Has nothing to do with what you paid for the lamp. Most lamps use the same ballast style, although iirc there are different sizes of ballast depending on the power of the bulb.
Ballasts go bad. The only real question is how long will it take them to do so? I have had ballasts in aquarium lights that have run for years, and others that have had to be replaced after six months.
The best thing to do is to buy a lamp where the ballast is replaceable without completely disassembling the lamp, and replace the ballast as necessary -- most home improvement stores carry fluorescent ballasts, although you may find it necessary to go to an actual hardware store.
jenn
-- Jenn Ridley : snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com WIP: Poppies (Art-Stitch), two knitted tops, Oriental Butterfly Most recently Finished: Floral Sampler, Insect Sampler