Harvey Norman, is your pricing dodgy?

[MNM96]

So, yesterday my wife and I went to Harvey Norman and looked at a new TV. The current tv is fine, a 110cm LG, but it is an old CRT box.

So I said a replacement could be no less than 60'.

First tele we saw was a 60' LG Plasma, sale price $1169. So I decide to, as I always do with HN, do some online research.

Find a LG 60' Plasma for $974 so we go and ask about it. It happens to be the same TV was looked at yesterday.


How can they advertise a "Sale Price" $195 higher than the price listed on the Website?

Is it a Rort?

[AndyXR6T]

Shop around mate. You will always find competitive prices on goods like that.

From my own personal experiences I say do not buy an LG tv. I've bought 3 lg tvs from Harvey Norman in the last 3 years and every one has had issues.

TV number 1 lasted 1 month before it stopped working. Harvey Norman did not help in any way when trying to claim warranty. I ended up dealing with LG directly and they eventually sent out a technician who told use the software on my brand new tv was too old and needed an upgrade :S Ever since then it has intermittent problems.

TV number 2 remote never worked. TV got sent away for 4 weeks while the receiver was repaired. Got it back worked for 2 months then stopped again. Again Harvey Norman were no help so now I have a spare tv that only works with manual tv buttons.

TV number 3 made popping noises in speakers from new. After countless technician visits and telling me I need a new aerial (I'm an electrician and showed them with my signal tester that the aerial was brand new and working 100%) it finally got sent away for 6 weeks. It came back and has been working fine since (prob 2 years now). When this one goes I will buy a different brand.

Another non tv related, but Harvey Norman related issue was a 7 piece lounge. After getting sucked into extended 3 year warranty the lounge was ripping at the seams after only 2 months. Now it was a $4000 lounge so I expected it to last at least 3 years. Sections of the lounge got sent away for repairs. One section was sent away for 3 months!!!! In that time the other parts were falling apart so I demanded the whole lounge be sent back and rectify the problem. In this time I was told the lounge would be double stitched and will last for ever. Came back and was good.... For about a month! After arguing with Harvey Norman again they finally agreed to give us a whole new lounge in a different material but needed our old lounge back. So while we sat on milk crates for the next 6 months we had broken promises of the lounge coming every week.... It never showed. I ran Harvey Norman on a daily basis for 6 months and wanted answers... I have never had such bad service from anyone. After 12 months I finally got a refund (after much nagging and visiting the manager in person). Not a single "sorry for inconvenience"or "sorry you and your family had to sit on milk crates for the last 6 months" was given.

I know every body has different experiences but I can't personally recommend LG or Harvey Norman and I will never buy from there again.

[xisled]

This could be the reason.

About Harvey Norman Online
The eCommerce Agency Pty Limited (trading as Harvey Norman Online), an independent franchisee, will receive your order and payment via the website. If your order is accepted, Harvey Norman Online will sell and arrange for the collection or delivery of the products to you in accordance with the terms and conditions published on the website.

Harvey Norman Stores are operated by independent franchisees.

http://www.harveynorman.com.au/about...norman-online/

[MercurySilver]

we bought our 70inch from them when you purchased a white goods package for the new house
they gave us 500 bucks off when we spent ten grand on stuff
mid you the white goods and stove etc were fairly heavily discounted already

if i buy another tv ill go to jbhifi
i always get a decent discount when i go in there.
usually you can get a telly a couple of usb sticks and the extended warrenty thrown it for bugger all more
they WILL do deals
screw harveys

[xxx000]

I doubt it's a ripoff or illegal as same brand servos have different fuel prices depending on location

[FGII-XR6]

Don't buy a plasma in the summer you will need an extra air conditioner to cope with the heat they give off . they are energy hungry and far more prone to burn in than LCD . get a good LED LCD TV

[DJR MAN]

Originally Posted by xisled

This could be the reason.

About Harvey Norman Online
The eCommerce Agency Pty Limited (trading as Harvey Norman Online), an independent franchisee, will receive your order and payment via the website. If your order is accepted, Harvey Norman Online will sell and arrange for the collection or delivery of the products to you in accordance with the terms and conditions published on the website.

Harvey Norman Stores are operated by independent franchisees.

http://www.harveynorman.com.au/about...norman-online/

I found this out the hard way last year too.
I needed a cheap TV as ours died and I was low on cash at that time.
Ad on TV for TCL -$197.00. Thats a good price.
The ad said no rain checks - instore pick up only.
Found a store in Brisbane (which was not local) that had stock, ordered and bought it on a Sat night and went across town on Sunday morning to pick it up to find out they sold them all out.
I kicked up a stink. I paid for the TV, HN (online) accepted my payment but the store that had stock, sold my TV. The store had no information from HN online the sale was made. By this time all the TV's at that price were sold out.
Long story short ,they came around and gave me another TV after a few days of strong emails.

I'd be very weary of dealing through HN online again as they don't have anything to do with the stores.

[BHDOGS]

i got a 1500 tv from harvey normans for 1200 after finding the same one cheaper online from big brown box jb hifi didnt want a bar of online prices dicks smiths no hope harvey normans yup we will match it deal done money paid drove it home it was a LED 55inch sony bravia tv with wifi and internet a ******* good deal and excellent tv sometimes getting a smaller tv for the same price as a 60 inch will be better quality then paying cheaper for a bigger tv

[Pepscobra]

They can do whatever they want.
Its up to you to do your homework (which you've done)... there's no doubt someone will/has paid the higher price.

[4.0i_SiX]

Originally Posted by au3xr6

Don't buy a plasma in the summer you will need an extra air conditioner to cope with the heat they give off . they are energy hungry and far more prone to burn in than LCD . get a good LED LCD TV

That may have been true 10 years ago. The newer plasma's done give off anywhere near the amount of heat they used to. Anyway its off topic. Seems Harvey norman have online prices only as their stores are franchises. Nothing dodgy

[Pub247]

I originally was looking for a 50 inch led tv under $1000 the local good guys i found a hisense that was $960 with better picture quality than other brands in price range including the lg and samsung plasmas.

They had no stock and said theyd have one in for me tomorrow. fair enough i wasnt in a rush. End up not calling me so i said **** it ill go to harvey norman.

I told him what i was after and what good guys had. He said i dont have that tv but how about this 55 inch led samsung i'll price match it with your hisense? Done deal, walked out of there that day with a brand spanker better quality tv 5 inches bigger. I did pay 150 for the 5 year full replacement warranty which will serve me better than 1 year standard.

So moral is price match, haggle, whatever they'll usually beat whatever anyone else including themselves will offer.


And ******* call people when you want their business.

[GA_0009]

Originally Posted by xisled

This could be the reason.

About Harvey Norman Online
The eCommerce Agency Pty Limited (trading as Harvey Norman Online), an independent franchisee, will receive your order and payment via the website. If your order is accepted, Harvey Norman Online will sell and arrange for the collection or delivery of the products to you in accordance with the terms and conditions published on the website.

Harvey Norman Stores are operated by independent franchisees.

http://www.harveynorman.com.au/about...norman-online/

All Harvey Norman stores are franchised. Gerry Harvey is the biggest rout going around. He owns all the buildings of the stores but collects rent from the franchisee. Head office has the purchase prices yet they don't tell the franchisee what that is.

So if he buys said tv for $500, head office won't let the stores sell if anything under $900. Otherwise they don't have budget and therefore don't get there commission, which is already made impossible for the franchisee.

[Franco Cozzo]

www.staticice.com.au

I got a 32" Samsung SyncMaster 320P monitor for $1400 from a website listed on that search engine back in 2006/7, Harvey Norman was selling it for $2500 at the Broadmeadows store.

They are all Australian shops.

Just do a search, for example "Sharp 60" LED" or Sony, LG, what ever.

[pottery beige]

Cash Neville.. crunch their balls with cash

[ratter]

seen some good prices at JB HIFI

[DoreSlamR]

Originally Posted by au3xr6

Don't buy a plasma in the summer you will need an extra air conditioner to cope with the heat they give off . they are energy hungry and far more prone to burn in than LCD . get a good LED LCD TV

The energy consumption is negligible and shouldn't be a deciding factor in buying one.

Yes a LED LCD is the best pick, but some peoples budget may not stretch that far.

To the OP, there is always room for haggling the price down, don't be afraid to.

Especially this time of the year!

[Bushbasher]

Hmmm, I've got a 32" LG LCD that I got from HN and it works just fine and has for over 3 years now. Having said that, when we were doing numbers on power consumption re our 6 yr old 42" Panasonic plasma we decided it would be cheaper to upgrade to the latest energy saver LED/LCD as the power savings would mean the TV would pay for itself in under 2 years with our solar system. We ended up going for another Panasonic as our plasma still works perfectly and is now a ripper bedroom set, if a little energy hungry. I paid $1200-ish, including extended warranty, for a 47" passive 3D smart TV.
The Panasonic may not have as many bells and whistles and it's interface not as user friendly as some of the others but I've never had to bin a Panasonic product because it failed or disappointed me.

[BadMax]

First world problems...60 inch TV for a grand and it's still too expensive!

Where has that thread gone about buying local but wanting everything cheap as chips as well as a good pay packet each week? Next we'll get a Gerry on TV again sooking about no GST on items from OS under 1k!

[Yellow_Festiva]

Lol... Harvey Norman Online. Ordered a tablet for the MIL last Chrissy and assumed delivery to a PO Box was fine as it didn't state you couldn't do that nor did it state they only use couriers. Po Box was entered into the system as delivery address no problem.

Get a call after a few days. Heavy Indian / Pakistani accent - had he not said '9.7 inch tablet' at the end of his first 20 second speil on the phone I would have had no clue as to 1 word that was said...

HN: Hello, I will like to confirm that we can deliver your tablet today, is that ok?
ME: How will it be delivered?
HN: We are using XYZ couriers.. will you be at your address this afternoon?
ME: Do you have the invoice? What does it say??
HN: It says... Peeee Ohhhhh Box 187 at xyz, NSW 2XXX. Will you be at this address this afternoon???
ME: Ummm,, thats a Po Box, you can't deliver to that with a courier.... It isn't a physical address..
HN: Ummmm so will you be there tomorrow then????
ME: Mate, do you get that it isn't an address?? I don't live there, it's a POST OFFICE BOX in the wall, it isn't my actual house!
HN: Hmmmm so you're not going to be there tomorrow? What day is good for you to deliver to (says the Po Box address again)...
ME: Mate, how long have you been in this country doing this job for??
HN: Ummm, ahhhh i'll speak to my supervisor and call you back...
ME: Good idea........

After 2 hours I didn't get a call back so called them, got a different guy, explained the issue and they requested an alternate delivery address.

Bricks and mortar shops for me now...

[4vxc]

Originally Posted by au3xr6

Don't buy a plasma in the summer you will need an extra air conditioner to cope with the heat they give off . they are energy hungry and far more prone to burn in than LCD . get a good LED LCD TV

sounds like you have an old Plasma then, or a el cheapo brand
you should check out Panasonic's plasma's while they still exist, excellent TV's

[Bushbasher]

My old Panasonic plasma would raise the temp in our lounge by 2deg. in the dead of winter in less than an hour.

[creative]

online is only ever an invitation to buy. they dont have to honour it.


always go to the shop with it printed out.

I went to bing lee to order 4 x 50inch samsungs tvs... got them for $900 a piece. always always go in store when buying electricals from big name shops.

[maty]

Harvey Norman known as hardly normal in the transport world always issuses to deal with when trying to deliver or pick up freight from. Always found good guys n jb better places to buy my electrical stuff from.

[ILLaViTaR]

Originally Posted by MNM96

So, yesterday my wife and I went to Harvey Norman and looked at a new TV. The current tv is fine, a 110cm LG, but it is an old CRT box.

So I said a replacement could be no less than 60'.

First tele we saw was a 60' LG Plasma, sale price $1169. So I decide to, as I always do with HN, do some online research.

Find a LG 60' Plasma for $974 so we go and ask about it. It happens to be the same TV was looked at yesterday.


How can they advertise a "Sale Price" $195 higher than the price listed on the Website?

Is it a Rort?

Overheads apparently. But you and me don't need to worry about them or care for them. Just buy online these retailers will eventually be forced to conform eventually just as every other successful business over the last century has. It's working already you can see how upset they're getting from the realization of having to give up all their ivory back scratchers. Industries die all the time and the workers usually move the change but people like Gerry Harvey once found a market to exploit and will bend over backwards to retain that golden goose.

Everyone these days is buying overseas and he hates it, he's just a man, an old man who has bought overseas for decades with the goal to mark up/exploit the product to his fellow Australians exploiting them financially. Now everyone has figured out they have their own arms and legs and can do the same thing, it's great really. And they do it to save and get by with the ridiculous costs of living and not to exploit their fellow aussie like him.

[MAD]

Originally Posted by au3xr6

Don't buy a plasma in the summer you will need an extra air conditioner to cope with the heat they give off . they are energy hungry and far more prone to burn in than LCD . get a good LED LCD TV

Is that stigma still hanging around?
My 8 year old Panasonic plasma has anti burn-in tech and it has never once had a ghosted image and it was used hard on gaming for a few years, even left on pause for hours accidentally a few times.
Also, the new ones don't chew anywhere near the power they used to.

Go check out french door fridges if you want to see power sucking!

[mik]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

www.staticice.com.au

I got a 32" Samsung SyncMaster 320P monitor for $1400 from a website listed on that search engine back in 2006/7, Harvey Norman was selling it for $2500 at the Broadmeadows store.

They are all Australian shops.

Just do a search, for example "Sharp 60" LED" or Sony, LG, what ever.

I am looking at a premium samsung telly for my next one, will have some tricks that work with my smart phone as well,,
actually I was looking at them only a couple of days ago, the qaulity of the picture had me standing almost mesmerized in the store watching it for about 20 minutes, bloody amazing.
Our local hn also seems pretty pricey as a rule compared to other shops.

[Franco Cozzo]

Get on that website and search up the model number or "Samsung 50" LED" for example, and it'll list a bunch of Australian retailers who have that product for sale and sort it price lowest to highest.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by MAD

Is that stigma still hanging around?
My 8 year old Panasonic plasma has anti burn-in tech and it has never once had a ghosted image and it was used hard on gaming for a few years, even left on pause for hours accidentally a few times.
Also, the new ones don't chew anywhere near the power they used to.

Go check out french door fridges if you want to see power sucking!

Our Samsung Plasma was crap, suffered burn in and was getting real hot too, it was an older one, from 2008, it lasted two years before it died just outside of warranty lol.

[snappy]

Mr harvey made it public awile ago , when he was cracking the ***** that he cant compete against online companies . Because they escape g.s.t .
He then set up a online store where his customers could do the same .
He has said publicly that his stores cant even match his online prices

[ILLaViTaR]

Ya they can't match online stores due to G.S.T. It's an additional tax which of course affects the total price and deters people. I won't buy items for over 1k from the US for the same reason (customs). But gst is only 10%. His prices are marked up more than 10% just look at the OP's TV it's more like 20%. I'm sure a lot more people would be buying from him if prices were only 10-12% more than the online equivalent. But he's a greedy ******** and I love how that's working out for him.

Funny I just realized although I buy everything online and boycott most retailers, practically everything I buy has been from Australian business. I mean I would've literally bought near 1000 items online and less than 10 of them have come from overseas. That money isn't going overseas at all. So what's the problem?

Local retail is becoming a redundant middleman industry. Most people these days are more capable, independent and resourceful than previous generations. Say I want to enter the retail industry, why can't I source my stock from Harvey Norman, start my own shop and sell it for 20% above his price? Because just like him I couldn't be competitive enough. What makes him so special? There's no market there unless I decided to become Hitler and make one by crying to the government for one to be created for me. ie regulations/demanding gst be implemented on overseas purchases. That's corporatism, not capitalism. It makes no logical sense that gst push (well it does lol ie vested interests), they're not Australian business so how can they apply gst? Oh that's right it's got nothing to do with gst it's to do with using GST as an expense/deterrent for the mere purpose of bullying people into buying their inferior local bullshit. Usually when a business loses demand it's not viable anymore and moves on with globalization or doesn't and collapses. Then you get right wing extremists like him who don't care for reason, it's all about him losing his power/wealth ie Hitler.

If Gerry Harvey was the CEO of Cobb&Co back in the day we'd all still be in horses and carts, because automobiles wouldn't be viable. He would've found a way to inhibit another perfect system. He'd cry to the government about the unfairness of the combustion motor and demand tax meters be hooked up to each HT lead charging 10 cents per spark. That's the only way he can make his horse and carts viable.

Although as much as he tries in the name of Hitler he can't bully/force people into buying his crap when there's obviously better competition. That's how the world has always worked. He's not god. When I want a socket set I don't go down to my local blacksmith and wait a week for him to forge one for me, I go to bunnings and grab one off the shelf, well even that's now archaic as my sidchrome sets were posted to my door