You get what you pay for…

Someone said that to me yesterday, after I complained that an MP3 player I had bought on ebay didn’t work. This got me thinking that saying “you get what you pay for” is an interesting statement to make when something doesn’t live up to expectations. You pick what you want, agree a price, pay for the goods and walk away with them…

But that’s not what the statement means any more, is it? The saying has been usurped to justify charging a premium for something that can be bought much cheaper elsewhere. If you question why something costs so much the standard reply is “well, you get what you pay for”.

But in this context does the statement really hold true? Is it always worth paying more for goods or services?

A couple of examples here I feel…

Bought one pair of ‘Maine’ sunglasses from Debenham’s - £20. 8 years on and they are a little battered but still in one piece and doing their job. Purchased one pair of ‘Oakleys’ from Sunglasses Hut - £140. 6 months on and they are sitting there in 2 pieces as the arm has fallen off.

Bought one Casio watch from the market for £10. 10 years on and its still working fine and keeping good time. Purchased one Casio divers watch from Argos for £90. 4 years on and its been back to Casio twice for repairs, the battery lasts about 18 months at a time (and costs £20 to replace) and it doesn’t keep good time.

Yes in both cases the more expensive goods do look and feel like good quality but based on those examples I would say that you do not get a better product by paying a premium for it. If you want a pair of sunglasses (rather than an image) then why pay £140 for them when a pair for £20 will work just as well (and last longer). If you want a watch, why pay more than a tenner for it?.

I freely admit that under certain circumstances I am prepared to pay a premium for somethings, if only to avoid buying from Dixons or using ntl, but buy and large I tend to buy the cheapest product that’ll do what I want.

Unfortunately I am a little old fashioned too and expect the product to do what I bought it to do, regardless of how much I pay for it…

Happy shopping….