What brands do you avoid at all cost? I don’t keep up with the news all that much, and many of the reasons to avoid something don’t make it there anyway. So I’m asking here to make a big list of things to avoid. It could be anything from bad security practices to really frustrating packaging. Working as a cashier myself, I definitely know there are plenty of brands I avoid purely on the basis that their product is a pain to stock.
On the flip side, what’s the alternative? If you avoid Pepsi, for example, what do you turn to instead?
You must log in or register to comment.
This might be an unpopular opinion but I avoid Western Digital hard drives after their two recent issues:
-
In 2020, they silently started selling SMR (shingled magnetic recording) drives as NAS drives, without labeling them as such, even though they’re not appropriate for use in a NAS. They can get very slow and cause issues during RAID rebuilds. https://www.tomshardware.com/news/wd-fesses-up-some-red-hdds-use-slow-smr-tech
-
In 2023, they started flagging drives with a warning just because they had been powered on for three years (26,280 hours), even if all the SMART data was fine. The “fix” was updating systems like Synology to totally ignore WD’s alerting (WDDA) and only use SMART. I think the warnings are still present, but NAS software just ignores them now. https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2023/06/clearly-predatory-western-digital-sparks-panic-anger-for-age-shaming-hdds/
Both were intentional changes to try and increase profits.
I’m using Seagate Exos drives, which are the same price or even cheaper than WD Red Pro drives, when on sale.
When I first started using external drives I always used WD. I had two fail on me. Switched to sea gate and the one drive I got is still kicking. Will never use WD again.
Huh, I didn’t know about that. I only bought mine because they were the only ones the store offered, but I guess I’ll try to find another brand when it comes time to replace them. I’ve been meaning to get a new NAS sometime anyway, so that’s a good excuse as any to do so.
Their drives are good quality and work well. I just don’t want to give them any money after they intentionally misled customers :)
I’m in the USA and bought two brand new Seagate Exos “X20” 20TB drives for around $250 each last year. One from Newegg and one from ServerPartDeals. Normal price is over $350, but I’m sure they’ll be on sale again at some point.
-
Gillette. Due to their toxic masculinity ad. Why are they talking about that stuff? I went to them for shaving stuff, not for a talk about toxic masculinity or whatever. The good thing about the ad. It got me into safety razors. They’re way better then cartridge razors. So thank you, Gillette. For making me stop using cheap plastic razors.
Reasonable. Personally, I never learned how to use a razor, so I just use an electric shaver. It doesn’t give as good a cut, but I’m happy to contribute to a boycott anyway.
Personally, I never learned how to use a razor
🤔
Alright. Ima be ur daddy and tell you have to shave in 3 minutes flat.
-
Acquire some BIC single blade razors
-
Head to shower, put it on steaming hot and apply steaming hot water to face. Getting a hot towel after getting out of the shower and leaving it on your face for a while makes a tough shave even moar comfortable.
-
Lather shaving foam all over face
-
Run BIC razor under cold running water and shave until your face is like a baby’s bum
-
Rinse thoroughly with cold water to remove all lather
I think the key that they never admit is that none of those disposable razors can really handle anything more than a couple of days growth. If you are someone who doesn’t try to stay cleanshaven, but just want to shave once you start to get scruffy, it will never work.
That’s where double edge, shavettes, and true straight razors excel.
Very true.
I generally just use my ceramic bladed hair cutter on 0 when I’m not required to have a clean, clean shave, and then like I say above just use a BIC when I need a baby’s bum face for work etc.
The twin / triple blades I find can be off-putting to some since if you have too much growth they latch on and snag.
-
If it’s the ad I’m thinking of, I actually kinda liked it. But I definitely agree with you on the safety razors. Better shave and better for the planet. Don’t buy plastic cartridge razors, you’re getting ripped off and needlessly contributing to the plastic problem. Now if only I could find blades that a 100 pack didn’t mean 20 plastic 5-packs of blades, but it still is a lot less waste than a cartridge razor.
Same here. It got me to try other brands (I used to buy Gillette out of a habit) and all of them turned out to be better and cheaper. In the end - Wilkinson for the win!
Also, you got me to look up what a safety razor is. Looks classy!
I try and not support many corporate brands, and buy local produce and meats.
It’s easier to avoid problem companies by not buying any of the millions of cheap snack foods that are basically just repackaged corn syrup and starches.
Tesla
Many store-brand foods because they’re made with half garbage.
HP - their printers and subscription models pissed me off so much that I want nothing to do with them.
Apple - 'nuff said
Nestle.
Broadcom
As a 2017 MacBook Pro user running Linux on it, I agree 100%
Apple & Meta. I try to boycott Amazon in lieu of other online sellers but I don’t always succeed. All non-union Starbucks. The latter is the one that has impacted my life the most because I used to spend my days studying at Starbucks. I Struggle to focus and concentrate on formal work of any kind while at home. We do have two unionized locations in town. They usually don’t have any sitting room left, though because they are so close to the university campus.
Nestlé, Amazon, Coca Cola, Mars & its associates, Mondelez (“Kraft” for the 'muricans). I try to avoid basically any corporation greedy enough to go against human rights in the name of profits.
But where will you get your super processed food?
I agree with your list, but I also have to point out the irony of throwing in a “for the 'muricans” in reference to an American multinational company.
Chick-fil-A
Still, after all these years?
Always.
Friggin’ Spirit Airlines!
Why? Because of quality, service or?
Well, I guess spirit is technically the cheapest. So that might be worth it to people all on its own. But I find the seating to be very cramped, I don’t like the feeling of being “nickel and dimed” with their “charge for everything” scheme, and when I rode spirit they would have extremely generous take off and landing estimates so that even with many delays, they are still “on time”.
None of this is really malicious, I think they are clear about the fact that they offer cheap tickets for a cheap experience. But man, as a customer, it feels bad. I will just pay the extra money and go with something else.
I do agree with this. Especially with any extra baggage. They overcharge you to the point it’s not worth taking it over other airlines if booked prior
Amazon: I avoid them because of worker abuse and union busting. While prime shipping is convenient, planning around not having it comes pretty naturally. Just plan as if it’s not an option at all. This does require good internet search skills to find sites that sell what you’re looking for, but I can’t express how worth it the work is to get better quality products.
Starbucks: I avoid them because of union busting. I make most of my coffee and tea at home, it’s cheaper and better anyway. Otherwise, I go to a local cafe. My area has a lot of them, but even if yours doesn’t, try asking around.
Bad dragon, my tiny rose petal still gets sore on rainy days
at&t, comcast, tobacco co’s
Dollar, Hertz and Thrifty car rental. Also Budget, but for different reasons.
Never use Dollar, Hertz or Thrifty under any circumstances unless you want to be fucked. Never prepay with Budget unless you want to be fucked.
Can confirm, got fucked by Hertz last time I rented a car. Who’s your go to?
I truly do not know. I was using Budget, my truck was in the shop and two days’ rental was going to be $142. Two hours after reserving it my mechanic tells me he’s going to have me done today - so I cancel the reservation.
Because I chose “pay now” rather than “pay later”, I’m charged a $150 cancellation fee on a $142 rental (the fee posted on the website - $50 - is not for “prepaid” “same day” cancellations - not that the website told me this anywhere obvious, of course).
So I literally would have done better financially to drive the fucking thing around for two days for no good reason.
Protesting to customer service gets me a resounding “go fuck yourself.”
I’m now open to suggestions, I was using Budget because they had the best prices of what remained to me, but never again.
Damn. I’d have tried a chargeback, especially if their site is incorrect or misleading (idk how recently this was). It’s damn near impossible to see who actually has the best prices because you can’t tell what anything really costs until they tack on all the horse shit fees after returning the car.
Hertz left me stranded in Austin TX last time I was there. Rented a car for a week. They let me think I had a car until the morning of my reservation, when it was an hour before pickup to notify me that “sorry we’re cancelling you”. I had no other options, every other place in town was out of cars. Most said I needed a reservation and I had to think to myself how stupid it was.
I spent over 500 in Ubers on that trip going stupidly long distances.
As soon as I was home I dropped my Hertz membership and joined Enterprise. They cost a bit more but I have never been treated that way. Hertz/Dollar/Thrifty are all pretty much the same, so I’ll never use them again.
Dollar, Thrifty and Hertz are all the same company now. They intentionally overbook. I don’t know the exact reason why, short of naked profiteering and not giving a fuck.
The last time I rented with them (initially Dollar) I booked several months beforehand and when I got up to their kiosks, I ended up getting one of the last cars that they had on hand. I know I got one of the last because as I was waiting (for hours), they first closed the Dollar storefront, then they closed the Thrifty storefront - funneling everybody into one line ultimately ending up at the Hertz storefront. Shortly after I got up to the desk and they were finally giving me my paperwork and keys, they began to shut down the Hertz storefront. At this point there were still literally more than a hundred people standing in line (it was a holiday). So closing up left a whole bunch of people carless and very, very angry. So even waiting for hours through this bullshit, I was one of the LUCKY ONES.
I booked the car online at the extortionate price of $800 for a week, but ever since the pandemic, rentals have been overly expensive so whatever. Subsequently, they proceeded to apply every possible extra to the rental, without my knowledge. Extra insurance, top tier insurance, full tank of gas, roadside assistance - everything - all of which are also at inflated prices. Not until I got home did I notice that the actual cost of this rental was going to be almost $1500, TWICE THE FEE I HAD BOOKED ONLINE. I had no choice but to accept it and get on with my driving vacation, but I never forget.
deleted by creator
