Goodbye Harvey Norman

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jillann

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#182461 16-Oct-2015 13:26

If this is not in the correct forum please feel free to move it to the correct one.
Over the years we have spent thousands of dollars at Harvey Norman on appliances, TV's, Home Theater Systems, Projectors and a lounge suite and dining suite.
Anyway, we wanted a second computer, no high specs, just something reasonably priced that does the job. We saw what we wanted at HN and went in on Wednesday this week to buy it (it wasn't on special). I asked if they could do a better price and the person we dealt with said he could give us $19 dollars off so I asked "how about another $30 off for cash" and he said that was the lowest he could go. We went 1km down the road to PB Tech and bought a PC with similar specs for $150 cheaper than the one we looked at in HN. The next day (yesterday) we see that HN are advertising the exact computer we were looking at for $50 cheaper! Pretty disappointed with them

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#1407867 16-Oct-2015 13:30

Whats model PC is it?

mdooher

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#1407869 16-Oct-2015 13:31

In their defence if they accepted "$30 off for cash" at the same time as having advertised interest free deals (and they are) they would be breaking the law.

Matthew

jillann

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#1407872 16-Oct-2015 13:35

DizzyD: Whats model PC is it?

It was just a cheap Lenovo which was what I wanted for the kitchen as it was white.

Why couldn't they have let me know to come back the next day??

Batman

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#1407879 16-Oct-2015 13:40

Everyone's doing this nowadays, not just HN.

mdooher

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#1407880 16-Oct-2015 13:41

jillann:
DizzyD: Whats model PC is it?

It was just a cheap Lenovo which was what I wanted for the kitchen as it was white.

Why couldn't they have let me know to come back the next day??

most other places would at least give you a wink and a nod

Matthew

wasabi2k

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#1407886 16-Oct-2015 13:46

Because the sales person may have had no idea what the corporate pricing overlords do day to day? No conspiracy here.

Tech prices vary wildly from day to day and location to location, particularly for cheaper stuff. If you want something - check PriceSpy and buy from the vendor with the lowest price and a service reputation you find acceptable.

And for all your "Goodbye Harvey Norman!" if they had something you wanted for $50 less than anywhere else you'd probably still go there right?

My bank lowered mortage rates 3 days after I refixed for 3 years. They didn't tell me to wait because the sales people on the phone don't know what it being released the next day. Sucks but whatever.

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Talkiet

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#1407890 16-Oct-2015 13:58

I think you're being quite unreasonable. As pointed out an individual salesperson may not know about the specifics of upcoming sales. It's a competitive market and you did the right thing by shopping around to find the best deal you could at the time.

Complaining that HN wouldn't extend you a greater discount than the one offered when you first asked seems unfair and unreasonable to me.

Cheers - N

Please note all comments are from my own brain and don't necessarily represent the position or opinions of my employer, previous employers, colleagues, friends or pets.

SpookyAwol

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#1407897 16-Oct-2015 14:08

Shop around first and THEN go with the salesperson with the best price? Its pretty pointless negotiating if you dont know what the pricing is elsewhere.

networkn

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#1407898 16-Oct-2015 14:13

Talkiet: I think you're being quite unreasonable. As pointed out an individual salesperson may not know about the specifics of upcoming sales. It's a competitive market and you did the right thing by shopping around to find the best deal you could at the time.

Complaining that HN wouldn't extend you a greater discount than the one offered when you first asked seems unfair and unreasonable to me.

Cheers - N

Also SIMILAR is not THE SAME, it could have varied considerably in price based on a number of variables you may not even be aware of.

We just have been through this with a customer who we quoted HP Business i5's to, they went to some tiny place and bought HP Pavilions which had the same i5 processor, but our model had an SSD and a 3 year onsite NBD warranty. They said "it's the same", I just didn't even bother to cover it.

3 Weeks later one of the machines developed a fault and they are SCREAMING because they have had to wait 6 days for a repair.

Even more funny they were sold personal office, and Windows Home and now can't do a few things they wanted to do.

They have paid us to fix it all, and it's cost them considerably more.

I'm with Talkie on this. You are being unreasonable with your expectations.

jillann

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#1407899 16-Oct-2015 14:14

SpookyAwol: Shop around first and THEN go with the salesperson with the best price? Its pretty pointless negotiating if you dont know what the pricing is elsewhere.

I had looked around and HN was the only shop advertising this particular PC.

The thing is, I went into another appliance store a couple of months ago to buy a washing machine and was told that it would be in my best interests to come back the next day. I didn't question this and went back the following day and found out they had 20% off on all white ware.

DizzyD

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#1407902 16-Oct-2015 14:28

jillann:
SpookyAwol: Shop around first and THEN go with the salesperson with the best price? Its pretty pointless negotiating if you dont know what the pricing is elsewhere.

I had looked around and HN was the only shop advertising this particular PC.

The thing is, I went into another appliance store a couple of months ago to buy a washing machine and was told that it would be in my best interests to come back the next day. I didn't question this and went back the following day and found out they had 20% off on all white ware.

Dam corporations that are out to make a profit. How dare they!

Your expectations are truly unrealistic. And I'm sure the HN shareholders will all agree.

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johnr

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#1407905 16-Oct-2015 14:35

Talk about comparing Apples with Oranges, Sorry but it's called shopping around! Personally if I was HN I would want you to shop somewhere else if you get wound about this

Rickles

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#1407909 16-Oct-2015 14:49

I think this is not uncommon, so I have found it pays to keep in mind -

1: Most shop floor staff will be unaware of impending deals/specials, so not their fault. Doesn't stop the store changing its policies to forewarn staff so that they have that bargaining chip in hand of course!

2: Always point out what sort of client/value you have been to the store in the past, and then ask for their "best price to you". That way they can circumvent the legal situation if the item is advertised as 'lowest price' and 'interest free' etc.

3: Always go back if the price of a purchased item comes down within a short period after purchase. In fact, some places have a form of guarantee that if the price drops they will give you the difference as a refund ... I know L V Martin used to do this and I got a few dollars back after a washing machine turned up on special a fortnight after we had bought one.

kendog

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#1407989 16-Oct-2015 17:18

I wanted a new Router a few months ago.
Found the cheapest price advertised, went to HN and asked if they price matched. They said yes, showed them the price on my phone and they matched it. $100 saved on their listed price.

mattwnz

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#1408001 16-Oct-2015 18:02

The best thing is to use pricespy instore. It even allows you to scan barcodes.

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