Questionable Harvey Norman 'Deals'?

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Nightwyrm

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#18774 23-Jan-2008 12:45

I picked up a PS3 from Harvey Norman in the weekend so I could take advantage of the 40-month interest-free period (basically the only way I was going to get my console). They had three bundles on offer - the middle one of which I picked. On the way home though, I ran over the math in my head and really couldn't see what bargain value I got.

Bundle Price: $1199

Bundle Broken Down
Console: $799
Extra Controller: $99
Two Games: $220
2yr Extended Warranty: $89 (covers laser replacement and issues resulting from overheating so I thought worth it).
Total: $1207

Therefore, I made a bundle saving of $8... wtf? The bundles offered by Noel Leeming at least saved you around $100 but, as mentioned before, I needed the interest-free period so my hands were tied. And, as my wife pointed out, if I had grabbed games of lesser value (as it was any two games), I would have made a loss - let's just say I'm still kicking myself for not grabbing Guitar Hero III.

Am I the only one who finds this questionable? Personally, I thought the point of bundles was to offer some savings to potential customers in order to get more sales.

Post-geek, opinionated mediaphile, and natural born cynic. Jack of all genres, master of none.

nate

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#106318 23-Jan-2008 16:30

Whether you save $8 or $800, it's still a saving!

Seriously, you'd think HN would give you a better deal. I know you did it on finance, but I find you can normally get a better deal if you do it for cash.

Be wary of doing this with Farmers though, last time I asked for a cash discount, you think I'd just swore at the sales rep

bcourtney

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#106332 23-Jan-2008 17:22

They made an offer to you and you accepted it. The offer was $1199 as a bundle price for all those items. After being made an offer, one generally takes the time to determine if it is a good deal or not. You simply signed the HP agreement and did your due diligence after the fact! Craziness :)

I have to agree though, a savings of 8 bucks can hardly constitute a bundle "deal" when you are talking about $1199. Although, it's not often that gaming consoles are included in interest free deals, so you can count yourself lucky there I guess if you wanted to?!

Se7ensyns

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#106343 23-Jan-2008 17:58

harvey norman are a rip but the have so much stuff that you can get on the spot which is why it is appealing. According to some survey or other (think it was consumer mag) HN have the worst after sales service and extended wearranties on the market as most extended warranties are not needed due to the consumer gaurantees act. In you calculations you also included the $89 extra warranty if you take that out you save nearly $100 jsut so you can justify it some more :) and at least the boss let you buy it lol i have the same problem.

sbiddle

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#106350 23-Jan-2008 19:02

Se7ensyns: harvey norman are a rip but the have so much stuff that you can get on the spot which is why it is appealing.

I'd disagree with the "HN are a rip". Their pricing is expensive because the ticket prices are aimed at those people who want 40 months interest free. The price of virtually everything in their stores is negotiable if you speak to the staff, with the exception of small items typically under $100 I've never paid the ticket price for anything paying cash. If you are willing to negotiate and pay cash I don't think you'll find a better deal anywhere for most big ticket items.

paradoxsm

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#106351 23-Jan-2008 19:22

It's Harvey Norman! not some funny little side street bargain Chinese shop which gets a brown box from the back only if you can give them the exact part number.

They have "high prices" because they have staff, display stock, nice stores, and as Sbiddle said, offers of "24 months interest free " "deferred payments" etc and also they have the products you can walk out the door with at 4:30 on a sunday afternoon and not on some backorder delivery Wednesday week..

IF you pay by Eftpos or Cash for big ticket items, You will almost certainly get a discount, just ask, Good luck for getting it on Software, Apple, or certain "game players"
Noel Leeming actually promote it from time to time as to JB hifi and of course, Hardly Normal. (delibeeraet missspellllin)

asianbro

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#107513 30-Jan-2008 09:44

Like the saying goes, only fools pay full retail prices (unfortunately, that would include me most of the time). OK, sometime you can't bargain, but still, you should always see if there's room for bargain. Depending on the situation, it doesn't hurt to try.

What I've learned from buying stuffs from HN is that, you can always do bargain with the sales reps! Last time I bargained $40-$80 when buying a fridge and a washing machine (that were already on discounted sale) and still with the non-payment+interest-free period ... talk to the sales reps, ask them if they would give you discount, don't be shy ... also always ask for free shipping and installation (if applicable)

Just don't rush, even when they agree to give you discount ... keep em on their toes

Although, I never buy gaming stuffs from HN, so I don't know about it.