Conclusion

Posted on 12 Jul 2007 at 11:18

As our analysis has shown, the vast majority of the excuses manufacturers offer for Britain's sky-high prices are either bogus or exaggerated. Yes, there are a few legitimate reasons why we might have to pay a little extra, but nothing like the ridiculous mark-ups we routinely see on hardware and, especially, software.

So why do we continue to allow manufacturers to take advantage of us? In most cases, it's simply because we don't have a choice. Products such as Windows, Office and Photoshop are industry standards that most end users and, in particular, businesses can't comfortably do without. As our panel of economists kept repeating: "It's not about how much money most people have got, it's about whether enough people are willing to pay."

Back to 'Rip-off Britain: excuses exposed'.

Author: Stewart Mitchell