# Forum Home Renovation Waterproofing  Bathroom fit out, an interesting article.

## Oldsaltoz

The following is a cut and paste.    *Just off the wharf: beware of cheap imports*  Just off the wharf: beware of cheap imports | Placebook | BUILD.com.au  When you are building or renovating, youll comes across lots of great looking products to select from and ones that make great claims in terms of durability and long-life. Often theyll look tempting for the price being offered  and that generally means corners have been cut or you are being completely deceived. There are lots of traps bringing building materials in from overseas that dont conform to our local Standards for quality and safety.    *Getting what you pay for* Any builder or contractor offering you product direct from Asia is more often than not trying to bypass local Standards and pocket some extra margin. And when the product fails  you could have difficulty finding the original supplier (often these are no-name products) and making a claim. Whats worse, if you sell your house while its within the warranty period, you could be liable for rectifications, if the original builder has gone down or disappeared off the face of the planet. Recently in the USA, the House of Representatives passed legislation banning the sale of contaminated drywall (plasterboard) from China. Its a reminder that what looks good on the outside may very well have some nasties hidden away. In this case there was too much sulphur content and the product became corrosive and affected electrical, gas and safety alarm systems. One Chinese manufacturer is facing a claim of $800 million for rectification work on 4,500 homes. Another is yet to learn the result of a multi-district litigation claim covering more than 10,000 homes.    *How to avoid shady imports* The safest way for you to avoid any such issue is to include a clause in your building contract that stipulates any product supplied for your job meets or exceeds the relevant Australian Standard or equivalent product mark, such as the window industry AWA mark or WaterMark for plumbing products. 
Good luck.   :Smilie:

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## Cecile

Great information, thanks for posting. 
To add also, I think we also need to be wary of reputable Australian companies that sell their made-in-china goods, complete with Watermark, that are essentially worthless pieces of expensive cast porcelain.  For example, our two year old toilet, a POS from new, from a very well-known company:  Toilet has a watermark label, with registration number. It is manufactured in China.Waste will not go down the bend easily, as it's very narrow and poorly designed, causing the water to rush up alarmingly, bringing "floaties" with it.  EWWWWWWWWWwater does not swirl in the bowl, leaving it dirtythree or more flushes required for solid waste; what's the point in a 3.5/4 litre low flush toilet if you have to flush it more than once?  Completely negates the water saving features.Company refuses to acknowledge that their product is not fit for purpose.  Instead management insists it's our plumbing causing the problem, when we know it's not, since the issue is intermittent, depending on the density of the waste. 
I'm sure there are things made offshore that are excellent quality and will give years of service.  I do however know that never again will I buy anything like a toilet that's not made in Australia or Europe, with the appropriate quality controls and approvals.

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