the price does not come with quality. Technically many things have improved, thank you for the researches conducted and improvised technology. But, somewhere along the line, there are 'bloodsuckers' who suck every man's sweat and blood, and trying to erase the very little hope that people with disabilities have on mankind. Capitalists market, capitalizes on another man's desires and pain; but please give a good quality for whatever bargain made.

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