BIFL — Brands Redditors Say They Won’t Buy Again

Some r/BuyItForLife threads are wish lists. This one was the opposite. On July 17, 2025, a user asked: “What brand will you never buy again?” The original post mentioned Sony TVs, but the comments quickly moved far beyond one television.

More than 5,000 comments later, a few patterns were hard to miss. People were not only angry about broken products. They were angry about repairs that cost too much, warranty promises that felt empty, brands that used to be better, and smart products that can become useless when a company drops support.

This is Reddit, not a lab test, so read the list as owner reports and buying warnings, not as proof that every product from these companies is bad. Repeated comments were grouped together, and jokes or simple agreement replies were left out where they did not add a new brand or reason.

Brands and Products That Came Up Again and Again

Samsung Appliances

Samsung appliances were the loudest warning in the thread. Dishwashers and refrigerators took most of the heat, with complaints about extra features, weak reliability, and repairs that made people regret the purchase. One highly upvoted reply came from a former Bosch dishwasher engineer, who said Samsung dishwashers performed badly in benchmark testing. Several people made the same distinction: Samsung phones and TVs may be a different story, but the appliances were the problem.

HP, Especially Printers

HP did not need much explanation in the comments. The short version was: never again. Most of the frustration was about printers, ink, and the general feeling that HP is no longer the dependable name many people remember. Brother black-and-white laser printers were mentioned more than once as the simple replacement for people who mostly print documents.

Old Brands After Buyouts

One of the best comments was not about a single company. It was about the familiar story of a good brand being bought, cut down, and sold on its old reputation. Hartmann luggage, Coach handbags, Cole Haan, Waterman pens, Calphalon, Cuddledown, and Lands’ End were all named in that discussion. The warning is simple enough: if you are buying because of a brand’s old reputation, check who owns it now and whether the warranty still means what it used to mean.

GE/Haier and Whirlpool Appliances

Samsung was not the only appliance complaint. GE/Haier and Whirlpool also came up from people who said they had dealt with too many problems. When commenters talked about what they would buy instead, Bosch, Miele, and Speed Queen were the names that kept appearing for laundry and dishwashing.

Jeep

Jeep appeared as a short answer, but the replies filled in the pain. One Grand Cherokee owner described a vehicle stuck in the shop for months while faulty computer parts kept the repair from being finished. For a BIFL buyer, that is often worse than a single breakdown: the product becomes something you have to chase, schedule around, and argue over.

Kia

Kia made the list because of a detailed owner story. The commenter described an engine failure around 55,000 miles, then a catalytic converter problem near the warranty cutoff. The car was still close to the limit, but the repair process dragged on long enough that the owner said Kia refused the claim. It is one person’s story, but it touched a nerve because warranty timing is exactly where trust in a brand can disappear.

No-Name Amazon Products

Several commenters did not name a traditional brand at all. They pointed to the flood of no-name Amazon products, lookalike listings, and goods that seem to be the same item sold under a dozen temporary names. The complaint is less about Amazon making bad products and more about shopping in a marketplace where the brand may vanish before the product breaks.

Alo

Alo was called out as expensive clothing that does not feel as durable as the price suggests. The criticism was short and direct: too much hype, not enough quality. Athleta came up in the replies as a brand some commenters trusted more in the same general category.

Nestle

Nestle was different from most of the list. The objection was not that a product failed early, but that people were avoiding the company for ethical reasons. Replies also pointed out how hard that can be, since Nestle owns a large number of food and drink brands. For some buyers, “buy it for life” includes who gets the money, not just how long the product lasts.

Keurig

Keurig came up as the kind of small appliance that is convenient until it is not. One popular comment described a machine dying just outside the warranty window, followed by a small coupon toward another Keurig. That is not the sort of ownership experience that makes people want to buy the same brand twice.

Google Products and Cloud-Based Smart Home Gear

Google was mentioned because people are tired of products losing support. Thermostats and other smart home devices were part of the complaint, but the bigger issue is any device that depends on a cloud service. If the company shuts down the service, the hardware can still be sitting there in perfect condition and still lose much of what made it useful.

Smeg

Smeg was treated as a style warning. People like the look, but several commenters questioned whether the quality matches the price. It is the classic BIFL problem with design-forward appliances: nice on a counter does not automatically mean nice to own for ten years.

Dr. Squatch

Dr. Squatch was mentioned after one commenter said the deodorant ruined several shirts. Replies also complained about the heavy advertising. A lot of BIFL shoppers are wary of products that seem to spend more energy on ads than on the thing in the package.

Black & Decker Small Appliances

Black & Decker was named because of a rice cooker that reportedly broke after only a few uses. The replies turned into a small rice-cooker discussion, with several people favoring brands such as Zojirushi, Panasonic, Toshiba, and Sharp.

Jansport, Lands’ End, L.L.Bean, and Other Former Standbys

This group was more complicated. Older Jansport backpacks, Lands’ End coats, L.L.Bean gear, and similar products still have loyal fans. The hesitation is about current production and current warranty terms. A brand can keep the same name while the materials, ownership, and service policy change underneath it.

Names People Still Trusted

The thread was mostly a venting session, but a few positive names surfaced often enough to notice. Bosch dishwashers, Miele vacuums and laundry machines, Speed Queen washers and dryers, Brother laser printers, and Zojirushi rice cookers were all mentioned as better bets by various commenters. None of those names should be treated as magic, but they were the clearest contrast to the brands people were avoiding.

The BIFL Takeaway

The thread is a reminder to look past the logo. A durable purchase depends on parts, repairability, warranty support, and whether the company still stands behind the product after the sale. A brand that was excellent twenty years ago may still be excellent, or it may just be wearing the old badge.

Before buying, check recent owner reports, current warranty language, parts availability, and whether the product needs a subscription or server to keep working. That kind of homework is not as fun as finding a great deal, but it is usually where the buy-it-for-life decision is made.