Centurion

Absolutely. With a culture ingrained that you mark up everything so your customer can feel "good" about getting a discount, that will probably be much higher than anywhere else in the world anyway, it is really loose loose for both retailer and buyer.

The last few years have brought about awareness of the global market and that in term exposes the Australian market as being poor value in every respect.

The commissioners findings into the GST on <$1000 items ? Wouldn't make a blind bit of difference because the item would still cost less than if you bought it here anyway even including shipping.

Australian retailers have to get their heads out their arses and focus on the business model or die. JB HiFi did. They import directly now themselves and thus offer keen prices. Other retailers who are selling overpriced goods because of wholesalers making money for old rope by importing it, need to ditch the wholesaler and import goods and offer them in the context of a global market.

The next few years will see a few retailers left as nothing more than whimpering roadkill as the way we shop evolves - the government is helping by encouraging the digital age. Nothing is going to save those who remain in the dark age. HN needs to stop whining on and just die as a brand, because frankly it's tarnished at a base level. Re-invent it with a business model that works.

And loose the bed linen with the computers. I mean, WTF.

Amazulu

I've also noticed that the magazines have thinned out

moneypenny20

The idiot himself also uses the term, he considers it good advertising - all publicity is good publicity blah blah blah. I wandered into one of their electronic sections the other day just to look at prices for work and it looked like a closing down sale, I was expecting tumbleweed to come rolling across the floor. Two assistants looked up, watched me for a while and then went back to doing nothing again.

AlliF

When we first got here we made the error of buying a DVD player from one of the plonkers stores.
When we got it home and opened it up there was no instruction manual or warranty card etc etc. I phoned them up and the guy suggested I should just download one off he internet. I said no - we were still wating for our shipment to arrive so no printer at that point anyway- so they reluctantly agreed to post one out. It never appeared. Phoned again - had it for a week by this time - they had 'forgotten' to post it.
When we finally got it all plugged in and opened it up there was a DVD somebody had left in there!! Didn't want to watch it for fear of what would be on it..
Took the thing back to the store and had one hell of a time getting my money back - it was only when I started talking very loudly so others could hear me about how they had tried to pass of used goods as new the manager finally turned round to the check-out assistant and said oh just give her her bloody money back then!
Would never ever buy anything from them again.

DeadVim

I should be shocked but we had a similar issue with The Good Guys.

I'd hate to see the bad ones.

Amazulu

One of the main reasons I never shop there:
When I first moved here, I needed a wireless router. People at work said to go to HN. So off I go to my local store, find the router I wanted, price seemed right. Go up to the checkout to find a long queue, I notice that there is another checkout with no queue. Girl on this one informs me that this is the checkout for 'appliances' and I need to go to the other CO for 'electronics'. Eh? surely this is the same store? No, I'm told, we are seperate companies! But can't you just process my router? No, you'll have to queue at the other CO. I left the router on the counter and told her to shove it. What a crock of shit setup. I bought one at JB instead.

Never again

GarryP

I keep thinking I should run courses on customer focus for Australia. Although individually pleasant enough; they just seem clueless from a system level.

NEVER get between a customer and them giving you their money. And always treat customer service as an opportunity to win easy future sales.

IvanM

Some companies get it like Bunnings. Myer's lack of staff to serve you always amazes me and has lost them sales from me and others.

Swerv-o

I think that apart from groceries, I buy pretty much everything online now, from phones to DVDs etc.

There was an interesting article in this morning's Australian about HN's pet subject - lost GST revenue on internet purchases:

Internet shoppers saving $1.3m a day as lost revenue grows 10pc a year

It's clear that there is still a large disconnect between the fact that people are shopping overseas and the local cost of things. People aren't trying to avoid paying GST or duty - they are just trying to get better value for money. As Centurion said above - people are much more easily able to find out how much something costs in another country, and often adding another 10% for GST still means that the overseas price is a fraction of the local one. Books being a stellar example of this. I can't recall the last time that I bought a book over the counter here. They all come from the Book Depository or Amazon.

Still, it wouldn't surprise me if the GST free rate for imports was cut at some point in the future...


S

BadgeIsBack

Yes, people are shopping online. Not everyone is an average Australian consumer. It's changing.

Having said that we bought a sofa from Hardly Normal 7 years ago and we like it. But then you don't buy these things every week. That sofa will be around for a while.

Interesting comment someone made about sofas in a time warp.

Don't get how sofas can be dated (apart from obvious period pieces) or 'fashion items'. If they are in fashion - then like clothes they are not worth buying!

Amazulu

Customer service is not very good in Australia, no question. But it makes me laugh when people on here hold up the UK as an example of good customer service. My trip back there last year reinforced my opinion that it's not.

sonlymewalter

me too. I went to buy parents a sat nav. Pointed out to the manager a recent free local paper advertised it $30 dollars cheaper for that particuar brand and that particular store. I asked why was the price on the shelf wasn't reduced in line with their advert? Manager said I misunderstood and there was no offer that week. refused to lower the price, had no idea about the offer and basically said I was lying


I had to go all the way back home, about 30 mins drive, to pick up the advert and then back another 30 mins with it in my hand:curse:

The biatch was really peeved I was right and she was wrong. I was so pissed off I pretended to have a lisp and kept spitting when ansering her back she was a right vinegar tits

What i saved on the offer I lost with the additional petrol proving to THEM that they have an offer on

Another time we had an incident with a washing machine. Parents bought one from Shit Guys and cloths kept coming out with oil spots on them. The same effing Manager said it was because my parents were using fabric conditioner. Hello....it's a washing machine and it says to useconditioner in the leaflet that came with it

Mum got her knickers out in the store to show them the oil

I Kicked up a stink and told them what a useless set of wankers they were ripping off old pensioners with no money, selling them a washing machine that's crap and leaks oil and then blame it on using clothes conditioner

Moral of the story is I no longer use Shit Guys

and I've lost the lisp

sonlymewalter

i find customer service on the whole a lot better in Aus than UK

Amazulu

Interesting as I've never had a problem with the GG - although as they operate under the usual Aussie franchise bollocks, I'm sure this could easily vary from store to store. The best service I have had at an electrical store was, surprisingly, Rick Hart (WA chain). The price, customer service, delivery time were all great. Good CS is out there, it's just not common!

Amazulu

I found the customer service in the UK last year to be, with a few exceptions, appalling.