Okay, now it is my turn

I am a supporter of my camera equipment and the software, and vendors that I use, I rarely complain about much, life is too short.

...but lately it seems that these companies are sending out equipment and software that are not producing complete packages. I am having several issues with both equipment and a number of software vendors. Also, I had an issue with one of the vendors for the equipment, and I had to go through a litany of sad stories - which is not my problem, I have enough of my own. I do not need to hear their problems. I equate all of this to poor training.
I hope this trend does not become the norm.

With downsizing comes downtrodden. It's all a part of the corporate culture these days. Photo equipment isn't the only victim. Apparently, corporations felt that even if they laid off people they would still produce quality material. This just simply isn't the case.

I predict it will not become the norm, but it will get worse.

Yup...you're best off spending as little as possible to get gear that does what you need it to, and focusing on the pictures from then on. Gadgets tend to disappoint, at least in our experience.

The only problem with employing people, is their increasing demands in wages/salaries.

You either want quality which is expensive or you want a cheap camera which as everyone knows (or should know) comes the lack of quality.

I want quality but don't want to buy very expensive gear what is really essentially just my hobby (at the moment). It's like saying you can have your cake, but you can't eat it