Boutique = Rebottled Pro = Rip-off?

[SpoiledMan]

I'm kind of interested in the sealant. I even called them up about buying a smaller bottle to check it out.

[lawrencea]

I worked for a company that made their own cleaning chemicals. The company was sold and the new owners found out that its illegal to mix chemicals the way we use to, so they bought all there chemicals from a pro. chemical company with our label on it . It was safer and the finished product was better. Its been 17 years since we made our own stuff. They would never go back and make their own stuff again.

[pigeonbus]

Getting back to the "educated consumer" statement, could somebody please just come out and say the companies and/or products that are rebottled/labelled of each other?

Educate this consumer!

I'm really interested in knowing, as I'm sure lots of us are! How are we ever to find out if no one tells?

[SpoiledMan]

The 12 oz. bottles are a clue.

[truzoom]

I'll just say I'm glad I didn't do too much online ordering.

[mochamanz]

Originally posted by fryebaby
That can of worms sure looked shiny and had good depth. I wonder if Lynn waxed it before she posted the picture. Wes

LoL, sure is getting deep here !

[Mosca]

Originally posted by DavidB
I've had a night to sleep on it and I've completely changed my mind. Who the heck cares who made the stuff in the bottle?

LOL, this reminds me of Emily Litella...

Rantrantrantrantrant.... Huh? Oh.

Never mind!


Hehe.



Tom

[eyeguy1]

I'd be upset if I were buying some fancy gym's branded sports drink that was supposed to be comparable to Gatorade(example) and found out it was inferior. I mean if Gatorade and this boutique brand water came from the same place with the same dyes and same flavors and that was it, just different labels, same price, same promises, I might be OK with that. But if Gatorade went further with what was specified in its drink and had a clearly superior product, and the boutique stuff was the same price yet inferior I'd be mad. I personally don't care who supplies my supplier, as long as my supplier doesn't put his name on it and jack up the price 200%. Now if he were to refine it countless times to achieve perfection to his standards, I would without a doubt buy it and pay the additional cost for him being so anal retentive. Simply rebranding a product I can't tolerate (Cimarron), refining to perfection for a small premium I can however ( RUF tuned Porsche). I think we shouldn't look so much as to where the product originated, but look into the dedication each company has put forth into sending a product back to its maker and saying,"This isn't good enough. If I don't like it, then I won't sell it." I think that's why I lot of us only like a small percentage of what's offered. Now that the high horses saddle is warm, I'll be stepping off. And it's time to sleep! I can't put into words which I can easily say so keep that in mind.

[Burlyq]

I have to give David B mad props for starting this thread and explaining what he is doing with CarCare. He is the most honest guy I've heard of in the biz. Many other dist/vendors would be scared of this. Thanks, seriously, we are all smarter for this. Yet another lesson in Process vs. Product.

[PrinzII]

Originally posted by Setec Astronomy
As LamboJay and others have pointed out, this goes on in ALL areas...sure, the generic laundry detergent may come from the Tide plant, but is it the same as Tide? Or do they leave out the ingredients that make Tide Tide? If Michelin or Goodyear make Sears Roadhandler tires...are they just as good? Or are their quality standards or material specs a shade different than the "real" products? It's hard to say, may vary from product to product, and change all the time. Part of this great system we call capitalism.

Years ago, I held a temporary assignment at Quaker Oats. However, this assignment was what really changed my mind on generic branded products. I was looking around the office when I saw a box of Millville Granola Cereal. I didn't think anything of it at the time until I asked whether or not it was the same as Quaker Granola Cereal. The person I asked said Yes. In fact, the more I looked around, the more I saw cereals that were familiar to me that were repackaged under that brand. To me, it was a way for a larger company to appeal to the value conscious consumer. Did it taste any different? Not at all.

But I agree. Does it matter that Whirlpool makes Kenmore Appliances?

BTW. New one for you.

Lincoln Zephyr----->Mercury Milan----->Mazda 6

[wannafbody]

it really has to do with a company getting the most from their investment into a product-they can market the same product to different segments and cover more demographics(different profit percentages as well) and get maximum return on their investment-it happens in every business- its called marketing

[mochamanz]

Hats off to DavidB, you done it ! The endless thread ! This one cuts to the root of the Boutique Business. I learned more about what to look out for in these forums than all the time before I joined Autopia. As in all things, let the customer beware ! As a consumer, I feel that I get ripped off all the time , in ways I wont ever really comprehend, mainly because the rip is hidden.... Certain products leave me wondering.

This is an unsolvable issue. No crime is committed, and in fact, as long as the stuff does intitially produce gloss, no fraud is presented. I personally never expect a product to live up to it's hype. Some products are not hyped however, those products are your best sellers,( Sonus Acrylic Spritz,etc ) or, in the case of Zaino,( direct marketing ) mentioned very prominently in these forums. Nice job of provoking a great discussion.

I am so glad no specific products were seriously attacked. The tone of this discussion was refreshing and what I appreciate about Autopia