Good service shows when something goes wrong. Last time I shopped at HN I was shown a t&c that was semi illegal and basically an FU if something was wrong.

In Sydney there is MSY if you want no service. Very cheap.

It's starting to change. I recently bought an ultrabook at JB that was within $50 of the US price and WAY cheaper than the UK (a country that is not price competitive for a lot of consumer items anyway). Saying that, I always try to buy from overseas before looking locally.

One day, I will be able to tell my grandchildren with pride that I never, ever shopped at Harvey Norman. Ever.

One day, you will be able to rest secure in the knowledge that your grandchildren will never know the name Harvey Norman


S

I bet you wouldn't come clean to them about voting for Tony Abbott though, would you?

I'd tell them. They'll need to take a stand against socialism too.

Time for tea.

I see in Saturday's SMH Gerry bemoans the small turnover on his website - he still doesn't get it.

People shop on the net for VALUE - not convenience.

If he's still charging about the same as his shops, he won't sell much if another click will get the item from Amazon at a third of the cost.

As I pointed out when I reconsidered his 'idiot' behaviour in light of the HN corporate structure - I don't think he really believes it. I think he's saying it for the benefit of the franchisees who are currently his (captive) bread and butter. I actually think he has a plan that is awaiting the rebalancing of the Australian exchange rate to go into operation (and chances are the franchisees will hurt in that), but at the moment he needs to sustain the status quo.

General rule of thumb - when a multimillionaire businessman looks to be being very stupid, assume he's not.

Concur with appliances online. Faultless service and competitive prices.
As for HN, I recently bought a mctivia , which enables viewing anything on my Mac on my TV. HN price, $299. Purchased on eBay for $130 including free delivery.
Needed a HDMI cable for mctivia. HN price, approximately $ 55. Purchased HDMI cable on the net for less than $ 5 including free delivery.
I might well have bought these items at HN for a slightly higher price, for convenience, but at those mark ups it was a no brainier.

I'm not sure the exchange rate would make any real difference - sure, the foreign-purchased units would be more expensive in AU$ terms, but so would the same products imported by Hardly Normal.

The fact of the matter is that most goods sold in Australia are vastly overpriced in relation to elsewhere.

I'm off to the States in a couple of months and, like most folk, I am packing a couple of fold-up cases to fill with clothes and other items bought there. Last time I brought back a dozen pop-up Toro sprinkler heads: US$ 15 as opposed to AU$ 65. An AU$ 600 saving for the price of a trip to Home Depot.

Something is going to have to give, sooner or later.

I buy online too.

I don't care whether or not get 'Gerry gets it' or not....he's had his kicks....
and his time.

Its not just consumer products

We recently bi passed a sole distributor of a US sourced part.

Sales price per unit in Australia $1.8 million AUD (we need 16 of them over next 36 months. Set up US company and sourced directly cost $495k USD per unit delivered and installed.

Distributor has less experience and knowledge of the part than my staff. No wonder they only sold 5 of the units last year.

AGREE!

He still does not get it. He reckons Choice have got it wrong. Talk about a man in denial.

http://www.smh.com.au/business/custo...925-26jfj.html

Another thumbs up for appliancesonline and thumbs down for HN here. One of the first things we bought here (after the real basics!) was a TV from HN. Got it home, the whole screen was shattered so we called them to see what to do. They were rude, completely uncaring and when we brought it back to the shop we were treated like pariahs. Ironically there was a queue of people waiting to return products and we got chatting. We all spoke nice and loudly about the crap we'd bought in front of the other potential customers. Childish yes but in the absence of any other satisfaction from their customer service...

Bought a washing machine from applicancesonline and as the previous poster said, they called a number of times to conform they were on the way, chaps couldn't have been nicer or more polite, took away the old machine, plumbed in the new one and tested it and off they went. Plus the machine was almost $400 cheaper than anywhere else I could find it.

Have vowed never to darken the door of HN again.