Cables - a rant.

[andrewducker]

The other day, an lj friend* was ranting about the price of HDMI cables at Richer Sounds. Pretty justified, as they charge £15 for a cable you can get at Amazon for a fiver.

Today I was in Currys (and PC World) as a break from clothes shopping with meaningrequired, and thought I'd check out their prices for cables.

They started at £40, and went up to £100.

Now, checking their website, it seems like they have cheaper ones, at pretty reasonable prices. But if you're buying a new TV and Blu-Ray player (or whatever) then you're going to want cables to go with them, and chances are that if you're ignorant you're going to get suckered into paying over the odds and buying one of these. Or if the sales people really get to you, splashing out on something like this.

Frankly, I'd like to find a way of making this kind of thing illegal**. If you can't demonstrate an actual difference in the picture being transmitted by the cable over one costing less than half its price then you shouldn't be allowed to bloody well sell it.

*I've just remembered who it was, but it was flocked, so I'm not naming them. They can feel free to claim responsibility in the comments if they like.

**Ok, I'm exaggerating somewhat. If people want to spend their money on stupid things then it's up to them. I'd settle for crucifying*** any sales person who tries to tell you that you get a better signal through them than you do through the bog standard ones that you can buy for a fiver.

***Publically. In front of the store. With rusty nails.

Comments

[andrewducker]

Oh yeah, you can tell it's where they make their profits. But I'd much rather they made them honestly, by selling stuff at a small profit everywhere, rather than ripping people off (and not getting any cash for me, as I head straight for poundland, Amazon).

[nancylebov.livejournal.com]

You may need to redesign the customers first.

[andrewducker]

And also their competitors.

[nancylebov.livejournal.com]

Not really-- if customers were interested in all associated costs of a big ticket item, then sellers and manufacturers would handle things differently.

I can hope that reviewers and search systems will eventually make it easier to do an associated cost check.

[ashfae.livejournal.com]

Yeah, agreed. Which is why I get cables online. I get the logic of "But people won't buy hardware if it's too expensive!!" having been a fear in times past, but let's face it, we so do/would.