Companies That You Expect to Disappear Soon

[dgl]

I disagree. I think they're now just so cheap that few people even bother attempting to repair them.

Not a white good, but our Shark vacuum broke recently. Suction gone, loud whirring noise. My partner said well we've had it for 6 years so let's just buy a new one. I spent a while dismantling it and concluded it was a fault with a sealed-unit motor. £20 on eBay got me a replacement second-hand motor, wired it up, and it works fine. That saved us about £130 extra it would've cost to buy a similar vacuum.

In the past few years I've repaired washing machines, tumble dryers, fridges, vacuums, chainsaws, hedge trimmers. But I know that in each case most people would just go to Currys and chuck £100 at a replacement instead of trying to repair them. But white goods are still repairable and acceptable quality in my view. They're often broken from user error like overloading a washing machine or hoovering up stuffed toy fluff (that's what broke our vacuum!)

Next time it goes wrong get a second hand Sebo, then you'll wonder why you ever bothered with a Shark, 6 years would not even be half the lifetime of a Sebo, even in a commercial setting.

Alas I think a lot of items are designed around knowing they will fail and as such charging enough for the item to cover warranty replacements or hoping that purchasers will want the latest model anyway so will be happy to replace it.
Of course manufacturers like Numatic and Sebo still care about quality, reliability, long life, domestic manufacture (though noth have Chinese made stick vacuums) and parts availability, but those seem to be few and far between. Even Miele are not the same as they once were, with there auto dosing system on their washing machines being problematic and moving manufacturing out of Germany.

 

[duffield]

...

Same with my PC. Twice yearly take apart and clean out.

I guess I should clean the cat fur out of mine...

A number of years back just before CPUs got thermal overload protection I had one burst into flame due to the vents being blocked with fur. At least that shouldn't happen now, it should just shut down!

 

[skyhigh]

Probably, but that they got bought over and eventually the PC World brand disappeared I think was a sign of a failing business model. They charged above average even compared to the likes of Argos, over-sold warranties, and their staff were clueless (I went for an interview there, got offered the job, and the process was frankly hilarious).

I'm not totally convinced by that. Dixons bought PC World in 1993 and for a long time the business model was identical between Currys and PC World. It made absolute sense to merge the stores under the wider brand.

Charging above average, pushing warranties and clueless staff sounds exactly what I'd expect from my local Currys.

 

[Andyh82]

I'm not totally convinced by that. Dixons bought PC World in 1993 and for a long time the business model was identical between Currys and PC World. It made absolute sense to merge the stores under the wider brand.

Charging above average, pushing warranties and clueless staff sounds exactly what I'd expect from my local Currys.

Yes PC World was merged into the main Curry’s brand because of how the market has changed and how there isn’t that massive distinction between ‘a computer’ and ‘other household electronics’ it wasn’t because PC World was a failed business model.

You need to put yourself in a PC World circa 2000 and look at all the stuff they would sell, rows and rows of desktop PCs, loads of printers, loads of scanners, lines and lines of mice and keyboards, loads of software in those big boxes they used to come in, and compare it to now

And of course it’s exactly the same with Carphone Warehouse and how the mobile phone market has changed

Also remember that it was Dixons that did electronics and Curry’s that did white goods

 

[Peter Sarf]

Yes PC World was merged into the main Curry’s brand because of how the market has changed and how there isn’t that massive distinction between ‘a computer’ and ‘other household electronics’ it wasn’t because PC World was a failed business model.

You need to put yourself in a PC World circa 2000 and look at all the stuff they would sell, rows and rows of desktop PCs, loads of printers, loads of scanners, lines and lines of mice and keyboards, loads of software in those big boxes they used to come in, and compare it to now

And of course it’s exactly the same with Carphone Warehouse and how the mobile phone market has changed

Also remember that it was Dixons that did electronics and Curry’s that did white goods

I preferred Currys to Dixons but once Dixons had bought Currys the difference was steadily erroded. DSG is I think the parent company and the Dixons name and PC World name for the outlets was replaced by Currys as they moved into larger out of town stores. It always seemed to me that the Dixons name lasted longer in town centres.

As for extended warranties. Around 1987 I bought a Matsui microwave for £49.99. Matsui was the own brand name for Currys iirc. They tried to sell me an extended warranty for £50 so more than the thing cost. I got rid of that microwave sometime just before Covid so thirty years. It still worked but the motor was getting noisy.

I remember, circa 2015 learning that Currys (As part of Dixons Group) made more money out of extended warranties than the selling of actual goods.

 

[BuhSnarf]

Oddly, they kept the Dixon's name up to around COVID times in airport locations but I believe these are now all gone.

 

[jon0844]

Oddly, they kept the Dixon's name up to around COVID times in airport locations but I believe these are now all gone.

Who runs the tech stores at airports now? Not even sure what they're called or how many airports still have them at all. If not Dixons, I know WH Smith also has electronics at some locations?

The only time I've ever felt the need to buy anything was a cheap pair of 'emergency headphones' but I opted to go without for the sake of a couple of hours on the plane.

 

[Ediswan]

As for extended warranties. Around 1987 I bought a Matsui microwave for £49.99. Matsui was the own brand name for Currys iirc.

Matsui was also the name of a Japanese war criminal.

 

[BuhSnarf]

WHSmith runs InMotion which appears to have replaced most of the Dixons Duty Free stores. InMotion were the largest airport electronics retailer in the US, so it made sense to acquire them after their re-expansion in to the US.

Matsui was also the name of a Japanese war criminal.

It's also the surname for LOTS of notable Japanese people.

You can see some of DSGs own brands here:

Dixons Retail - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[jon0844]

The TG Jones in Welwyn Garden City, still with what appears to be the same carpet from day one, is now closing down. It was always going to happen given how empty it (customers, staff and shelves) and I'm surprised it lasted as long as it did.

 

[michaelh]

The TG Jones in Welwyn Garden City, still with what appears to be the same carpet from day one, is now closing down. It was always going to happen given how empty it (customers, staff and shelves) and I'm surprised it lasted as long as it did.

I popped into the TGJ shop in Droitich yesterday afternoon. In spite of the closing down sale, I was the only customer in there and I just browsed a couple of magazines and left without purchasing anything. I went to The Works to buy what my wife wanted - at about half the price of similar (discounted) items in TJG. Unsurprisingly, The Works was busy with customers actually purchasing stuff.

 

[STINT47]

I always thought my TG Jones was busy until I went in on a Sunday and I was the only person in. It looks like people only use it for the post office so perhaps they should downsize the business to a chain. Of post offices and it could work.

 

[3rd rail land]

I always thought my TG Jones was busy until I went in on a Sunday and I was the only person in. It looks like people only use it for the post office so perhaps they should downsize the business to a chain. Of post offices and it could work.

There are so many reasons TG Jones couldn't become a business that solely operates franchised Post Offices I don't know where to start. Businesses have a sub-post office primarily to drive footfall into their store(s). There is nowhere near enough profit potential for a business to survive, or even be close to surviving, just running a bunch of franchised standalone Post Offices. My former local standalone post office closed down even though it was well patronised because it was making a loss.

 

[Andyh82]

People are forgetting that the reason Post Offices are often in TG Jones stores is because the previous stand alone ones were not viable.

Often the next step, once TG Jones is closed is moving them into random convenience stores, so the main city centre post office often looks just like one you might find in the suburbs, shoved at the back of a Londis or something like that.

The main Post Office in Manchester is now in a souvenir shop that sells luggage and hoodies with I ❤️ Manchester on them.

 

[eyebrook1961]

People are forgetting that the reason Post Offices are often in TG Jones stores is because the previous stand alone ones were not viable.

Often the next step, once TG Jones is closed is moving them into random convenience stores, so the main city centre post office often looks just like one you might find in the suburbs, shoved at the back of a Londis or something like that.

The main Post Office in Manchester is now in a souvenir shop that sells luggage and hoodies with I ❤️ Manchester on them.

The Post Office in Stockton centre, once in WHS in the Wellington Square Centre, closed along with WHS, but then a "new" Post Office was set up in a small unit on Stockton High Street. Hopefully it will have enough trade to survive by itself.

 

[johntea]

I'm sure it doesn't help that whilst the Post Office do of course offer other services these days you can just do all your postage online and the postie will pick up the parcels from your house now!

Plus of course many people have a negative view of them due to the increased coverage of the Horizon IT stuff

 

[Egg Centric]

Plus of course many people have a negative view of them due to the increased coverage of the Horizon IT stuff

Doubt it makes much difference, vast majority of people even now will not know there's a delineation between RM and PO

 

[DelW]

Doubt it makes much difference, vast majority of people even now will not know there's a delineation between RM and PO

But the recent discussion here has been about the Post Office, as was the Horizon scandal. Royal Mail wasn't part of either.

 

[Peter Sarf]

But the recent discussion here has been about the Post Office, as was the Horizon scandal. Royal Mail wasn't part of either.

The Royal Mail has its own scandal - appalling service regarding letters.

That is really hurting me as I suffer irregular deliveries but more seriously also we keep getting a new/temp delivery worker and the trend is they overlook my front door (on the side of my house whereas most of the terrace has the door facing the road) and delivers (I think) two doors down the road. I would love to see it hurt Royal Mall - but we all still rely on the Royal Mail.

I think a lot of people do not realise Royal Mail and Post Office are separate companies.

 

[eoff]

During a long gap between trains I noticed an HMV store in Doncaster, I thought they were all gone.
Still selling DVDs/BluRay and vinyl, I was very surprised.

 

[Djgr]

During a long gap between trains I noticed an HMV store in Doncaster, I thought they were all gone.
Still selling DVDs/BluRay and vinyl, I was very surprised.

HMV is hanging on as "last man standing", helped by a vinyl revival and people realising (finally!!) that media bought electronically does not belong to them and can be taken away.

 

[stuartl]

During a long gap between trains I noticed an HMV store in Doncaster, I thought they were all gone.
Still selling DVDs/BluRay and vinyl, I was very surprised.

There are two in Sheffield. One in the city centre and one in Meadowhall.

 

[Silver Cobra]

During a long gap between trains I noticed an HMV store in Doncaster, I thought they were all gone.
Still selling DVDs/BluRay and vinyl, I was very surprised.

It was only a few years ago that HMV reacquired their flagship store on Oxford Street, after selling it off around the start of the Pandemic. It's not quite the same experience as in the past, but I much prefer it being back as an HMV in some form over the 'souvenir shop' that was in the premises in the intervening years.

 

[WesternLancer]

During a long gap between trains I noticed an HMV store in Doncaster, I thought they were all gone.
Still selling DVDs/BluRay and vinyl, I was very surprised.

They also own Fopp which have a number if physical shops some of which are reopening in towns that also have an HMV.
Similar products on sale.

 

[Peter Sarf]

HMV is hanging on as "last man standing", helped by a vinyl revival and people realising (finally!!) that media bought electronically does not belong to them and can be taken away.

So true. Many do not even posses the family photos they took. They have left them in the guardian-ship of facebook or the Cloud etc etc.

 

[Kevin51]

I guess I should clean the cat fur out of mine...

A number of years back just before CPUs got thermal overload protection I had one burst into flame due to the vents being blocked with fur. At least that shouldn't happen now, it should just shut down!

Talking of cat fur, ahead of decorating the kitchen I gave the walls a deep clean. I happen to look on top of the kitchen units. I thought the inanimate units had grown a fur coat.

 

[duffield]

So true. Many do not even posses the family photos they took. They have left them in the guardian-ship of facebook or the Cloud etc etc.

Yup. Meanwhile all my "cloud stuff" and all my purchased media is regularly backed up to an old school desktop PC, which is then backed up to two separate portable hard drives (I did work in IT for 35 years and "restore from backup" was required occasionally!).

 

[styles]

Yup. Meanwhile all my "cloud stuff" and all my purchased media is regularly backed up to an old school desktop PC, which is then backed up to two separate portable hard drives (I did work in IT for 35 years and "restore from backup" was required occasionally!).

I hope the backups are stored in at least two different properties in case of fire or flood!

I follow the 3-2-1 rule - 3 backups, in at least 2 different locations, of which at least one should be a cloud backup.

Though I will add that one great way of backing up photos is to just... print them and put them in photo frames etc. That way I look at them daily as well

 

[TheSmiths82]

I guess I should clean the cat fur out of mine...

A number of years back just before CPUs got thermal overload protection I had one burst into flame due to the vents being blocked with fur. At least that shouldn't happen now, it should just shut down!

In all the years of repairing PCs I have never known a CPU to burst into flames! My old PC case was dusty I ended up spending £70 on a very nice Be Quiet case with good dust management. There was about 2cm of dust in the CPU fan (Ryzen 5600) but amazingly it didn't overheat. I've known plenty of machines to shut down due to an overheating processor though especially laptops.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 19 Sep 2026 ==

Who runs the tech stores at airports now? Not even sure what they're called or how many airports still have them at all. If not Dixons, I know WH Smith also has electronics at some locations?

The only time I've ever felt the need to buy anything was a cheap pair of 'emergency headphones' but I opted to go without for the sake of a couple of hours on the plane.

I the last time I used one of them rip off shops was at some motorway services. I was getting the coach to Spain and realised I had forgotten my European to UK 1363 adaptor. I remember paying around £8 for one in WH Smith's over ten years ago. I didn't want to chance waiting until I got to Spain in case I couldn't find one.

 

[duffield]

In all the years of repairing PCs I have never known a CPU to burst into flames! My old PC case was dusty I ended up spending £70 on a very nice Be Quiet case with good dust management. There was about 2cm of dust in the CPU fan (Ryzen 5600) but amazingly it didn't overheat. I've known plenty of machines to shut down due to an overheating processor though especially laptops.
...

This was a long, long time ago in PC terms (1998), and the CPU was an Athlon 500, I think the very next CPU generation had thermal shutdown protection. It was only a small short lived flame luckily, but it was very bright!