Cordless Power tools

[avalonmpk]

How many of you out there feel as I do about unfair trading with regard to Batteries for power tools?
I have just counted that I have 20 Batteries all tied by the Manufacturers to their own make.
I was just able to buy a new tool with three Batteries for the same price as a replacement battery.
We don't suffer this with the likes of light bulbs, other types of batteries or spark plugs, we used to have a similar thing with BSA threads on nuts and bolts which lasted until metrication.
This is something that our Mep's should stamp out. Make them all interchangeable. Come on all the staff in the office of 'fair trade' (fair trade my left foot!)

[John]

Welcome to the Commercial World. That is not about standardisation when
there is money to be made from non interchangeability.

Any item with a built in design battery (albeit just the same battery content
as any other) is game.

Europe has done well over a few matters. A standard micro USB for all mobile
phone charging is a start.

[cheddar-caveman]

Have you got an ink-jet printer? Same con there. Buy he printer for £30 and then pay the same for every replacement ink cartridge! As has been said, welcome to the commercial world.

[Papaumau]

It's actually called "free-trade-and-enterprise" and we have a government watchdog that should be protecting us from these kinds of actions. They are called the Office of Fair Trading or (OFT ).

Batteries....

Yes, if we are using electric hand tools that are not connected to the mains we are restricted to the voltage and shape of the battery that came with the new item. If we want to buy a second or a replacement battery for these tools they are priced at ridiculously high levels and there is no such thing as a generic battery for such tools. ( Many of the better makers now supply two or even three batteries with the tool when bought new ).

As far as standard batteries are concerned there are many generic makes that are available so that we are now not forced to buy Duracell, ( the most expensive ones ), and so long as we keep to "TYPE" like NIMH or Li-ion we can then buy by manufacturers standard rather than by trade name.

I guess it is all about being discerning and not too lazy to shop around.

Here is at least one online battery discount store: http://www.budgetbatteries.co.uk/

DON'T get me started on Injet cartridges ! 

[John]

OFT - another trouser suit bottom polishing quango.

Millions of pounds spent on making sure that the
same consumer scams run longer than some
West End Plays...

[avalonmpk]

John I like your style, message received and understood - perhaps they are contributing  to the 650 in  the corrupt House

[Papaumau]

OFT - another trouser suit bottom polishing quango.

Millions of pounds spent on making sure that the
same consumer scams run longer than some
West End Plays...

Unlike you John and your constant attacks on all of the quangos I don't mind if a quango is doing the job that it was designed to do.

These quasi-autonimous-national-governmental-organisations often do quite a good job but as was promised some time ago, there has yet to be a "bonfire of the quangos" that are a waste of time and a drain on the public purse.

[John]

So if a Quango that does its job that it is designed to do - That's OK?

So they can waste millions of pounds attempting to do that.

So they can waste years to achieve this as long as the 'design' measures up.

Given the right school tie and social circle you may even get a job on one.

Proper Government does not need to create a system that fills up offices
with sycophants to cover up their incompetence.

No doubt Brown will need even more if the people are daft enough to vote him back again.

[Papaumau]

Before we can go off half-cocked at all quangos we have to understand what they are and what they do:

Originally intended to be bodies that did government work while staying at arms length from true government departments, they do in fact do work - some of it more important than others - that a government department SHOULD or could be doing.

The term "quango" is a colloquial nick-name that was given by people who wished to attack this system of doing government work when these bodies started to multiply exponentially and started to cost the taxpayers very large amounts of money.

( Figures sourced from The Taxpayers Alliance say that there is now some 1,162 quangos - at last count - costing the taxpayers some £64billion per annum ).

While I am prepared to admit that there SHOULD be a "bonfire of the quangos" I feel that some of the tasks that they do NEED to be done by someone and if they were not done by Non-Departmental Public Bodies or ( NDPBs ) ( Their proper name ), they would have to be done by actual government departments.

Yes, I feel that if certain quangos ARE doing the job that they were created to do and are doing this job well then they should remain while the other ones that are just "jobs-for-the-boys" should be scrapped forthwith.

See the definition for "quango" here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quango