Why buy expensive imported goods

Smeg gas appliances were recommended to me by a supplier when I converted much of my household to gas. I purchased a Smeg oven, which was much more expensive than local makes, but it was sold with the promise of excellent quality (IE it will not break) and excellent after sales service (IE but if it does break, there are so few that do that they will fix it or replace it quickly).<br> This is not what we have experienced. The head of service at Smeg is now ignoring my wife's calls. This is after we have been promised a replacement unit if it cannot be fixed. All hollow promises and lies. We have paid thousands in call outs and useless replacements of parts that were working. This happened over the past 2 years.<br> I am slowly turning into a cynic, who does not believe any sales (or service) talk. I would rather budget to have a cheap South African made unit replaced every several years, than be taken for a ride by over priced foreign supliers offloading subquality stock in Africa.