Is this a new twist on expiring after warranty is out?

[Yorkie]

Maybe AEG isn't Electrolux rebadged ... I hope so. It was said to me that they were the more upmarket range like Audi is to Volkswagon.

Whether the quality is really better, and that's what we try to buy, I don't know.

But I'm weary of trying to choose and source all the items we want, delivered when we need them, so that's it.

Glad you are happy with your Neff

Gary

Though AEG is a German company, perceived by many to be a 'high end' brand along with other German brands, such perceptions are highly subjective and irrational as we have nothing on which to base our judgments, which are emotional rather than (as we all like to think), objective and rational. For some years AEG has been owned by Electrolux who own a basketful of brands (including for example, Flymo mowers), and also makes John Lewis badged appliances. In common with other German Brands, due to high and rising labour costs, AEG moved production away from Germany some time ago.

Whatever the brand, white goods are just as likely to be made in countries such as Poland and Turkey or further afield. As labour costs and terms and conditions of employment in those countries (Poland especially, as an EU member) will continue to rise, it is inevitable that production will be moved elsewhere. Competition is about putting your competitors out of business while maximising profits and minimising operating costs. The board of any company must act in the best interests of the shareholders. It's why Dyson shifted production from the UK to China - only leaving R&D here.

Really, forget the brands - when buying white goods all that matters is the features and benefits, does it look nice, will it fit the space, and how much is it compared to similar appliances? The brand name has little to do with whether or not it will conk out on us - there are no small firms making white goods - only large conglomerates. Whether it's Siemens, AEG or Beko will have little bearing on its longevity or reliability.

At least 20% of the price of a BMW, Mercedes or Range Rover is in the 'brand value'. They charge what the market can stand, and for premium brands, people are prepared to pay a premium price. That's why Toyota invented the Lexus brand and now Vauxhall have invented Infiniti. Those brands can charge far more for their cars that people who buy them would have been prepared to pay for a Toyota or a Vauxhall, yet such brands offer little in the way of features and benefits which differentiate the car rather than differentiating the brand.

All a scarf has to do is to keep you warm and look presentable. Worth a tenner at most - certainly not more than £20.00. But Paul Smith scarves cost over £100, because fashion conscious people with high disposable incomes know a Paul Smith scarf when they see someone wearing one, and are just not going to buy one from M&S, Primark or Matalan as their peer group will know it's not a Paul Smith. Hence, they pay a high premium to buy into the brand.