A reason not to shop at dick smith

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dsnz1

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Wannabe Geek

#116927 14-May-2013 11:00

Get ready for extra pushy sales people, dick smith is only going to give their sales people any commission if 15% of their sales have extended warranties on them. so long as the item is over $50 and doesnt already have a 3 years or more warranty they need to sell extended warranties on 15% of sales or they get no commission for two weeks.

If you have thoughts they had a customer service feedback email feedback@dicksmith.co.nz

With such a good consumer guarantees act here extended warranties shouldnt be pushed onto people.

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#817274 14-May-2013 11:04

When sales people push extended warranty on me; I say "so you don't think this product is going to last very long; what would you recommended instead, or shall I go elsewhere?"

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StevieT

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Ultimate Geek

#817278 14-May-2013 11:07

coffeebaron: When sales people push extended warranty on me; I say "so you don't think this product is going to last very long; what would you recommended instead, or shall I go elsewhere?"

Woah! Never realised that! Thanks for stating it - opens my horizon of thinking even further.

Klipspringer

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#817280 14-May-2013 11:10

I take it you a disgruntled Dick Smith employee?

Welcome to the forums.

networkn

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#817283 14-May-2013 11:14

Extended warranties have a place, but not to replace the rights offered by the consumer guarantees act. Some of them cover accidental damage and loss, guaranteed response times, and guarantee new product replacement among other things.

Asmodeus

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#817287 14-May-2013 11:22

I am under the impression that extended warranties are mostly a scam. Read here for more detail:

http://m.consumeraffairs.govt.nz/for-consumers/goods/warranties

Some excerpts:

Consumer Guarantees ActYour consumer rights under the Consumer Guarantees Act say that goods must:

be fit for the purpose they are made for
be safe
be durable – last for a reasonable time
have no minor defects
be acceptable in look and finish

How long can I expect my goods to last?If you have a computer and the warranty is for one year, that doesn’t mean that you expect a new computer to only last one year. It is reasonable to expect that a new computer would last at least five years.

Under the Consumer Guarantees Act you can get a remedy if the goods don't last for a reasonable time.

StevieT

601 posts

Ultimate Geek

#817289 14-May-2013 11:27

Not trying to hijack this thread or anything, but with the warranty statements, I ask this:

I purchased a Samsung laptop on 26th December 2011. In the last few months of this year I noticed a decline in hard drive performance, and running Crystal Disk Info it gave a bad result. Alas, I purchased a SSD hybrid drive and successfully imaged, from my old system and HDD, onto the new hard drive.

The warranty for the laptop was a year. I would have expected the hard drive to last longer - at least two years at a minimum. The laptop did come with Windows 7, but I upgraded to Windows 8 Pro late last year.

Could there be any course of action I -could- have followed with regards to the failing hard drive?

networkn

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#817295 14-May-2013 11:29

StevieT: Not trying to hijack this thread or anything, but with the warranty statements, I ask this:

I purchased a Samsung laptop on 26th December 2011. In the last few months of this year I noticed a decline in hard drive performance, and running Crystal Disk Info it gave a bad result. Alas, I purchased a SSD hybrid drive and successfully imaged, from my old system and HDD, onto the new hard drive.

The warranty for the laptop was a year. I would have expected the hard drive to last longer - at least two years at a minimum. The laptop did come with Windows 7, but I upgraded to Windows 8 Pro late last year.

Could there be any course of action I -could- have followed with regards to the failing hard drive?

You could have taken it back to the retailer and asked them to investigate the repair, they may have replaced it

networkn

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#817296 14-May-2013 11:30

Asmodeus: I am under the impression that extended warranties are mostly a scam. Read here for more detail:

http://m.consumeraffairs.govt.nz/for-consumers/goods/warranties

Some excerpts:

Consumer Guarantees ActYour consumer rights under the Consumer Guarantees Act say that goods must:
be fit for the purpose they are made for
be safe
be durable – last for a reasonable time
have no minor defects
be acceptable in look and finish

How long can I expect my goods to last?If you have a computer and the warranty is for one year, that doesn’t mean that you expect a new computer to only last one year. It is reasonable to expect that a new computer would last at least five years.

Under the Consumer Guarantees Act you can get a remedy if the goods don't last for a reasonable time.

See my post above yours. Not all warranties are scams, it depends on the pretence under which you are sold them and if they are supplementary to your existing rights or essentially replace them.

MikeB4

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#817297 14-May-2013 11:31

If a sales person asks me once re extended warranties I politely say no, after all they are just doing their job. However if they become persistant I simply walk away.

gzt

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#817300 14-May-2013 11:34

StevieT: Not trying to hijack this thread or anything, I purchased a Samsung laptop on 26th December 2011. In the last few months of this year ...

You are not trying but it will take this thread off topic. Please don't do that. There have been many similar discussions on geekzone, and there is a lot of potential detail. Start another topic if you are interested in knowing more about that please.

michaelmurfy

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#817301 14-May-2013 11:35

It really comes down to this - and this is the only reason I'd buy an extended warranty:

You're spending over $500 on a device, the extended warranty comes in under 10% of the total value of the product, in the future after the manufacturer warranty has expired you're still welcome to go into the store to sort things out without any hassle. With the CGA you normally have to fight with the retailer to get them to do anything about it. It's more of a convenience.

Back in 2007 I was bought a first generation iPod Touch 16gb from DSE, it stopped working after the warranty expired, I went back to DSE with my receipt since I had an extended warranty, 2 days later I got upgraded to a 2nd generation 16gb iPod Touch at no cost - they even apologised about the wait to me.

Sure, the iPod was over a year old, I could have claimed through the CGA but it wouldn't have been that quick, nor hassle-free. Some things I'll never buy warranties on but if it's something I use every day and see value in it I'll do so.

It's not a scam, it's adding convenience.

Dratsab

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#817303 14-May-2013 11:37

Shop at the Johnsonville DSE then. Staff there can't really be bothered dealing with customers so pushy service at that shop will never be a problem :-)

Klipspringer

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#817305 14-May-2013 11:37

Last time I declined an extended warantee the sales agent went on and tried to sell me a $180 gold plated HDMI cable.

networkn

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#817308 14-May-2013 11:40

Klipspringer: Last time I declined an extended warantee the sales agent went on and tried to sell me a $180 gold plated HDMI cable.

Well this again is about intent. If they try to sell you an HDMI Cable on the fact it will give you a better picture or sound quality, that is misleading, but cables made of more durable materials, better quality construction, ARE worthwhile.

Boeingflyer

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#817311 14-May-2013 11:44

KiwiNZ: If a sales person asks me once re extended warranties I politely say no, after all they are just doing their job. However if they become persistant I simply walk away.

That's a fair call as it's no surprise these days what your going to encounter in a shop, of course they will try and sell you something, it's their job. If they are being too pushy just walk away as there are other shops around, if there aren't then it's bad luck if you really need the item.

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