I use eye-drops for dryness in my right eye. I wouldn't even think of paying a significant sum of money for the drops. I use Soothe, by Bausch and Lomb, Refresh or Natural Tears, whatever I can find on sale, or reasonable.

I know this thread is about disappointing products. Hmmm I can't think of anything off-hand, but good topic salonva!

I should have mentioned that I have used (happily) Refresh, Soothe, Genteal, and even Target's brand (for severe) and a few others that I cannot recall. I just honestly thought that due to the price and hype it would clearly be superior. (and when I called and emailed, I think I was more disappointed with their reaction. I actually saved the box because I figured they would at least be asking for the lot # etc but that never came up. All they said was they would make a note of it and never asked for my contact info or anything. I think that is poor).

Over the counter cold sore treatments don't work. Releev worked the first time I used it...after that it was ineffective. Zovirax is a prescription, helps a cold sore heal faster.

My cat has a grain allergy. Dave's cat food is grain free, has lots of gravy, but no fat. Now he hoarks fur balls. Sheba (grain free) is actually better.

A lot of people highly recommend CeraVe skin products. I tried a couple and thought they were mediocre at best. Didn’t like the eye cream product at all. It was the worst. Maybe for someone younger it is fine but not for my 70 year old skin.

Thanks for the heads up about Lumify. I was very close to trying it the last time I bought eye drops. Stuck to my usual Systane instead. I also like Refresh.

Oops. What I've been disappointed by? Pepperidge Farm Swirl raisin bread. It's not even close to as good as Sunmaid raisin bread. Sunmaid's is moister, has more substance to it and filled with at least twice as many raisins. And if you're gonna eat raisin bread, it should have raisins.

Hot Shot Flying Insect spray. We are suddenly besieged by small gnats of some kind so although I don't like to use insecticides I had to do something. This stuff is supposed to kill on contact and keep working for 4 weeks. I sprayed directly on the varmints and they didn't even do so much as shudder. It also smelled like insecticide. I bought Raid and it seems to be working better. I've never had this problem before but I have a suspicion that it's because I brought some terrestrial Orchids in pots inside when we had some threats of a frost here a couple of nights. (We live in Central Florida). These beauties are in full bloom and I didn't want them ruined. I've read online that plants that are usually outside can harbor gnats in the soil and then they come out inside the house.

My recent pudding taste tests had several disappointing contenders but by far the most disappointing was Godiva chocolate pudding. Like Salonva, I bought it expecting to be dazzled by its superiority. (Because of Godiva's good name). I was not dazzled.

I have a lot of eye problems too, and relief is sporadic. When I first had problems, Lumify was trying to get approval and it seemed like the people who were really eager for it were those who had problems with chronically red eyes- people who tend to be "addicted" to red removing antihistamine eye drops that cause rebound redness- and lumify supposedly removed the red without the rebound? At least that was the hope and claim when they were trying to get approval.

As for me, about the only thing I can use without a reaction is systane eye drops, and even then I can't use them more than once or twice a day. I am able to get some relief with hot packs, cold packs, homemade saline rinse, and a variety of home remedies, but again, it is hit or miss. Some days are good and some are not so good.

I to tried the CeraVe products and thought it was average at best for me. I am very happy with an essential oil - (Frankensence) that I have been using for under eye puffiness/bags. Big difference in the color of the under eye bags and the amount of puffiness. Very happy with that.

I have tried NoName products at grocery stores and although money is saved, they aren't worth it in terms of taste and quality. Or maybe I just have too high expectations for the quality of my toilet paper, frozen corn and cereal.

Blfenton, we like the PC soda crackers and PC cereal. I buy the NoName coffee filters now because Costco quit selling their huge pack of 600 basket filters for $3. I'm so disappointed. If you like Corn Flakes, Compliments outshines Kellogg's by far in taste and price and size.

Gold Bond to eliminate dark spots. I was religious with this day and night. If they have gotten lighter, I certainly can't tell.

I agree about CeraVe, it actually was drying to my already parched skin. I use Eucerin10 for years but am always looking to try other products.

I have dry eyes too. I use prescription Restasis and Systan for OTC.

Disappointed in Dawn Blue Ultra dish soap. It does not clean and degrease my dishes well despite its claims of 2x-3x cleaning power. I prefer the clear Dawn Ultra free and clear, but have not been able to find it in the stores.

ritaweeda, get some Mosquito Bits and sprinkle them in the pots. It will take a couple of days, but will get rid of the gnats (and keep the gnat larvae from harming the roots)

I had to google mosquito bits ..... my brain was thinking of bits of mosquitos inside a blender that you sprinkle in pots ....... DUH Yep --- the lights are on but no one's home tonight ....

Cold sores? I take extra vitamin c

and use Vaseline on the cold sore.

i start on the first tingle.

Some Trader Joe products. Last time I was there I tried the frozen vegetarian lasagna. It was really good until I got a good bite of the inner layer of ricotta cheese. So much pepper! I threw it all out, about 4 servings in this container. I did go again tonight for my grocery shopping and picked up some new products to try out. There were banana/peanut butter dog treats and they smelled so good. The dogs loved them too. They're tiny though. I do buy the bigger dog biscuts for them but they still have almost a whole box of them so I didn't get any more of those. I really wanted to try one of the dog treats. I can't now, though, as I was giving them a taste I managed to drop half the box in the floor...so had to pick them up and put them back in the box. Bought some strawberries tonight. I tried to pick the best looking container of them and thought I did good. Just cut up some of them for a bowl in milk and about 1/4 of the berries are soft and rotting. The other stores are always the same too. Will have to eat them quickly.

Salvona, if you still have the product and receipt, B & L will send you a refund, per their policy.

ritaweed if you can not find the mosquito bits look for small donut shaped things called mosquito dunks. They are similar just compressed into a ring that can be placed in where there is water that is not emptied every day.

Lately I find that I have been disappointed in a lot of new food items I have tried. Just one example, I bought some chile lime flavored peanuts. They looked yummy. They were horrid. Since the diet I choose to follow right now is very low carb, I am trying to find new things to try. So far, nothing has stuck.

ETA: I was also disappointed when,thinking I found a gold mine, I bought some brocolli cheese tots for me as well as regular tater tots for SO. You can imagine my ire when I realized that 1 serving of 6 of the tiniest tots ever totted contain.....14 CARBS! That is just as bad as regular tater tots! They are delicious too, go figure. :(

Oh my gosh I love tater tots. This is something I will only admit to you guys because you don't know who I am. I would never admit this to people I see in real life.

Why?!?!?!?! Tater tots are one of life's great joys!

I couldn't think of anything but the chile lime peanuts reminded me that I bought some Blaze flavored Doritos that are pretty nasty and they stink and they are super hot. We normally buy the Spicy Nacho flavor but they were out so I got the Blaze instead, they are NOT a substitute.

Not much lately but within the last year...

A Purdy paint brush that sheds bristles worse than a cheapo $1 brush.

Frozen eggplant parmesan from Aldi that was more bread crumbs than eggplant. Also, did not care for the Radiance liquid dish soap from Aldi...which I picked up only because I was almost out of dish soap and didn't want to make another stop since the weather was bitterly cold...and wasn't expecting to be very good given the price... Thankfully, it is now Gone and I'm using old school green Palmolive that I picked up at Menard's. (Because Menard's is close by.)

I did like the dishwasher detergent pods from Aldi. Not quite a substitute for Finish but plenty OK.

Happy2b, have you tried the Palmolive with Oxy dish detergent? It's my favorite liquid dish soap. (I have to get it at Wal-mart; Menard's doesn't stock it.)

Everyone who has commented on eye drops...I bought some generic lubricating eye drops from Amazon that I like better than anything else that I've tried. 'Gericare Artificial Tears' (compare to Visine Tears Eye Drops according to the package). They work great for my eyes to relieve what feels like a thick mucous-y coating, for lack of a better description. Feel very natural, no sting like some other products as well as long lasting results. Usually only 1x per day.

I will give the Palmolive with oxy a try. Thanks for the tip.

I love Lumify, I use it often and here's why. Lumify is a product that does not help dry eye at all, one drop makes the whites of the eyeball become clear and brilliant white plus all tiny bits of redness disappear. As we age our eyes fade and lose the brightness. I have had a yellow tinge in my eyes due to having severe hepatitis. I used this product and, for the first time in 50 years, I had bright eyes so I'm thrilled. I only use it for special times, not every day.

The plants are back outside and there's no standing water in my house. Unless they are in the drains and I've poured ammonia down all the drains. What a pain these things are. The Raid spray does work better than the Hot Shot but I have to spray them directly before they will croak. I also put some containers around with cider vinegar and saran wrap stretched over the top with small holes punched in it. The gnats are supposed to be drawn by the vinegar and then they go in the hole and drown. The one I put in the bathroom had a few but the one I put in the kitchen only had one. I don't know why they are in the one bathroom, we have 2 bathrooms and the other one doesn't have any in there. Anyway, I thought of another product that was a waste of money - Baseboard Buddy. I have a bad back and it's almost impossible to get down to scrub the baseboards so I bought this. The problem with it is that the scrubber part comes off the handle constantly. No good when you have a bad back. The concept is good and it does work for about 10 seconds until the darn thing comes off. It screws onto the handle, maybe if I glue it on there?

This is what Iuse for my baseboards and the corners of my vaulted ceilings - it's an extendable duster by OXO from BB&B

https://www.bedbathandbeyond.ca/store/product/oxo-good-grips-reg-microfiber-extendable-duster/1040687438/

ritaweeda, fungus gnats are different from fruit flies athough visually they will appear very similar unless under a microscope. Both are tiny little flying pests that can plague homeowners. Fungus gnats are attracted by excessive moisture and decomposing organic matter...like what is found in houseplant soil. And in bathroom or kitchen drains. Fruit flies are attracted to ripe or rotting friuts and vegetables. Cider, juice or wine traps will work for fruit flies but have little impact on fungus gnats....they are just not attracted to them. But the mosquito dunks (Bti) should work for both.

It's not often that I'm disappointed in things I purchase at Costco, but recently I bought a bag of frozen pork dumplings and they were terrible. That really surprised me because their ready to eat food items are usually quite good. I'll stick to making my own from here on out.

I also bought three really nice bathroom rugs on another trip to Costco. One of them started to unravel after washing so I took it back. As is expected, my money was promptly and cheerfully refunded. They are no longer carrying these rugs, which makes me wonder if there were a lot of returns. The other two are holding up just fine for which I'm glad because I really like the rugs.

I just opened a bag of "nacho flavored corn chips" -Aldis version of doritos. They are a SALT BOMB !!!!!! OMG ---- I went running for water . Even sour cream didn't cut the salt. Into the garbage they go . I keep trying new things from Aldis ,but their food just doesn't taste right to me. I'd say 95% of the things I've tried,I won't buy again.

ALDI offers a double return if you aren't satisfied. I think it's you get the item for free plus your money back. Of course you don't like it, you certainly wouldn't want a new one...HA! But you should definitely let them know that it sucked and you would like your money back! I don't like their generic chips either.

Dang it ! I forgot all about their guarantee !!!!!! I'll have to remember that next time. It's in the garbage now with coffee grounds on top of it .. :(

@amylou321 - There is a thread on the Cooking Forum discussing different ways to cook Cauliflower and there is a recipe using cauliflower to make cheesy tater tots.

Here's the link to the recipe

https://www.finecooking.com/recipe/cheesy-cauliflower-tater-tots

This is the link to the thread.

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/5643851/different-way-to-cook-cauliflower#n=15

The link to the recipe is actually found in the link to the article about cauliflower that someone posted from Fine Cooking.

I also have a Costco complaint. I have loved their Kirkland protein bars for years and they seem to have changed the recipe. I don't get to Costco often, so yesterday when I was there I bought 3 boxes. It's kind of hard to explain, but they were chewy but felt substantial with chunks of chocolate in them. I would take little bites and suck on the chocolate. Now they seem light and fluffy, almost melt in your mouth and I hate it. Not enough to return them, but I won't buy them again

OutsidePlaying - I can't use CeraVe products either. In my case it is the niacinimide that causes the main issues - doesn't matter how inexpensive or expensive the product is, I can't use it. Unfortunately niacinimide is showing up in a lot of skin care products - in all price ranges.

I also can't use Eucerin - or anything with lactic acid. Lactic acid is in so many products. Eucerin in Canada has different formulations than that sold in the U.S. There is a Eucerin product sold in the U.S. - for sensitive skin - it used to be in a jar, and maybe still is. My husband loved it as do many people who still go to the U.S. and can find it. It sells quickly and is reasonably priced. "Reasonable" when it comes to my skin is scary - you would faint at what I have to pay and everything I use keeps on being discontinued or reformulated to the point where I can't use it. Unfortunately since my husband retired we no longer go to the U.S. nor live near a border crossing - and then of course you have to find the cream which sells like hotcakes.

And forget essential oils - yikes. Actually anyone with rosacea will often have problems with the above ingredients.

Same with retinols or AHA.

I will try anything but if the products contain any of the above I am in trouble. I have very dry, thin skin - always have.

I liked systane eye drops too but the dropper tip was sharp and hurt like mad if I accidently touched my eye. Yes I know you aren't supposed to touch your eye but it is going to happen if you put drops in as often as I have to when my thyroid is acting up and my eyes get crispy dry. My Ophthalmologist recommends Genteal but I usually use Refresh because Costco carries it. I am supposed to use it even when I don't think I need to. It is bad for you corneas for your eyes to be dry.

I only faced tater tots once in my life when I was working at an environmental center. I was not a fan but the kids loved them. That was a very long time ago. Maybe they have improved since?