Can't say I've felt that way - I only ever buy tat.

But then, if I had bought, say a Naim Armageddon, and someone told me the actual cost involved to make it, I might well feel that way.

What about Descrimintary/Dynamic Pricing, which is set to become the norm in the next 5 years? Basically, companies supplying services to you will do so charging you purely by how much they think you will be prepared to pay, based on personal data they have on you.

Have a listen on the BBC iPlayer for Radio4/Dec 31/ Money Box/The Death Of The Single Price/12.04

We have had this sort of pricing for years, possibly since items were first sold or traded.
This is taking it too far IMO and there will be rip offs that I can see will target the more vulnerable

I disagree with you on this one, for example, prior to her death, my Grandma lost a lot of money to charities who hounded her for donations. She was in the early stages of Dementia but still had the majority of her faculties and remained managing her finances at the time.  This had nothing to do with intellect or fraudulent practises, it was just she was vulnerable. It wasn't until my Dad took over her finances a couple of years later, once the Dementia had progressed, that we became aware of how much of an issue it became.

Additionally, a lot of the time, people with superior intelligence have limited to no common sense, so falling foul of being ripped off is incredibly possible.

Interesting thread Martin.

Whoops, I really should learn to read posts properly before replying... my mistake I missed your comment about metal illness and dementia. sorry.

Well, yes. Holidays and plane flights hiked-up at peak times during the year and discounts for bulk buying are just two. The difference is is that the practice will become widespread as more and more personal data becomes available/monitored/collected/sold.

Imagine, I'm a direct seller and I've made a Belles Beater amp (oh yes...). The price to you is just £7K (I know you've got it, Mike. I know you've got it.). I know a certain MartinT could well be interested. I like the cut of his jib and know that his mattress is a tad lumpy with the wads of notes he has under it, so I give him a price of £10K.

Would that seem OK to you? Would Martin not feel a tad ripped-off gaining the knowledge that you could get it for £3K less?

Do Lamborghini Gallardo owners shout rip off when they find out they've effectively bought an Audio R8? No, firstly, because they've bought a Lamborghini. Secondly, because they probably knew that before buying the Lamborghini anyway. If you had a choice, which would you have?

Although, I'm fully aware that the Audio R8 followed the Gallardo. On that note, do any R8 owners label the Audio R8 a rip off because it is a Gallardo? Probably not, but Gallardo owners may label the R8 a blatant rip off - why? Because it is cheaper and relatively close in performance, so it threatens the value of their purchase.

Of those who bought that Theta transport, did anyone complain of its performance? Was it badly reviewed? Probably not, because everyone was happy with its performance. Only when people are fed a version of the truth do they then shout rip off and aren't happy. Manufacturers basing their models on another's usually implement their own software, or have to mate their software with that of the product they're basing theirs upon. Plus adding in their own bespoke facia and buttons etc, providing their own warranty and support, and the end user pays for storage. By that, I mean that if a manufacturer stockpiles a product, it is taken into account with the rrp, so when you order one, it is with your dealer next day. The alternative is building to order, which keeps costs down, but delays ownership.

In my view, there aren't many reliable Bluray players out there, and why a high end manufacturer would go to the massive expense of designing their own is beyond me, as there's just so much to go wrong. If I had say, a Mark Levinson system, I'd happily pay a premium for a Mark Levinson badged player (with matching facia/remote system etc) that was just an Oppo BDP103 under the bonnet. I wouldn't consider it a rip off, as they've used a quality player in the first place.

I think Dave hit the nail on the head when he mentioned Male Pride to be fair, I think that has a lot to do with how us men behave and react to situations.

Certainly, I am somewhat perturbed by the way in which the Hifi industry is focussed in on a few brands, and I have fallen fowl of this myself certainly around the Naim/Linn world but I am slowly moving towards better value alternatives.

For instance, I had an ageing Linn Sondek that I sold and some time later bought my current Rega to replace it, and I have to say that I get a lot more enjoyment out of the Rega which was a darn site cheaper than the Linn!

In terms of the vulnerable, I have real issue with the way some unscrupulous organisations appear to target them, and it appears charities are the worst of the lot... which is why I get a little hot under the collar about such subjects and misinterpreted what Martin had written on his first post.