Is there nothing made that actually works?

@1creekgirl (41309)
United States
January 26, 2022 8:53pm CST
I'm so tired of returning things that don't work right and are generally a piece of crap. I really really love fried potatoes. When I make them as a side dish at dinner, I expect them to take a while to cook. But sometimes I make them at breakfast and I need them to get done faster. Of course they get tender if the potatoes are sliced very thin. It's hard to cut them like that without also slicing my thumb at the same time. Yuck. So, I bought a mandolin planer today to protect my fingers, but of course it doesn't work well. I bought a good brand, but what did that matter? Have to return it and now I'm back to searching on Amazon for something else. I don't trust reviews. Everyone lies. I just don't think it's unreasonable to expect something I buy to actually work. Do you have the same problem?
22 people like this
21 responses
@FourWalls (67283)
• United States
27 Jan 22
It’s getting to the point where I wonder that myself. We may have to go back to “pioneer” days where we did our own work!
4 people like this
@1creekgirl (41309)
• United States
27 Jan 22
True. I'll probably just keep slicing those veggies and fingers with a knife.
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (36573)
27 Jan 22
If you want fried potatoes at breakfast, wash and boil some whole, UNpeeled smaller potatoes the night before. Cool them and put them in the refrigerator. Next morning peel them quickly, slice or dice or whatever shape you like, and fry them. They don't take long at all that way. My grandma did that for years, as gramps dearly loved fried potatoes and eggs and ham. His favorite breakfast.
3 people like this
@1creekgirl (41309)
• United States
27 Jan 22
Thanks for the suggestion.
@rebelann (112734)
• El Paso, Texas
27 Jan 22
I've only had problems with things I'd bought via Amazon so I generally stick with Walmart or Target.
2 people like this
@rebelann (112734)
• El Paso, Texas
27 Jan 22
I sometimes have issues with the food items that come in jars but I've always received a refund.
@1creekgirl (41309)
• United States
27 Jan 22
I have problems with Walmart too. They usually will take returns, but we shouldn't need to so often.
1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (137249)
• United States
27 Jan 22
I always just slice potatoes by hand... I've never tried to find a way to do them faster. *shrug* If I've got other things to do, I don't try to make potatoes for my meal.
2 people like this
@DaddyEvil (137249)
• United States
27 Jan 22
@1creekgirl Sometimes Pretty uses one of the box graters to slice up potatoes. I don't mind if the slices aren't all a uniform thickness.
1 person likes this
@1creekgirl (41309)
• United States
27 Jan 22
@DaddyEvil I think I still have one, but I still tend to scrape my knuckles.
1 person likes this
@1creekgirl (41309)
• United States
27 Jan 22
I don't necessarily need faster, I just need safer, lol.
1 person likes this
@just4him (317012)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
30 Jan 22
Know what works really well? You'll find it at Wal-Mart in the cheap aisle. I bought a manual slicer about a year or so ago. It has a thing you can put on the item you want to slice so your fingers go nowhere near your food. I've sliced potatoes and onions with it and love it. They also have an onion dicer that works great. No worries about the fingers. The price - $14? It's worth it.
1 person likes this
@1creekgirl (41309)
• United States
30 Jan 22
Can you give me more details or a photo? Thanks.
1 person likes this
@1creekgirl (41309)
• United States
30 Jan 22
@just4him Thanks!
1 person likes this
@just4him (317012)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
30 Jan 22
@1creekgirl I just took pictures of the slicer. Here's a collage with it from every angle. There are three plates for various cuts, and you can use both sides. One makes a thinner slice than the other.
1 person likes this
@RubyHawk (99405)
• Atlanta, Georgia
27 Jan 22
I do . I bought a thing a ma jig to count my steps and can’t get it to work. Also a thermometer to touch your face to read your temperature, doesn’t work either.
2 people like this
@1creekgirl (41309)
• United States
27 Jan 22
It's a shame, isn't it?
@Shavkat (139252)
• Philippines
27 Jan 22
I somnetimes have this kind of episode.
1 person likes this
@Shavkat (139252)
• Philippines
27 Jan 22
@1creekgirl Yes, it is.
1 person likes this
@1creekgirl (41309)
• United States
27 Jan 22
It's frustrating, isn't it?
1 person likes this
@RebeccasFarm (89739)
• Arvada, Colorado
27 Jan 22
Oh I am so fed up of Amazon..they do sell some utter trash. I am sorry that also happened to you Vicki. Yes those reviews are surely paid of liars.
1 person likes this
• Arvada, Colorado
27 Jan 22
@1creekgirl Well lately though Vicki..I have been made aware that if you return too many items they will give you a warning and shut your account for good. Have read many a horror story of that. But people would not need to return things if they were not selling trash. So most of my business goes to good old Walmart now.
1 person likes this
@1creekgirl (41309)
• United States
27 Jan 22
@RebeccasFarm I find many things have to be returned to Walmart too (this slicer was from there), and you're right, I think they flag you if you return too many things. But at least it's closer than a UPS store for Amazon. We just shouldn't have to keep a few broken items just so we won't get flagged.
1 person likes this
@1creekgirl (41309)
• United States
27 Jan 22
The only redeeming quality about Amazon is that they're usually good about returns. But there shouldn't be so many things that need to be returned.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (470631)
• Switzerland
27 Jan 22
Only my old stuff works, all the modern things do not work at all.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (470631)
• Switzerland
27 Jan 22
@1creekgirl It is a shame, everything you buy is poorly built and does not serve the purpose for what it was built.
1 person likes this
@1creekgirl (41309)
• United States
27 Jan 22
That seems so true for a lot of us.
1 person likes this
• United States
31 Jan 22
Actually I'm leary of those mandolins and afraid of cutting my finger off. I've watched them being used on TV and it looks so quick and easy. Guess you'll have to stick with slicing your potatoes by hand. What a bummer
1 person likes this
@1creekgirl (41309)
• United States
1 Feb 22
I just ordered a rotary shredder/chopper from Amazon, so I hope it works well. At least my fingers should be safe!
• Midland, Michigan
29 Jan 22
I buy most things where I work but some things I've purchased in Amazon I've had the same problems with reviews. For chopping I like my ozo chopper. It has a blade like a small food processor. The bottom suctions to the counter and the top turns. You decide as it chops how small to make it. I sometimes use my grater but you have to watch your fingers and if you have a lot to grate it takes to long. Yesterday I grated zucchini in place of hash browns and began with the grater. I soon switched to the chopper and finished two zucchini in the time it took to do half of one.
1 person likes this
@1creekgirl (41309)
• United States
29 Jan 22
Great ideas!
1 person likes this
@1creekgirl (41309)
• United States
30 Jan 22
@MarshaMusselman A mandolin is basically what I need.
1 person likes this
• Midland, Michigan
30 Jan 22
@1creekgirl I have a mandolin type thing but it's twenty years old and I mainly use it for taters for a casserole I make.
1 person likes this
@Dena91 (16577)
• United States
31 Jan 22
I'm sorry that the mandolin planer didn't work for you. That is a kitchen instrument that I wouldn't want to have even with a hand protector. I can see myself hurting my fingers with it. We read the reviews but we don't always trust what people say.
1 person likes this
@1creekgirl (41309)
• United States
31 Jan 22
I have just used a knife for years, but I like potatoes sliced really thin and a potato peeler was working great until I sliced my finger.
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (176433)
• United States
27 Jan 22
Sometimes. I find that if I try to buy a cheaper brand, that's what I get; so I tend to spend a little more for certain types of items.
1 person likes this
@1creekgirl (41309)
• United States
27 Jan 22
There were two almost identical items yesterday at Walmart, so I thought the same thing and bought the more expensive one. Maybe the cheaper one would have worked better in this case!
1 person likes this
@1creekgirl (41309)
• United States
28 Jan 22
@LindaOHio That's true. Nothing lasts for long.
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (176433)
• United States
28 Jan 22
@1creekgirl You just never know...and appliances, etc. have planned obsolescence these days.
1 person likes this
@CarolDM (203422)
• Nashville, Tennessee
27 Jan 22
If more things were made in the US maybe it would be different.
1 person likes this
@1creekgirl (41309)
• United States
27 Jan 22
My thoughts exactly.
1 person likes this
@1creekgirl (41309)
• United States
27 Jan 22
@CarolDM I think it's way too late.
1 person likes this
@CarolDM (203422)
• Nashville, Tennessee
27 Jan 22
@1creekgirl But nobody listens to us.
1 person likes this
@snowy22315 (179587)
• United States
29 Jan 22
Sometimes yes. It is the whole they don't make things like they used to thing.
1 person likes this
@bunnybon7 (50973)
• Holiday, Florida
29 Jan 22
I noticed that myself and daughter tends to not take things back because of being so busy and often looses the reciet before she remembers. such a waste.
1 person likes this
@jstory07 (139381)
• Roseburg, Oregon
27 Jan 22
I hate i when something does not work the way that it should.
1 person likes this
@1creekgirl (41309)
• United States
27 Jan 22
It's very aggravating for sure.
@JudyEv (338487)
• Rockingham, Australia
28 Jan 22
A lady at cards bought a card shuffler and that doesn't work the best either. Everything seems made to either not work well or be obsolete in about 12 months.
1 person likes this
@1creekgirl (41309)
• United States
28 Jan 22
Nothing is made to last.
1 person likes this
@Ronrybs (18963)
• London, England
27 Jan 22
I have been quite lucky on this score and only had to return one item and Amazon replaced it with a working one very quickly
1 person likes this
@1creekgirl (41309)
• United States
27 Jan 22
They are pretty good about returns.
1 person likes this
@porwest (89125)
• United States
31 Jan 22
There is a lot of that sort of thing nowadays. It is frustrating to say the least.
1 person likes this