quality of general merchandise here.

zoomzx11

Gold
Jan 21, 2006
8,367
842
113
Even though I have lived here a while I am still amazed at the terrible quality of general merchandise. I am careful but from time to time I still get taken.
I have a problem with the doors slamming in the afternoon breeze. We just replaced them all and when the breeze really get going it is like m80s going off not to mention the damage to the door and jamb. I found a permanent solution in the form of rubbber grommets but before I put them in I bought some doorstops.
I did try and complain to the Dominican family members that come and go but of course that never worked.
At the local hardware store I found rubber door stops that were expensive and in a package so I could not really see what I was buying. When I opened the package the stops were hollow, soft plastic and practically useless. They would not keep the doors from slamming. Its not easy to design and market a door stop that does not stop doors.
No such thing as a return of anything here. Not the first time and its not the money, its the being cheated that I dislike.
Anytime I make a repair or install something I take pride in doing it so it never has to be done again. The Dominicans seem inured to doing the same fix over and over and over.
My car broke down the other day and left us stranded on the highway. After getting to a local repair shop we found out it was a crack in the thermostat housing that had been repaired by our kid using epoxy. You just cannot make a good repair of thermostat housing using glue. It will come back and it did. He saved a few bucks but screwed us twice. One time for the fix and again for not telling me.
Anyone want to share a horror story about being victimized by the cheap shoddy merchandise and workmanship here. Do not get me wrong. I love it here but fixing the same damn thing over and over gets to me. I have given up on the refrigerator and gotten used to repairing it constantly. Nothing like a good ranting complaint to make a person feel better.
 

CristoRey

Welcome To Wonderland
Apr 1, 2014
11,717
7,977
113
Cheap Chinese junk (products) abound. I dealt with the exact same problem while
living in Cambodia. Amazon used to be a nice way to skirt this but they too have
fallin vicitim to this global problem. Buying online direct from the manufacture seems
to be the only real solution now a days.
 

zoomzx11

Gold
Jan 21, 2006
8,367
842
113
Cheap Chinese junk (products) abound. I dealt with the exact same problem while
living in Cambodia. Amazon used to be a nice way to skirt this but they too have
fallin vicitim to this global problem. Buying online direct from the manufacthure seems
to be the only real solution now a days.

If you are buying inside the US the return policy can save you. I try and use the reviews and only buy items that have a good review history. I thought I was a careful shopper until the door stop got me. If you look at the local hardware stores most everything is China junk. Lately I have gotten screwed with toilet shut off valves. Seems that every time I turn the valve off it leaks when I turn it back on. I do try and exercise the valves. I would not mind if I could buy better quality but I cannot find it. Living here means I spend an inordinate amount of time keeping the lights on, internet working, water running and appliances running. I have given up on microwaves as I cannot keep family members from putting metal in the oven. All stuff I take for granted in the US. I have gotten used to it but the time wasted never comes back.
 
Apr 7, 2014
2,293
2
0
If you are buying inside the US the return policy can save you. I try and use the reviews and only buy items that have a good review history. I thought I was a careful shopper until the door stop got me. If you look at the local hardware stores most everything is China junk. Lately I have gotten screwed with toilet shut off valves. Seems that every time I turn the valve off it leaks when I turn it back on. I do try and exercise the valves. I would not mind if I could buy better quality but I cannot find it. Living here means I spend an inordinate amount of time keeping the lights on, internet working, water running and appliances running. I have given up on microwaves as I cannot keep family members from putting metal in the oven. All stuff I take for granted in the US. I have gotten used to it but the time wasted never comes back.
Metal. In the microwave???

Sent from my Z833 using Tapatalk
 

Mauricio

Gold
Nov 18, 2002
5,607
7
38
What about clothes, we are here for almost 8 years now and we have pajamas for the children that are being washed all the time , still good, bought over 9 years ago in a cheap store in the Netherlands. 

All children clothes bought at Hema in the Netherlands  (also reasonably cheap) are still fine. 

The expensive clothes we buy here are getting wide or break or get holes after a few months. 
 

ROLLOUT

Silver
Jan 30, 2012
2,198
35
48
If you are buying inside the US the return policy can save you. I try and use the reviews and only buy items that have a good review history. I thought I was a careful shopper until the door stop got me. If you look at the local hardware stores most everything is China junk. Lately I have gotten screwed with toilet shut off valves. Seems that every time I turn the valve off it leaks when I turn it back on. I do try and exercise the valves. I would not mind if I could buy better quality but I cannot find it. Living here means I spend an inordinate amount of time keeping the lights on, internet working, water running and appliances running. I have given up on microwaves as I cannot keep family members from putting metal in the oven. All stuff I take for granted in the US. I have gotten used to it but the time wasted never comes back.

A pop up side the noggin with the flat side of a butcher's knife may work wonders.
 

jimbobo

Member
Feb 9, 2014
170
4
18
What about clothes, we are here for almost 8 years now and we have pajamas for the children that are being washed all the time , still good, bought over 9 years ago in a cheap store in the Netherlands. 

All children clothes bought at Hema in the Netherlands  (also reasonably cheap) are still fine. 

The expensive clothes we buy here are getting wide or break or get holes after a few months. 

Lang leve de Hema!
 

zoomzx11

Gold
Jan 21, 2006
8,367
842
113
Metal. In the microwave???

Sent from my Z833 using Tapatalk

yep, knives, forks, spoons, metal glasses, you name it . I quit buying microwaves. These ovens last forever in the US. I think that the low voltage helps kills them off but the metal is terrible for them also. I really like them because they heat food without heating up the kitchen. My Dominican family members are really resistant to any kind of behavior changes. We have three dogs and a metal gate along with a metal walk through door. One would think it natural to close them so the dogs do not wander out in the street. Nope. I like the dogs better than some of the relatives so I put up a fight on this one. If I complain loudly for a time they slowly go along. I have a new tactic. I wait until they have walked in the gate, down the walkway and into the house before I tell them to go back and close the gate. Having to go all the way back seems to speed up the learning process but only a little. Makes me laugh a bit though.
 

zoomzx11

Gold
Jan 21, 2006
8,367
842
113
A pop up side the noggin with the flat side of a butcher's knife may work wonders.

Although I cannot understand why my wife really likes her hundreds of cousins, and seemingly dozens of brothers and sisters. I have thought of lots of nasty responses but I am very attached to the wife. Plus in all fairness she did tell me that she was a package deal before we got married. I just had no idea what a ginormous package it was and the fact that it never goes away and they love to visit. Worse yet they bring along a ton of children. My new dog is a tad aggressive so I am hoping he could be a helpful deterrent. He will not bite a kid but he loves to intimidate them.
 

SantiagoDR

The "REAL" SantiagoDR
Jan 12, 2006
5,808
948
113
Lately I have gotten screwed with toilet shut off valves. Seems that every time I turn the valve off it leaks when I turn it back on.
Try to "gently" tighten the compression nut a little on valves, that usually fixes the leaking problem.
I say gently because I´m always afraid that the cheap crap will break when I tighten the compression nut.

I have given up on microwaves as I cannot keep family members from putting metal in the oven.
Except for my wife, everyone else is forbidden to use our microwave.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

For the problem of the door to the house being left open, I installed an electronic beeper, like the one in a car that beeps when the driver´s door is open with the keys left in the ignition.

After about a year I turned it off as a test, yep, they left the door open.
A side benefit of the beeper is that it lets us know when someone comes in or leaves the house.

It should be noted, that the beeper does not work for normal visitors that I bring into the house, they still leave the door open even with the beeper working.

My theory is that they learned to leave the doors open as a newborn baby, since they never needed to close a door themselves. :D lol
 

malko

Campesino !! :)
Jan 12, 2013
5,545
1,327
113
Yes, most stuff is cheap sh.it, in the dr, but also worldwide these days. Its actually programmed into the "thing" to break after a couple of months/years....... so you go out and buy another. Welcome to the 21st century !!!!!

The problem in the dr is that cheap sh.it is expensive. Well relativly and compared to first world shops.

Solution :
 -dont buy anything that is not absolutly necessary.

-dont let relatives into your house more than once a month.

-when you do let them in, dont let them near your " real" kitchen. Have 1 nice modern kitchen and 1 dominican kitchen.

-get real dogs :) dominicans, relatives or not, would rather gouge their eyes out with a tea spoon rather than set foot on my proprety when the dogs are not locked up ;) ;)

-have an ongoing list of things you will bring back to the dr from your next trip home. Simple, cheap things, like doorstops, pegs, cutlery, tools, .....
They will be cheaper AND of better quality.
 

cbmitch9

Bronze
Nov 3, 2010
845
8
18
Electrical extension cords are the worst I have ever seen. They are dangerous. Took one look at them and ordered mine from Amazon.
 

JD Jones

Moderator:North Coast,Santo Domingo,SW Coast,Covid
Jan 7, 2016
11,698
8,129
113
Even though I have lived here a while I am still amazed at the terrible quality of general merchandise. I am careful but from time to time I still get taken.
I have a problem with the doors slamming in the afternoon breeze. We just replaced them all and when the breeze really get going it is like m80s going off not to mention the damage to the door and jamb. I found a permanent solution in the form of rubbber grommets but before I put them in I bought some doorstops.
I did try and complain to the Dominican family members that come and go but of course that never worked.
At the local hardware store I found rubber door stops that were expensive and in a package so I could not really see what I was buying. When I opened the package the stops were hollow, soft plastic and practically useless. They would not keep the doors from slamming. Its not easy to design and market a door stop that does not stop doors.
No such thing as a return of anything here. Not the first time and its not the money, its the being cheated that I dislike.
Anytime I make a repair or install something I take pride in doing it so it never has to be done again. The Dominicans seem inured to doing the same fix over and over and over.
My car broke down the other day and left us stranded on the highway. After getting to a local repair shop we found out it was a crack in the thermostat housing that had been repaired by our kid using epoxy. You just cannot make a good repair of thermostat housing using glue. It will come back and it did. He saved a few bucks but screwed us twice. One time for the fix and again for not telling me.
Anyone want to share a horror story about being victimized by the cheap shoddy merchandise and workmanship here. Do not get me wrong. I love it here but fixing the same damn thing over and over gets to me. I have given up on the refrigerator and gotten used to repairing it constantly. Nothing like a good ranting complaint to make a person feel better.

Most of the bigger stores accept returns. It may depend on where you're buying things.
 

AlterEgo

Administrator
Staff member
Jan 9, 2009
23,097
6,247
113
South Coast
Most of the bigger stores accept returns. It may depend on where you're buying things.

True, we've returned things to LaSirena without any problems. Of course, they only give you a credit, not your cash back, and it takes me two or three trips before I remember to actually USE the credit. :)
 

zoomzx11

Gold
Jan 21, 2006
8,367
842
113
Try to "gently" tighten the compression nut a little on valves, that usually fixes the leaking problem.
I say gently because I´m always afraid that the cheap crap will break when I tighten the compression nut.


Except for my wife, everyone else is forbidden to use our microwave.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

For the problem of the door to the house being left open, I installed an electronic beeper, like the one in a car that beeps when the driver´s door is open with the keys left in the ignition.

After about a year I turned it off as a test, yep, they left the door open.
A side benefit of the beeper is that it lets us know when someone comes in or leaves the house.

It should be noted, that the beeper does not work for normal visitors that I bring into the house, they still leave the door open even with the beeper working.

My theory is that they learned to leave the doors open as a newborn baby, since they never needed to close a door themselves. :D lol

Love the beeper idea for the outside door. I love it when there is a pathway to defeat "their" no thought process.