[Russ Noble]

John,

That's a bummer!

Surely in the States there are reputable automotive parts suppliers who will carry engine stands in stock? Reasonable quality, reasonable price? Where you can inspect what you buy before you lay down the money?

I think with internet sales generally there are guys out there trying to make a quick buck. They buy cheap crap and resell it to people expecting a good product. The problem is not that it's Chinese, because there is some good stuff coming out of China. If resellers were diligent and sourced better quality product there would be no problem. The problem is that it's cheap and poorly made and the resellers have unscrupulously bought it. They produce it because they can sell it, if there was no market for it I'm sure the companies involved would lift their game. Market forces do work!

Unfortunately, as the end consumer, you don't always get the quality that you think you are paying for. Must be some redress somewhere?

Over here we've got the Consumer Guarantees Act which basically says that anything that is sold must be capable of doing what it is intended to do and this takes precedence over any manufacturers warranties. Doesn't work with direct off shore purchases, but with anything purchased through a NZ importer you have recourse. So our importers are a bit more selective with what they buy and we really have very little problem with Chinese sourced product. I think crap is crap wherever it is made! You really need to look at the integrity of the importer.

Cheers,