No surprise to me. It's like anything - when people give unquestioning loyalty to a particular brand and never try the alternatives, you're never going to be in a position to know if you made the best choice.
I buy what I buy because I like it, and I've compared the alternatives. Cost and reward (within reason) doesn't really come into it as long as they are all within the reach of my pocket. It's all about how much enjoyment I get from the product or the service.
Serves the frizzy-haired lanky streak right. Bloody brand snob.