Dick Smith cash off deals are a no go

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Forums › Bargains and Deals › Dick Smith cash off deals are a no go

macuser

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#177038 20-Jul-2015 10:12

I've been monitoring dick smith over the last little while on some items I want, mainly headphones.

It seems as though the worst time to buy from Dick Smith is when they are offering cash off when you spend X, everything seems to jump up to original pricing, so your cash discount is in effect far worse than regular sale pricing.

So... watch out for that !

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#1347565 20-Jul-2015 10:26

Thanks for the heads up, that is really good info.

I remember looking into Noel leeming 'dollar madness deals'. They just incorporated the value of the so called $1 item into the full price item. They also added quite a bit extra (comparing individual prices on pricespy).

andrew027

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#1347674 20-Jul-2015 11:50

Dick Smith's prices just don't make sense anyway.

I wanted to set up a "charging station" in my house where everybody can plug in their devices in one place that is not the bedrooms - so the kids aren't on their phones at 2:00am. After selecting an appropriate charger with multiple USB sockets I thought I'd get some short cables (to reduce tangle) with various plugs on the end and get them in a range of colours to make it easier to identify which cable to use (while it's pretty easy to identify the Apple 30-pin, if I had a dollar for every time my wife asked for help because she couldn't fit a micro USB plug into her iPhone 5 Lightning socket I'd have about $5).

So I had a look at DSE because I know they have a Move brand range of cables in 30cm length in various colours. But on their website, nearly every colour is a different price. Micro USB cables vary from $4.78 for red to $5.08 for black. Lightning cables are from $16.44 (black) to $17.53 (white), and 30-pin connector cables from $6.89 (blue) to $7.82 (black). The difference is greater with the 1.5m cable length, where the most expensive 30-pin connector cable (white) is 24% more than the cheapest one (pink). Weird enough, until... you go in store and prices are the same for each cable length/plug type combination.

Handsomedan

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#1347678 20-Jul-2015 11:54

They did do a good deal on the Fitbit Surge a while back, when it was on sale and then they offered a 15% off discount for anyone that was on the mailing list.

It was successfully applied and the end result was a Surge for less than the cost of a Charge HR. But only for a few hours.

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Lostja

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#1347688 20-Jul-2015 12:05

Dick Smith prices seem to be all over the place. As a rare exception I ordered something from them online a few weeks ago and pretty much new specials via mail every day. Even after I applying the discount of the day, their prices by en large are nothing special.

mattwnz

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#1347764 20-Jul-2015 13:38

They seem to have become like other NZ retailers, where you don't buy anything unless it is on special, and they seem to have sales every day or so.

scuwp

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#1347771 20-Jul-2015 14:03

People still shop there?

Lazy is such an ugly word, I prefer to call it selective participation

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Wade

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#1347775 20-Jul-2015 14:08

andrew027: Dick Smith's prices just don't make sense anyway.

I wanted to set up a "charging station" in my house where everybody can plug in their devices in one place that is not the bedrooms - so the kids aren't on their phones at 2:00am. After selecting an appropriate charger with multiple USB sockets I thought I'd get some short cables (to reduce tangle) with various plugs on the end and get them in a range of colours to make it easier to identify which cable to use (while it's pretty easy to identify the Apple 30-pin, if I had a dollar for every time my wife asked for help because she couldn't fit a micro USB plug into her iPhone 5 Lightning socket I'd have about $5).

So I had a look at DSE because I know they have a Move brand range of cables in 30cm length in various colours. But on their website, nearly every colour is a different price. Micro USB cables vary from $4.78 for red to $5.08 for black. Lightning cables are from $16.44 (black) to $17.53 (white), and 30-pin connector cables from $6.89 (blue) to $7.82 (black). The difference is greater with the 1.5m cable length, where the most expensive 30-pin connector cable (white) is 24% more than the cheapest one (pink). Weird enough, until... you go in store and prices are the same for each cable length/plug type combination.

Was in Spark @ Manukau Westfields on the weekend and they have cool 30cm-ish micro USB cords available in a range of bright colours for i think it was $6 or $7ea. had some sort of magnet in each end so they snap together, could be perfect for what you are trying to achieve

xpd

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#1347784 20-Jul-2015 14:20

Find that with most NZ retailers... their sales are usually done in such a way you end up paying more. I just shop around and find someone who has the item for what I consider a fair price.

XPD / Gavin

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#1347796 20-Jul-2015 15:21

andrew027: Weird enough, until... you go in store and prices are the same for each cable length/plug type combination.

Talking to a sales guy in one of the stores I got the impression that the online store didn't have a lot to do with the physical stores apart from the branding and the online operation was hogging the Web site. I saved by ignoring the special online price plus freight and paid less than $1 more than the special price.

Hiamie

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#1347823 20-Jul-2015 16:32

I am getting bombarded with junk "special" emails from Dick Smith... The instant I see the email with "online only" I hit delete - which is pretty much every email!
There's a store just round the corner - I'll buy from there and see and feel the product first, if interested.

Having said that, I did need a product the other day.... only to find the website only gave the online price - with no store price... It was for some batteries. I am sure the batteries can be purchased in store - nothing special about them, but the website insisted that they were an "online item"as there was no store price given.

I wondered what the delivery price might be so I started entering my details.... just to see what the final price would be, if delivered. When it came to asking me my postcode it wouldn't accept my postcode (1052), but if I entered the same postcode in the store finder area, it reported my nearest store as Newmarket, which is correct.

I gave up, and purchased my items from Jaycar! Much easier!!

Dick Smith.... you used be a good store, but now just massive disappointment.

tripp

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#1347836 20-Jul-2015 17:22

Ok I would not normally go into a DSE as I hate the stores now.
However they do sometimes have a really good deal on 1 product. Couple of months ago I got a UE mega boom speaker for $230 when they retails for around $400

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loceff13

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#1347842 20-Jul-2015 17:32

Hiamie: I am getting bombarded with junk "special" emails from Dick Smith... The instant I see the email with "online only" I hit delete - which is pretty much every email!
There's a store just round the corner - I'll buy from there and see and feel the product first, if interested.

Dick Smith.... you used be a good store, but now just massive disappointment.

I find most of the stuff I'm likely to buy instore is available online anyway so wait until the $10 of $50 etc deals they offer every week and pay less to have it shipped to my home.

mattwnz

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#1347861 20-Jul-2015 17:42

They did have some very good deals on kindles at one stage, although I don't think theyare currently selling the latest model that was just released. Their price was lower than amazons own price, possibly due to the exchange rate dropping and maybe bulk buying at the better rate, and the advantage with buying from them was CGA protection. But for things like iphone cases and cables etc, I just buy from ebay as usually cheaper and free shipping to NZ.

JimmyH

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#1347939 20-Jul-2015 19:07

Occasionally they have good prices when something is on clearance.

Mostly, I don't bother any more. They seem to have moved from an enthusiasts shop to a "Harvey Norman Metro" model - and carry less of a stock range than the other retailers at a much higher price. Last time I was in I checked out a replacement UPS - DSE had them on "special" for $299 - when PB had the exact same model for $171 (from their physical store) and the online retailers on PriceSpy were as low as $155.

I even asked the guy to check the pricing. He remarked that they didn't sell many of those. Hmmmmm....... I wonder why?

Shoes2468

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#1347995 20-Jul-2015 19:47

macuser: I've been monitoring dick smith over the last little while on some items I want, mainly headphones.

It seems as though the worst time to buy from Dick Smith is when they are offering cash off when you spend X, everything seems to jump up to original pricing, so your cash discount is in effect far worse than regular sale pricing.

So... watch out for that !

not so, they had the tab s discounted and then you could get additional $50. Also useful if the items is a just released item where you would expect to pay rep everywhere

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