I’ve been shopping for a vacuum cleaner for my apartment in the city. The Hoover “Futura 390” that I purchased some 16 years ago still works, but parts of the wand have been breaking off due to age and I cannot find replacements – apparently the future in “Futura” has come and gone. The vacuum’s suction is still strong although the noise it generates is close to that of an engine of a jet plane coming in for a landing. It is hard to part with such a loyal worker but I’ve come to the decision that the aggravation I get each time I vacuum is too stressful and it is time to move on.
I made a mental list my requirements (quiet, good suction power, automatic cord rewind, nozzle for hard floors, etc.) and went to Lowes one Saturday morning and toyed around with a few models. I eliminated the big, bulky upright models more suited for cleaning plush carpeted floors. Besides, storage space is always at a premium in a city apartment and I don’t have any to spare. Conversely, I also eliminated the tiny ones that are real space savers but are underpowered and more suited for light work over a small area. I’ve had one of those before – it pretty much stayed in storage till I disposed of it.
Two models from Motorola on display attracted my attention and I decided to do some research on them – to get a sense of how other customers rated the machines and to see how well they compare to those made by other manufacturers. At this point, I was prepared to go for the more expensive $500 model from Motorola if the reviews were good. Unfortunately, what I read (on different websites) was a real put off - warnings of breakdowns and hassles with getting replacements were prominent.
OK, I told myself, let’s try another American manufacturer – why not Hoover – the same maker as the vacuum I have owned for so long? I went browsing and found a Hoover model in the same price range and specs but, sadly, it had the same bad reviews.
Disappointed, I finally decided to look at other brands, including those made by foreign manufacturers and a model by Miele (a German manufacturer of household appliances) stood out with raves and excellent recommendations. For the same $500, I could get it with the deluxe nozzle package with separate specialized nozzles for carpeted and hardwood floors. For $100 less, I could get it with a less sophisticated ‘combo’ nozzle. I’ve used a Miele vacuum before at a friend’s place and I already knew that it was quiet and worked well but I had thought that it would be more expensive, being an European ‘import’.
I have put the word ‘import’ in parentheses because I know most American products are likely imports as well, made in some faraway country where labor is cheap enough to more than compensate for the cost of shipping it all the way back to the US and leave enough margin for the retailers and manufacturer to make a profit. What surprised me though is that, for the same price, a German made product can beat out their American counterparts in terms of quality, reliability and user satisfaction. Isn’t labor not equally or more expensive in Germany? Even if the Germans also outsourced their manufacturing, how did they end up with a better product?
American manufacturers must take responsibility for quality control – simply slapping their name or logo on a product doesn’t automatically make it good. Their name and brand is at stake and to put shoddy, poorly made products on the market is nobody’s fault but their own. Destruction of a brand is very costly and managers cannot lose sight of it. Managers must not sacrifice quality for short term gains – billions of dollars in commercials cannot restore a lost trust in a product.
A first-time buyer is important. Consumer satisfaction is important. The user’s experience sets the tone for his/her next purchase and any upgrade path is smoother if the experience is an excellent one. I was ready and happy to buy an American branded vacuum to replace my existing one but now that I am armed with more information, it is highly likely that I will not .
Quality matters, especially in the Information Age where the consumers are able to share their experiences, both the bad ones and the good ones. Viral marketing works both ways – good news and bad news travel equally fast and far.
American auto-manufacturers suffered from years of inattention to quality control and some are, at long last, resurfacing and catching up with their Japanese and European counterparts. American industries, whether big or small, from making jetliners to vacuum cleaners, must make quality a first priority if they want to continue their dominance or retake the world. American workers must take pride in the “American” brand.
