And you seem to have ignored my entire final paragraph, which was about what I think we need to do to improve the situation. I am doing my part; I contact my representatives to draw tech issues to their attention, for example, and I donate to various relevant campaign groups. But I am only one person, and it will take more than just me and a few people like me to effect change on the required scale.
You start somewhere
> And you seem to have ignored my entire final paragraph
which culminated in
>> sadly, it seems a lot of people either don't care enough to do that instead of moaning on Twitter of Facebook and then accepting their fate.
which is you accepting your fate, it seems. You suggested nothing useful, only moaned that others couldn't be bothered.
In summary you built up a case of hopelessness and accused others of it.
How come I often get results when I bug manufacturers? Your apathy superpower is painful to see. Thank you but that's quite enough, I prefer to get results instead.
Key is persistence.
Sure, do exercise your right as a consumer and do more than just complaining. If I ever bought something that started performing this badly I would return it as well. Problem is, what do you trade it for? I'd like to find a 50" TV with no smart TV features. Will your complaining and nagging on review sites going to make this a reality?
As long as we keep accepting only the choices provided by the status quo all you are getting is a slightly more comfortable golden cage. This is what makes GP feel powerless.
OK, nitpick over, I have trouble disagreeing with you. Let's try to answer that.
> what do you trade it for?
Perhaps if companies had to deal with a load of complaints, losing cash at each one, they might start to care? I can tell you that companies hate being embarrassed in public so complain loudly.
But otherwise, on another hn thread a while ago some guy said he'd bought, or would buy, a dumb monitor and link that up.
There's 2 solutions (if the latter works). Don't complain they don't solve everything instantly, they won't.
> Will your complaining and nagging on review sites going to make this a reality?
You'll never know if you don't try.
> This is what makes GP feel powerless.
I know the feeling! But I keep fighting back and I get results. Read that as you will.
Many of you US guys died to separate yourselves from the rule of us brits. Now for domestic goods you can't be bothered to rage. Doesn't seem right...
Like your post though!
For a very low bar of "results", sure. But unless you are getting electronics with special features or without artificial restrictions imposed by the companies, I wouldn't count I managed to return a shitty TV that got shittier for another baseline shitty TV as "getting results".
> Perhaps if companies had to deal with a load of complaints, losing cash at each one, they might start to care?
They won't "lose cash". If consumers on aggregate started demanding more quality and better support from their companies, it would translate into increased costs and consequently increased prices. Business as a whole can sustain the occasional annoying customer like you, but only when you are the exception and not the rule.
> But otherwise, on another hn thread a while ago some guy said he'd bought, or would buy, a dumb monitor and link that up.
Find the price of a 40"+ monitor that can do 4k and compare with the price of TVs, see how even high-end TVs cost less than the monitors. As an exercise to the reader, correlate that with the point above.
> You'll never know if you don't try.
I won't know because I don't want to know. I simply refuse to buy the shitty crippled electronics in the first place.
> Many of you US guys
I'm not American, but I lived there long enough to understand that most people live by the "Give me convenience or give me death" mentality. I also lived there long enough to realize that money is the only thing they understand. Put these two together, and it gets really hard to expect the average consumer to work to get anything better when they have something convenient for cheap.
> For a very low bar of "results", sure.
I'm curious, what are these results I'm getting that you judge as low-bar? I mean, specifically what?
What I did say was a response to this https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24292859
The trouble with the rat race is that even if you win, you're still a rat.