[speaker002:] okay uh let me see we were supposed to talk about are consumer goods better or worse and have you had to take anything back recently have you
[speaker001:] let's see yeah I'm always returning things but I have three kids and um a lot of times it's just because it doesn't fit the way that I thought it was going to well that's really clothes isn't it consumer goods
[speaker002:] oh okay yeah
[speaker001:] trying to think no I haven't returned anything lately
[speaker002:] I haven't either I think things must be getting better
[speaker001:] well I haven't bought that much really
[speaker002:] oh my goodness that could explain it
[speaker001:] no it's true I think if you're talking about major appliances like stereos and refrigerators and washing machines I mean we've had a lot all ours for quite a while and
[speaker002:] yeah of course they're probably all Japanese too I'm sorry
[speaker001:] it's hard to tell anymore who owns what by the names isn't it
[speaker002:] I know it I know it and I really would like to buy American but I don't think it's possible I think it except for maybe in clothes but I think all the electronics are
[speaker001:] yeah yeah
[speaker002:] you know basically they're assembled in Japan
[speaker001:] I look for that tag I look for that because I well uh yesterday I bought a curling iron for my daughter and there was two that were the same price and one had a made in America
[speaker002:] I do too oh really
[speaker001:] you know tag so I just picked it up I said I'll buy that one yeah I'm trying to be more conscientious about that
[speaker002:] yeah that's how come I like Wal-Mart you know they try and buy usually all yeah yeah
[speaker001:] yeah that's where I bought it as a matter of fact yeah
[speaker002:] that's why I prefer if I'm going to shop at a discount place that's where I like to shop is because of that because I realistically we ought to keep stuff at home and
[speaker001:] um um-hum um-hum um-hum
[speaker002:] but no I don't think I have returned anything in a in a long time uh
[speaker001:] yeah yeah but you know I think our expectations expectations are a lot lower than they used to be
[speaker002:] yeah I do too
[speaker001:] you you know just in general when you buy something you never I mean
[speaker002:] I don't I never expect anything to I'm amazed when things last like my refrigerator here ten years you know I'm amazed
[speaker001:] and and right
[speaker002:] but it
[speaker001:] yeah yeah I'm always waiting for something to go on it but and if something does don't you always try to fix it before you ever bring it in because you know you're never going to see it again
[speaker002:] me too yeah right but now days uh getting it fixed is almost as much as going out and buying a new one
[speaker001:] it's worse the service is worse it really is than buying new because um people just don't know how to fix things now and yeah
[speaker002:] uh-huh it really I know it they don't keep up with the new technology you know and
[speaker001:] right and cars that's really bad too
[speaker002:] oh that's the worse
[speaker001:] we have uh mini van and the door the sliding door on it has never worked right and we've had it back twice to have parts replaced and stuff and they just can't
[speaker002:] uh-huh have you really
[speaker001:] you know I don't I I don't I think there was just something wrong with the door originally and then I don't think the service people have the foggiest idea of how to fix it
[speaker002:] I know it and you know I you think you ought to take it back to the dealer because they know them but gosh they're so high they just rip you off
[speaker001:] oh they're terrible oh I I try to avoid the dealer unless you know I think they that's the worst service I've ever gotten anywhere is in a dealer
[speaker002:] I do too I absolutely have to have me too and if they'd only realize that that's what what gets me back to I have quit Ford and Chevrolet both because the dealers were so lousy they gave me lousy service they and uh so I've
[speaker001:] right yeah yep
[speaker002:] it wasn't the car well it was the car but I think the car could have been taken care of if a dealer had backed it up but they didn't
[speaker001:] um-hum right but you know we're not from this part of the country and it I've never had uh we're from up north in New England and boy it is uh real different up there with the service
[speaker002:] is it really
[speaker001:] really different when you make an appointment for a certain time during the day so you don't have to always drop it off first thing in the morning and you drop it off and sometimes they run late but never they never keep it
[speaker002:] oh really
[speaker001:] I mean I can't say never I just say in my experience they'll say well you know they'll get it if they're done if they're not going to get it done they will at least tell you down here they just lie to you
[speaker002:] yeah I've had my car my car has been in the shop since a week a week ago Saturday I put it in for a new vinyl top and some hail damage and found out I bummed a ride
[speaker001:] uh uh-huh uh
[speaker002:] to work all week well you know I still had to go to the grocery store and to the bank and you I just have to have a car so I finally ended up renting a car and I I you know
[speaker001:] yep yeah right that's ridiculous that you have to do that
[speaker002:] I'm now renting a car I and it may be ready next Tuesday of Wednesday
[speaker001:] see but I just can't understand that I mean I I because they haven't gotten to it yet probably
[speaker002:] I know it they uh you they don't people don't want to work anymore I I'd what
[speaker001:] right I just can't see that
[speaker002:] I tried to get uh when I moved I moved up here from Florida and I wanted to get a uh my
[speaker001:] um-hum
[speaker002:] patio covered because down there we everybody had screened in porches and they're so pretty and they're so reasonable and everything and
[speaker001:] um-hum yeah yeah
[speaker002:] gosh I can't believe the prices they all quoted me on I said my God no wonder you guys are suffering up here the the prices you're charging for and I finally ended up getting a
[speaker001:] really  yep
[speaker002:] a steel uh
[speaker001:] um-hum
[speaker002:] uh top but it wasn't uh uh I wanted an aluminum uh and I wanted it insulated from the heat but this is just steel and then he charged me
[speaker001:] um-hum um
[speaker002:] oh gosh I think eight or nine hundred dollars in Orlando I got the whole thing done screened in the carpeting they insulated the the gutters and everything for fifteen hundred dollars
[speaker001:] um-hum no kidding oh my goodness
[speaker002:] gosh now up here I couldn't even begin to I couldn't begin to afford a room like that up here so I just
[speaker001:] that's something yeah yeah I'll tell you another thing about um about um appliances too um I'm uh more apt to try and get them fixed now than buy a new one just simply to keep from throwing things away
[speaker002:] yeah
[speaker001:] you know that kind of isn't back in with the ecology effort and uh and the and the
[speaker002:] yeah and boy I bet I have six curling irons up there that have burned up you know that I won't throw away I won't get them fixed either though you know
[speaker001:] oh I yeah I know those I mean those things are so cheap but I mean like we have a vacuum that I got when I got married like thirteen years ago and it it was in real bad shape about five years ago and I've had it overhauled for eight eighty dollars I guess and I could have bought a new one for ninety five but it still works
[speaker002:] um-hum yeah but um-hum um-hum well I have a Kirby's an old Kirby I've had for about um ten fifteen years and I I'm like you I've spent eighty six dollars on it last year I keep having it you just redone and
[speaker001:] yeah yep yeah I think that's better though you know to do
[speaker002:] I do too and it's just as good a vacuum cleaner as
[speaker001:] right
[speaker002:] because those things cost well well you know what the price of new Kirby vacuum cleaners are now
[speaker001:] no huh-uh
[speaker002:] just the basic without an any of the attachments or anything I think is sixteen hundred dollars I said my gosh it has to come out and clean my house by itself and serve me dinner before I'd pay sixteen hundred dollars and that's without the uh you know I
[speaker001:] uh-huh oh no but yeah I wouldn't spend that much everything on it
[speaker002:] I couldn't believe it
[speaker001:] no that's wild but boy but
[speaker002:] they're good and vacuums not that good
[speaker001:] jeez no
[speaker002:] I just I had a guy come out and give me uh a demonstration on a new one and I
[speaker001:] um-hum
[speaker002:] golly of course he made me look like now I keep a real clean house but by the time he got through with me with that new vacuum cleaner made me look like a you know filthy mess you know he was sucking dead uh
[speaker001:] um-hum oh no hey listen for sixteen hundred dollars you just save that and put it in the bank you'd get new carpet in a couple of years
[speaker002:] I know yeah just throw your carpet away well he was sucking uh you know dead skin off of through the mattress you know went from the comforter through the sheet
[speaker001:] oh you don't
[speaker002:] and and he was showing me all this dead skin that you shed during the night and I said oh my God horrible I know it
[speaker001:] you don't want to oh yuck that's gross I don't even want to I don't want to know about that
[speaker002:] uh I don't either if I'm shedding then I don't want to know about it as long as I don't can't see I well I let a guy talk me into uh a water softener when I first moved out here a twenty six hundred dollars we I just panicked after well he kind of scared me he just was really uh coming on strong and he just almost threatening me and he stayed until about ten o'clock at night and course
[speaker001:] uh-huh  yeah yeah yeah you couldn't get rid of him
[speaker002:] no and I'm not married and I think he and I let let it out that I wasn't and he was a big old guy and I thought oh God that was stupid I should have told him I had a husband but I didn't anyway the next day I had this guy that works for me call and tell him that I was cancel because you had that three day cooling down period here
[speaker001:] um-hum yeah uh-huh
[speaker002:] and so I canceled out of it
[speaker001:] good oh good I know that is scary I just don't I won't talk to people I mean I just tell them I am not interested I don't want anything you're selling go away
[speaker002:] oh and it yeah I don't care if I'm rude I just that's what I do anymore I just I'm not interested and if they call me on the phone I'm not interested just clunk up
[speaker001:] yep yeah you know I just read about here's another thing that you can buy it just read about it in the paper today you can get this attachment for your answering machine
[speaker002:] uh-huh
[speaker001:] and what it is is it's like a little coder box and you tell all the people that you want to talk to like your family and your friends and stuff a three digit code
[speaker002:] oh okay
[speaker001:] and anybody who doesn't have it has to leave an answering answer on a message on the answering machine so if you get somebody trying to sell you something they can leave their little message but if it's your sister or somebody they can punch in their code
[speaker002:] oh yeah wow yeah
[speaker001:] course it costs a hundred dollars this year two years from now it'll be fifty I think I'll wait
[speaker002:] oh naturally naturally yeah yeah right it probably I'll wait and it'll come down to twelve dollars you know about five years well that's good
[speaker001:] right right yeah that might be come in handy if things keep getting as bad as they do and stuff
[speaker002:] yeah I always hated answering machines until I got mine
[speaker001:] I do I I still don't like them I don't like them very much I think yeah
[speaker002:] I don't either I have it but I don't like it it was given to me and I feel like I have to use and it's come in handy I've had some messages I like but I almost refuse to leave messages and my daughter I said well I called you and she said well I didn't get a message I said I didn't leave one
[speaker001:] yep yeah yeah I know I don't like to leave them that much
[speaker002:] that's the way of answering machines I thought I don't I feel dumb talking to a machine for some reason
[speaker001:] I know well of course but I I know I the thing is though when you have an answering machine then you have to call everybody back if you don't have one then they have to call you I just I just was out this afternoon and I came in and I listened to answering machine and I had a friend that called
[speaker002:] that's right then you know that you
[speaker001:] and not five minutes went by and she called again and she said well didn't you get my message on the machine or do you just not want to talk to me
[speaker002:] see I know yeah you're right you almost
[speaker001:] and I was like well I just sat down you know
[speaker002:] I know I just got in or I have had I've told them I said well no I didn't get it I guess the machine wasn't working or something like that
[speaker001:] yeah yeah I know
[speaker002:] but other than that you know I'm lying and I know it
[speaker001:] yeah they don't believe you
[speaker002:] I haven't had to take any of those back um
[speaker001:] no I I don't know whether um
[speaker002:] I think that's about the last time well that was a gift to me so I guess that's
[speaker001:] yeah I think we just we haven't bought that much stuff lately but and
[speaker002:] I think we all probably all have all the toys now
[speaker001:] yep
[speaker002:] there aren't any toys out there that we don't need so that's why we haven't bought anything as soon as something new comes out well probably I I guess everybody I know has got
[speaker001:] right right that's right
[speaker002:] you know VCR's and answering machines and portable phones and I don't have a car phone but I don't think I hate that I I get mad when I drive up and somebody's talking on the phone I think they're not driving safely did you know in England that's against the law to drive and talk on telephone
[speaker001:] yeah yeah oh please my goodness yep wow
[speaker002:] and I think it ought to be he
[speaker001:] sounds