The phone rang while I was taking an afternoon nap this afternoon. Liam went to take the call but our land-line phone only works when it feels like it and today it wasn’t feeling like it. Goods sold in Turkey seem to come with built-in obsolescence as standard, pre-programmed to break down/fall apart/blow up just as the warranty expires. It’s as if the world’s major manufacturers dump all their rejects here. We’ve been through five corkscrews so far, though I concede this may have something to do with the volume of wine we guzzle; I’ll be pulling the corks out with my teeth at this rate. More troubling is the latest problem with our expensive LG surround sound DVD player. It’s decided to reject DVDs at random, just for the hell of it. A new corkscrew is one thing but a £400 home entertainment system is something entirely different. Life’s Good? Only when it works.
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Perking the Pansies 
Oh tell me about it! Over the past few weeks my coffee machine, iron, toaster, and toasted sandwich maker have given up. I’ve lost count of the number of electric kettles that have blown up…I now stick to an old-fashioned hob kettle. Not to mention washing machines and cookers. Even if they are still under guarantee it doesn’t help. Guarantees here are not worth the paper they’re written on. I hope you can get your entertainment centre fixed but I frankly don’t hold out much hope :-(( Bloody annoying isn’t it?
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Yes, very! 🙂
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Have you ever noticed that the Turkish word for quality, “kaliteli”, is a French import?
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Seem to have imported the word but not the meaning!
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Touch wood, I’ve found the appliances that work best and longest are often the cheapest ones that you don’t expect to. Except for irons – but I think that had more to do with my cleaning ladies that the actual irons themselves. I find the secret is to unplug everything of value if there’s a storm/power cut so the surge when it comes back on doesn’t cause a bang (which the guarantee won’t cover) and always have pliers handy for broken corkscrews. Failing that, carve the cork out with a knife, push what you can’t get out back into the bottle and serve through a tea strainer. Works every time!
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Well have I got a power surge story for you. Coming up soon!
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Ahhhh! Should have bought into quality Jack – the elastic bands in our old bang & olufsen went slack and when we contacted their Izmir agent we were treated like royalty. Job was done in double-quick time and the set is now ready for the next 25 years.
LG? Made in Taiwan (I think) where my last tin toy car came from 😀
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I thought LG was South Korean. Could be wrong.
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My Arcelik (Archelik please – no giggling) cooker, fridge freezer , washing machine and dishwasher are all going strong in their 20th year. Even if they all pack up tomorrow, I’ve had my money’s worth
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We got the fridge/freezer, cooker and hob from them and they’re just fine.
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I share your corkscrew problem and problem your wine-guzzling one as well ;). We’re on our third, and I’m having my sister-in-law send two back with our son when he comes home for winter break. (He’s visiting them for Thanksgiving.) I didn’t even know making something like a corkscrew out of cheaper, thinner, more brittle metal was even an option!
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