Sascha Segan, of PC Magazine, wrote a great column called Pay Now or Pay Later. He points out the real costs of buying low-cost electronics, including
“hidden charges, shoddy products, lousy tech support, a poisoned environment, lost U.S. jobs, and starving workers … the loss of things like customer service, reliability, durability, and flexibility”
and says that
“the relentless cost-cutting brought on by a culture where low prices are the ultimate goal has led to the complete demise of tech support, the most labor-intensive part of the tech process and one that’s invisible in advertisements and on shelves.”
Please read it – it’s well worth the time.