🚀 go-pugleaf

Alan Liefting <aliefting@ihug.co.nz> wrote in message
news:3CC60625.ADE5D565@ihug.co.nz...

> That is exactly the sort of thing I would like to see.

More fool you.

> It may be an administrative nightmare.

No 'may' about it, completely impractical insanity.

> Mind you it may be easy with these modern computer
> things (haha).  Need to have the system audited by
> independent people to keep things honest.

Not even possible.

> This system means you can bowl up to the manufacturer
> and say "Here is my gizmo. Please give me my refund."

And even someone as silly as you should be able to grasp
that we'd end up paying for that in the prices of the goods.

And for horders of stupid shinybum wankers to 'administer' it too.

> If the refund is to low individuals may not have there goods
> returned to the manufacturer but a third party may do this.
> The rubbish disposal companies, local government, repair
> or recycling companies may well stockpile items for return.

Completely off with the fairys. They're all gunna be shipped
back to the country in which they were manufactured eh ?

> This will force manufacturer to produce QUALITY goods.

Wrong again. They'll carry on regardless and if a particular
country is stupid enough to get involved in this sort of hare
brained wank, its the consumers in THAT country that get
to wear the cost of the bureaucratic wank involved.

> There is no reason a laser printer, computer
> monitor, TV etc. cannot last 10 years.

The vast bulk of that stuff isnt discarded because its not economic
to repair.  So there goes that 'made to last' silly fantasy.

> Technology moves rapidly but some things remain the same.

Yes, knives and forks dont change much over the decades.

> Television broadcast specs have not changed.

Wrong again. They just have with digital TV.

> A 40 year old black and white TV will still work!  Oops
> bad example - who wants to watch a black and white TV!

And a 40 year old computer, photocopier, phone etc etc etc.

> It will still have the same muck as on a colour TV!!!!!!

No one is holding a gun to your head
and forcing you to have a TV at all.

> I am looking at electric equip in particular but as you realise
> the same can be done for deck chairs, cars, clothes racks,
> toys, bottles, those little plastic stickers on fruit that turn
> up at the bottom of the compost bin, disposable pens.......

You're always welcome to eschew all the pollution
production involved in manufacturing your house
too and live in a hole in the ground instead.


> berdpee@ami.com.au wrote:
> >
> > Hello Alan,
> >
> > I have been proposing for years an equipment disposal tax, which
> > should be applied to EVERY manufactured item. It works like this:  The
> > tax is paid by the manufacturer when the item is produced, the longer
> > the life of the item the greater is the proportion of the tax refunded
> > when the item has to be disposed of. Thus a quality product which
> > lasts say 40 years might get a refund of 90% whereas a product which
> > lasted 5 years would only get a refund of 5%.  After all why should
> > the taxpayer have to shoulder the cost of disposal of manufactured
> > items?
> >
> >  On Wed, 24 Apr 2002 10:35:38 +1200, Alan Liefting
> > <aliefting@ihug.co.nz> wrote:
> >
> > >Copied to these newsgroups for comment.
> > >
> > >
> > >I am an electronics service technician who has worked in the industry
> > >for 20 years.  I have seen a number of changes over that time.  I am
> > >also a concerned environmentalist.
> > >
> > >As a technician my job is made more difficult for reasons I will
> > >outline.  The cost of electronics consumer items which I service has
> > >reduced over the years as a result of removal of tariffs, mass
> > >production and globalised trade especially with countries which have
> > >lower labour rates.  These same countries have poor environmental and
> > >social protection policies.  Since the consumer products are cheap to
> > >buy they are less likely to repaired when they fail.  Manufacturers are
> > >becoming more reluctant to supply replacement spare parts for the
> > >servicing industry.  If parts are available they tend to be quite
> > >expensive.  Quite often this makes the goods uneconomic to repair.
> > >Manufacturers are also closing some of their authorised service centres
> > >for the products.  This makes it more difficult for the customers to
> > >have the goods repaired.  Recently I discovered that at least one New
> > >Zealand division of a major electronics company has shifted its spare
> > >parts supply warehouse to Australia.  As an aside the parts currently in
> > >the warehouse were discarded since it was uneconomic to ship them to
> > >Australia.  I have a suspicion that this may cause more difficulties for
> > >the electronic servicing trade.  I am sure it would take the service out
> > >of the electronics service industry.
> > >
>
>  etc...