Here is a good example. You pay $300.00 to $500.00+ for a good current model compound bow. In 3 or 4 years, you will not be able to get new parts for it, and most pawn shops won't even take it. The new models have no interchangable parts with older models. Now, let's face it. The cam and idle wheels on a compound bow are just formed pieces of plastic, not much different from model car and model airplane parts, yet to replace one costs over $100.00. A rip-off! That's why I went to building my own longbows and recurves.
Here is another one: You paid $200.00 to $300.00 dollars for Windows XP when it came out, because Microsoft, nor anyone else, will provide customer support for Windows 98 SE anymore. Now, just 3 short years later, Microsoft comes out with Vista, and will no longer support your still working XP product. And all new software comming out is for Vista. This is a rip-off. Companies need to provide service for thier products for the reasonable life-time of them. Other software companies do the same thing.
And here is the Grandaddy of all rip-offs. 10 years ago, I payed $700.00 for Steinberg's best Music Production software, Cubase VST. After 2 years, I could no longer use the program unless I 'upgraded' to the new version, at a cost of $150.00. This went on every year or two until this year. By now, I had invested over $1500.00 dollars in this program. The last upgrade from 2 years ago involved having to purchase a ridiculous-looking, fragile plastic thingy called a 'dongle' that had to be plugged into the USB port for the program to work. LO and Behold, earlier this year, it got broke (there's a shocker), rendering the $1700.00 program inoperable. I purchased a new dongle, but Steinberg refuses to issue me another license for it, unless I pay $260.00 for the newest version of the program! Now I have a very expensive and unusable program. That was the last straw. I told them what they could do with thier new version (although I am sure it is probably anatomically impossible). Major rip-off! I have since gone to a stand-alone Roland VS 1880 unit that performs superbly and Roland provides support for all thier products as long as you own them, discontinued or not. So does Yamaha
Now, when I buy things, I ask a lot of questions.
Caveat Emptor
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