Presently I have a Quickie mop. I bought the brand from the drugstore that is a stone’s throw away from my Manhattan apartment. The drugstore no longer sells the mops or its refills. Home Depot has refills for Quickie mops, but not for my model.
As long as I’m on a pet peeve roll, allow me to ask, why do mops and a few other tools and devises have to use unique connection systems that only fit the exact model they are designed for? Logically they don’t! There’s absolutely no practical reason except to increase revenue that some very common things everybody owns such as mops, plastic storage carts, or even Apple iPhones can't standardize their replacement parts, for examples, sponge heads (for mops) wheels (for plastic storage carts) or charging plugs (for iPhones) giving customers universal use for newer models especially within the same brands! It’s insane that every damn newer version of a tool or devise uses its own unique size of connection parts!
Of course a short-term solution is to buy extra refills for future use (urrr, accept and give the manufacturer the money). Another course of action is to look for generic knockoffs (i.e., pay a copycat competitor).
Still, what else can consumers do? Let’s start with mops, shall we? Have you found a mop brand that you’ve been able to get the sponge refills for year after year? If so, it’d surely be my next mop because I’ve had it!😠😡
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A subject that I also get animated (did I use the word "rant"?) about. Back in the day, I had a Blackberry. When it was time to be replaced, circa 2017, I chose a Samsung Galaxy 7 with the choice based on the fact that it had the same charger interface as the BB. Fast forward to 2023- the Galaxy 7 met its demise and I went and got a Galaxy 14- but, to your point, it had a different USB charger which cost me around $30. Considering that it cost probably < $1 to manufacture in Asia/ send it here in a cargo container, that's good biz for Samsung/ Verizon but not for me :-(
ReplyDeleteAs far as the mops, I have faced similar difficulties but, unlike the SavvvyShopper (who wants a precise fit), I solved the "replacement issue" with a sponge from some other mop, a sharp knife, and some rubber bands to hold my replacement on to the frame!
In all of these things, those who go for obsolescence are missing the benefits of "repeat revenue" which would give a better financial valuation for them but does not help me. Certain products get your payment info, send you something or other each month (or other interval) and can then book a revenue stream. I could go on and on (but I won't here- enough of my ranting)- just ask me about water filters and similar :-)
I’m laughing with sympathy, Barry. I know your pain. :)
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