Harvey Norman

Elmo

Harvey Norman is in a spot of bother, espically here in Ireland. (and he was even able to make some degortory remarks about the Irish Famine).

I have always thought Harvey Norman to be the most expensive shop in this country. So I am not surprised that people aren't shopping there.

Has anyone every seen value for money in his shops?

Not sure if this should be in the forum.

gerrycollins

never saw anything in Harvey Norman that represented value in my opnion. the message you get is that they are value fo money but when you look at some of the prices it a joke.

vms7ply9t6dw4b

Its not a HE... its a franchise...

But yeah the prices are a joke, the electrics arent so bad because they have to be ultra competitive there with all the competition around but the prices of the furniture and beds just leave me shaking my head...

penexpers

The one thing you do get with Harvey Norman in my experience is good customer service.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

We have always got good value in Electric and Camera equipment. Don't buy there every time but they certainly do have some bargains.

Elmo

Alayna Abundant Rump wrote: »

Its not a HE... its a franchise...

But yeah the prices are a joke, the electrics arent so bad because they have to be ultra competitive there with all the competition around but the prices of the furniture and beds just leave me shaking my head...

Sorry, Gerry Harvey, the CEO.

The one thing you do get with Harvey Norman in my experience is good customer service.

I have never had to experience the customer services since I have never bought anything in the place due to its high prices.

Customer Services should always be good regardless of price, it doesn't cost money to be nice.

the groutch

gotta laugh at their FLEXI-RENT

involves you paying 180% of the value of the item over 3 years, and then they can take it back off you

darc

Alayna Abundant Rump wrote: »

Its not a HE... its a franchise...

Naw - Its actually owned 100% by the Australian parent company and they are using Ireland as a springboard into the UK market which starts next year.

Poor Brits - they will have to suffer the Harvey Norman adverts just like we've had to suffer their Cillit Bang adverts.

On prices, HN are generally at the higher end of things, but most furniture items are available within a few days rather than 3 - 12 months from people such as Reids.

jdf

Was there something in the papers about their trouble? I've not seen anything and a quick google doesn't give me any answers...

Elmo

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24705211-664,00.html

The Irish Press don't seem to be running with it bar the Irish News, and I cann't read their article since they are subscription based.

A quick google search below

http://news.google.ie/news?hl=en&um=1&tab=wn&nolr=1&q=Harvey+Norman&btnG=Search+News

TarfHead

jdf wrote: »

Was there something in the papers about their trouble? I've not seen anything and a quick google doesn't give me any answers...

I remember hearing on the radio that they've lost an average of €1 million a month in Ireland this calendar year.

http://www.independent.ie/business/irish/losses-in-ireland-a-real-problem-for-harvey-norman-1465977.html

foggy_lad

the groutch wrote: »

gotta laugh at their FLEXI-RENT

involves you paying 180% of the value of the item over 3 years, and then they can take it back off you

i thought their "flexi-rent" was an interest free hire purchase thing that let you pay the full price over three years? if not they are breaking the law in their advertisements by not giving the total credit cost and %apr

just read up on this flexi-rent and it seems very expensive way of buying anything! people used to rent televisions this way in the pauper 80's

ejmaztec

I always imagined the reason for their not being in the UK was all down to fierce competition and that they wouldn't be able to cope. One of these days it's going to be "Gone, Harvey, Gone!". It also seems half-hearted when not all of their stores sell furniture.

In Munster, I always stear towards Soundstore for electronics and white goods etc., never ever having found a good price for anything in HN.

Antrim_Man

Disgrace. They are not getting my money.
________________________________

Tycoon faces Irish backlash over potato famine remarks
EXCLUSIVE
By Gary McDonald Business Editor
26/11/08

COMMENTS: Gerry Harvey THE maverick owner of Australian homewares retailer Harvey Norman has risked a backlash from Irish customers after disparaging remarks about the potato famine.

Billionaire Gerry Harvey (69) yesterday labelled the performance of his stores in Ireland – including the recently opened Holywood Exchange and Newtownabbey – as catastrophic” as he revealed that profits had slumped by a third.

He then joked at a shareholders meeting in Australia about business in Ireland “being hit by the potato famine”.

About a million people in Ireland are estimated to have died of starvation and epidemic disease between 1846 and 1851 while some two million emigrated in a period of a little more than a decade.

It is not the first time Mr Harvey – the voice behind the ‘Go Harvey Go’ advertising campaign – has landed himself in hot water with his acerbic comments.

Describing being charitable to the homeless as

“a waste,” he said: “Giving money to people who are not putting anything back into the community is like helping a whole heap of
no-hopers to survive for no good reason.”

Harvey Norman, which sells computers, electrical goods, furniture and
bedding, said sales in its 13 Ireland stores are 40 per cent down on a year ago but added that the company is “in too deep to pull out”.

Emerald Lass

the strange thing is, when I lived in Australia 7 years ago, HN was known for being the cheap place to get cheap and also mid-price decent quality stuff - a bit like bargaintown or Des Kelly. I always thought that in relation to the perception in Oz, it was really expensive here. I remember when I lived in Oz buying my bed and mattress from HN, and it was fairly decent and cost $150AUZ, about £50 old Irish pounds, and the store was just like bargaintown. Don't think the Irish shops could compete with bargaintown and Des Kelly!

As for this piece of nonsense:

Antrim_Man wrote: »

It is not the first time Mr Harvey – the voice behind the ‘Go Harvey Go’ advertising campaign – has landed himself in hot water with his acerbic comments.

Describing being charitable to the homeless as

“a waste,” he said: “Giving money to people who are not putting anything back into the community is like helping a whole heap of
no-hopers to survive for no good reason.”

sounds like a lot of Auzzies I met actually! Not all of them of course, made some good mates, but comments like this rubbish are common place in a country where everyone has a label - pom, paddy, wog, wop, lebbo, abbo etc etc etc.........
sad really

Elmo

All of the non-Irish retailers have given out about Power City hence why they are so interest in being based in outside of Dublin.

HN seem to advertise like they are PC but I think they need to change that type marketing.

projectmayhem

Elmo wrote: »

All of the non-Irish retailers have given out about Power City hence why they are so interest in being based in outside of Dublin.

HN seem to advertise like they are PC but I think they need to change that type marketing.

Well Power City are horrific to shop in. Who decides to stick kettles and irons on top of a fridge, next to a laptop?

HN are generally better in that regard, but of late they've become a bit messy... it can be a shopping experience akin to Pennys at times.

Currys, Sony Centre, DID and Peats tend to be a bit nicer, even just to browse around a bit

sdanseo

Merge needed methinks...

http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055428792

aidz

looks like it'll be

go harvey gone

DenMan

Never bought anything there before. Last year I went in enquiring about digital camera specs and capture cards for capturing and editing digitial media. The staff were completely useless. Several people came up to me asking questions about products. They thought I was explaining it to the customer (who was actually an employee). Yes they are quite expensive. A shocking and very insensitive comment for Harvey to make. Apalling.

311

Picked up some furniture from their warehouse in blanchardstown ,really bad setup over there.
Furniture looked like it was battered to bits.

hellboy99

They are very dear and as for their furniture I found it to be very bad quality.
I got a table and chair set last year for near €700, 5 - 6 months after purchase the chairs started to fall apart. Got a TV unit from them a few years back too, had to go back to the store for half the fittings, when it was assembled it was extremly loose and it wouldn't take the weight of my TV (it was under the recommended weight).

calex71

TarfHead wrote: »

I remember hearing on the radio that they've lost an average of €1 million a month in Ireland this calendar year.

http://www.independent.ie/business/irish/losses-in-ireland-a-real-problem-for-harvey-norman-1465977.html

Wouldn't suprise me at all , i have a family member who worked in managment of another big electromics retailer and they would never have considered HN to be a threat to them even though all the HN shops I know would have been in what i would have thought to be better placed locations.

The 1 million a month loss to be would be down to in part id say to the amount they spent on advertising!!!!!

Wertz

Antrim_Man wrote: »

“a waste,” he said: “Giving money to people who are not putting anything back into the community is like helping a whole heap of
no-hopers to survive for no good reason.”

So, a lot like paying the over inflated prices in his store and supporting his non-Irish business then...

A billionaire should really know better than to make comments like this of the poorest in society. I'll be avoiding his shops twice as much in the future. Assclown.

wmpdd3

hellboy99 wrote: »

They are very dear and as for their furniture I found it to be very bad quality.
I got a table and chair set last year for near €700, 5 - 6 months after purchase the chairs started to fall apart. Got a TV unit from them a few years back too, had to go back to the store for half the fittings, when it was assembled it was extremly loose and it wouldn't take the weight of my TV (it was under the recommended weight).

Did you get good customer service...........a refund or replacement
That could be where the €1,000,000 per month is going!

busbybhoy

Wertz wrote: »

So, a lot like paying the over inflated prices in his store and supporting his non-Irish business then...

A billionaire should really know better than to make comments like this of the poorest in society. I'll be avoiding his shops twice as much in the future. Assclown.

"Non Irish business" you say...You would prefer if we shop in Argos/Currys/Dixons/PC World/Jessops..........

Do we boycott these stores also as they are British?? (I believe they had something to do with the famine)

Come on.....arent we all becoming a little too sensitve

Elmo

busbybhoy wrote: »

"Non Irish business" you say...You would prefer if we shop in Argos/Currys/Dixons/PC World/Jessops..........

Do we boycott these stores also as they are British?? (I believe they had something to do with the famine)

Come on.....arent we all becoming a little too sensitve

Boycott Argos grrrr queues :mad: christmas queues :mad: 24th of Dec queues :mad:queues.

Frowzy

Antrim_Man wrote: »

Tycoon faces Irish backlash over potato famine remarks

busbybhoy wrote: »

Do we boycott these stores also as they are British?? (I believe they had something to do with the famine)

Potato Famine??? Doesn't even make sense...

A famine is a famine, i.e. no food.

A potato blight which is what we had in Ireland is a different thing! A common misconception is that there was a famine in Ireland, 'twas just a potato blight, unfortunately the British had people so oppressed that 'twas all they had to eat!

But hey it was over 150 years ago, let's move on, if I can get it cheaper without compromising quality i'm buying it!

I love Argos, whatever it is take it back after 11 months and get a new one with a new years guarantee, they don't ask why, just replace it! Not like the old Irish hardware shop who make you wait months while they try to get it repaired. I'll queue up for a little bit of that service!!!!

Elmo

Frowzy wrote: »

Potato Famine??? Doesn't even make sense...

A famine is a famine, i.e. no food.

A potato blight which is what we had in Ireland is a different thing! A common misconception is that there was a famine in Ireland, 'twas just a potato blight, unfortunately the British had people so oppressed that 'twas all they had to eat!

But hey it was over 150 years ago, let's move on, if I can get it cheaper without compromising quality i'm buying it!

I love Argos, whatever it is take it back after 11 months and get a new one with a new years guarantee, they don't ask why, just replace it! Not like the old Irish hardware shop who make you wait months while they try to get it repaired. I'll queue up for a little bit of that service!!!!

And then the British had us queue up for Maze, I hate queues

Famine AFAIK is usually caused when the majority of the people in an area only eat one type of meal if that crop or animal dies and there is nothing left to eat this cause a Famine. So yes their was an Irish Famine. (But that is OTT).

As for HN's CEO, he is insulting and it was a very bad PR thing to say, had a manager of an Austrailian outlet had said something like "The store is doing well, unlike the Famine in Ireland that is hitting our Irish stores.... " he would have been fired as soon as he said it.

Frowzy

Elmo wrote: »

And then the British had us queue up for Maze, I hate queues

I'd queue up for a maze, but maize - yeuck!!!!

Elmo

Frowzy wrote: »

I'd queue up for a maze, but maize - yeuck!!!!

Sorry but didn't they start those maze queues, that bring you to the top and then you start at the bottom and then your at the top