Harvey norman's so called "sale" .....

baalad

Hi guys. Just thought i would share my experience with you.You can decide for yourself wether or not i'am over reacting etc ha

Let me start by explaining that i had my eye on a particular tv. I had seen this tv elsewhere for €580 and it was priced on harvey normans website for €599 but given that harvey norman were having a "1 day only sale" beginning at 9:30am and ending at midnight . I figured i would head out to harvey norman and hopefully grab a bargain. I see find the tv i want (although in a smaller size so its cheaper) so i ask a member of staff if they have it in the size i was looking for! He tells me they do and that it has been reduced to €550 (which is not much of bargain imo given that its €580 elsewhere and they are supposed to be having a "1 day sale" ) But none the less its cheaper! I ponder my thoughts etc and eventually approach the guy to say "what the heck,go on, ill take it" He then decides to "double check" the price and informs me that its in fact €599 (which would mean it hasnt been reduced at all.....so wheres the bleedin sale?) Yet to my amazement he still makes out its an on sale item. I ask him if can do any better on the price and i kid you not , he tells me that he cant as harvey norman pay €585 for the tv and only make €15 euro profit ! For some reason i start feeling embarrassed for the guy as i explain the tv can be had elsewhere for €580 and i expected them to be cheaper given that they were allegedly having a sale! He then says he can match €580 but im no longer interested so i let him know im not interested an i thank him for his time!

Before i leave im scanning the prices of other tv's in my head just to see if they're is anything else worth considering and meanwhile this same guy LITERALLY follows me all over the shop . I felt somewhat irritated by this as it felt like he was eager to push a sale on me so he could make commission! But what angered me more was that he made my dad who was with me, very uncomfortable to the point where my dad actually said to me "your man is watching us like a hawk, he must think we are going to rob something" ha

All in all i would describe the experience i had as beyond awful. The staff (or at least one member of staff anyway to be fair) was far to desperate to force a sale on me despite HIS mistake regarding the price etc Let alone, where the sell was the sale? All i saw was false advertising that the average joe that knows nothing about tvs and doesnt do his research would of fallen for!

Am i over reacting here by the way or am i right to feel irate? I actually feel like they attempted to <SNIP> me into thinking i was getting a bargain (which i guess is what alot of places do with sales) but this incident just felt <SNIP> like for some reason! And for the guy to suggest harvey norman were only making 15 euro on each purchase? That cannot be true , can it? Anyways, sorry for the rant but disgusted with the experience! Just aswell i wasnt buying the tv as a present for someone or i would feel worse ha

What are your thoughts on the issue ..... and on these <SNIP> "sales" company's have?

slimjimmc

Some thoughts to bear in mind
a) A "Sale" does not mean a discount unless it states some form of discount.
b) Not everything needs to be discounted. You will often find discounts are confined to selected products. So long as this is stated that's ok.
c) While a discount may not meet your expectations it is still a valid discount.
c) Business can offer different prices for on-line purchases and in-store purchases. The €599 you saw on-line may have been for the on-line purchase only while the in-store item could have been reduced to match. Even if the same price list is used for in-store / on-line there may have been a pricing error. Occasional simple errors are permitted and the seller can refuse to accept the lower price before the purchase is completed.

fryup

HN and their fortnightly "sales" i think most people have copped on by now thats its a marketing gimmick

€15 profit is a load of bollix, €150 more like

Faith+1

fryup wrote: »

HN and their fortnightly "sales" i think most people have copped on by now thats its a marketing gimmick

€15 profit is a load of bollix, €150 more like

+1 Exactly. If that was their profit margin how exactly could they pay staff, rent, electric etc....

alias no.9

There are times when it pays to reflect on the wisdom of our grandparents, in this case the line that comes to mind is

Alias no.7 wrote:

Empty vessels make most noise

I'll admit that about 18 months ago, I did darken their door after years of avoiding like the plague. We were looking for appliances for our new house but left emptyhanded seeing no value in their biggest ever sale.

baalad

slimjimmc wrote: »

Some thoughts to bear in mind
a) A "Sale" does not mean a discount unless it states some form of discount.
b) Not everything needs to be discounted. You will often find discounts are confined to selected products. So long as this is stated that's ok.
c) While a discount may not meet your expectations it is still a valid discount.
c) Business can offer different prices for on-line purchases and in-store purchases. The €599 you saw on-line may have been for the on-line purchase only while the in-store item could have been reduced to match. Even if the same price list is used for in-store / on-line there may have been a pricing error. Occasional simple errors are permitted and the seller can refuse to accept the lower price before the purchase is completed.

I understand what your saying, Maybe it was naivety on my part to assume discounts when i see a "one day only sale" sign!! However, they had each product marked with a "before" price as if to imply the product was reduced specifically for the "sale" when the reality is that it was reduced from that price for months lol They also have have a 'lowest price guarantee' yet the'yre discount/sale prices were still more expensive then other outlets. Perhaps its not breaking the law but its false advertising in my book and it preys on the technologically uneducated people that see a tv that looks nice and see a reduction and think they are getting a bargain!! In truth, im sure its not just Harvey Norman that use these marketing gimmicks with regards pricing! I suppose im mostly just annoyed because i was initially told i could have the tv for 550 lol

And the 15 euro profit lark really annoyed me to , what sort of drugs is he on like!

MarkAnthony

Some tips to buying electronics:

1) Pick what you're buying BEFORE you go shopping. Check reviews, specs etc. make sure it has everything you want.

2) Check amazon and other online sites for the best price.

3) Check bricks and mortar stores. Are they near the same price inc delivery to Amazon et al? Most stores only have the poverty spec models.

4) If the B&M store has one negotiate on price. If they can't get to near the online price inc. delivery buy online.

5) NEVER, EVER buy the extended warranty.

baalad

MarkAnthony wrote: »

Some tips to buying electronics:

1) Pick what you're buying BEFORE you go shopping. Check reviews, specs etc. make sure it has everything you want.

2) Check amazon and other online sites for the best price.

3) Check bricks and mortar stores. Are they near the same price inc delivery to Amazon et al? Most stores only have the poverty spec models.

4) If the B&M store has one negotiate on price. If they can't get to near the online price inc. delivery buy online.

5) NEVER, EVER buy the extended warranty.

100% . Totally agree. This is exactly what i do. This is why i knew the price,model number etc before i even entered the shop. I never shopped in harvey norman during these "midnight sales" however so when i heard about the sale i just assumed id get a bargain on it ! I didnt expect to walk in and see all the tvs the same price as they were online for the past month lol Yet they see there customers as fools , an go around showing you how great they're "newly reduced" tvs! When i said i wasnt interested in the tv, Your man actually tried to rope me back in by saying he would include a remote worth 70 euro? He couldnt knock a cent off the tv but he could knock 70 quid off a remote which btw only costs 35 quid elsewhere lol let alone some reviews claim your supposed to get the remote free lol

Im totally aware of marketing tricks n gimmicks and so on so don't mean to sound so naive here but they just really took the biscuit tonight! Ya would of almost swore they didnt even really work they're and were just having a laugh and chancing they're arm! The way i was followed around the store afterwards then in the hope i would say "jesus ok ill take it" was desperate and bordering on harassment! Me poor oul fella even commented that your man was following me everywhere! If he was discrete about it i wouldnt of minded haha

delahuntv

fryup wrote: »

HN and their fortnightly "sales" i think most people have copped on by now thats its a marketing gimmick

€15 profit is a load of bollix, €150 more like

since when did they move from weekly to fortnightly?

delahuntv

baalad wrote: »

he tells me that he cant as harvey norman pay €585 for the tv and only make €15 euro profit !

My staff don't know my profit margin and I can assure you no TV salesman in Harvey Norman would have an iota of a clue as to Harvey Norman's purchase price. I will say that margins on TV's are very low, but companies will get rebates which make up some of the tight margin.

One day sales, midnight sales etc etc are all planned well in advance (I'm planning next years black Friday at the end of January!) Selected items are reduced - never every item. Usually its to move stock that they know is getting a facelift or added features in the near future.

Sales suck some people in - not you. You had done your work, knew the price and haggled. Salesman's attitude lost the sale.


I ahve the best solution - instead of wasting another minute caring about HN or their sales people - just buy elsewhere that your custom is appreciated.

baalad

I intend on purchasing elsewhere. Don't worry. I have read nothing but negative reviews online about Harvey Norman since. Received an email this morning from the manager trying to tell me that the item was on sale for 587 NOT 599 which clearly ain't true. He also says the cost of the tv to them is 584.... Meaning they only stand to make 3 euro? Find that very hard to believe especially when it's sold elsewhere for 580.

Anyways, iam over it now. Won't be stepping foot near the place again.

PeteK*

MarkAnthony wrote: »

5) NEVER, EVER buy the extended warranty.

I agreed with this, but I don't know why!

Why do you say that?

Peintre Celebre

fryup wrote: »

HN and their fortnightly "sales" i think most people have copped on by now thats its a marketing gimmick

€15 profit is a load of bollix, €150 more like

You clearly have no idea what you're talking about.

PeteK* wrote: »

I agreed with this, but I don't know why!

Why do you say that?

Some of them are decent, particularly if they are covering accidental damage.

MarkAnthony

PeteK* wrote: »

I agreed with this, but I don't know why!

Why do you say that?

The statute of limitations in Ireland under simple contract is six years. In plain English if something goes wrong with an item within six years of purchase you can make a claim against the seller of the goods. If they refuse there is an excellent small claims procedure in Ireland which is only €25 to access, doesn't require a solicitor and there are no further costs available to either side.

Now the claim has to be reasonable but anything you're buying by the way of furniture, electronics etc. would be reasonably expected to last 5+ years. Furthermore that chances of something going wrong are pretty small in the first place. So €100 to cover a €700 laptop is ludicrous. Sometimes there is the added benefit of insurance, again it's usually covered under the house policy or separate insurance is normally cheaper.

endacl

MarkAnthony wrote: »

Some tips to buying electronics:

1) Pick what you're buying BEFORE you go shopping. Check reviews, specs etc. make sure it has everything you want.

2) Check amazon and other online sites for the best price.

3) Check bricks and mortar stores. Are they near the same price inc delivery to Amazon et al? Most stores only have the poverty spec models.

4) If the B&M store has one negotiate on price. If they can't get to near the online price inc. delivery buy online.

5) NEVER, EVER buy the extended warranty.

6) Never buy a hdmi cable from a large chain retailer. In fact, never buy any cable from a salesperson Who makes claims of 'high speed', '3D' etc. If they try to sell you cables, ack them to explain to you what hdmi actually is. Watch them faffle.

Degag

Peintre Celebre wrote: »

You clearly have no idea what you're talking about.

Perhaps you should explain so seeing as you clearly know what you are talking about?

Peintre Celebre

Degag wrote: »

Perhaps you should explain so seeing as you clearly know what you are talking about?

That Harvey Norman would have made close to 150 on that tv. The salesman may have been bluffing when he said 15, but it would have been under 50 probably if not less

billy few mates

Not just HN and not just TVs...
A number of years back when we were looking for kitchen items for a new house, things like cooker, oven, dishwasher, fridge freezer, washing machine etc I did some research and picked the models we wanted. I went down to our local electrical superstore and picked up their brochures with the price of everything we wanted to buy. This was in late November or early december so we decided we would return in the new year and save a few bob by picking them up in the January sales.
In January when their brochure came out I noticed that the prices were exactly the same as we had been quoted a month earlier but they were being advertised as heavily discounted. For example we were quoted €500 for an item in November, which was being advertised in their sales as marked down 20% to €500 in January. This was the same with every single item we had looked at, not one of them was any cheaper.
I went back down to the shop and let the sales man go through his speech before showing him the brochure we'd been given a month earlier that showed his sale was a scam. I then spoke to the manager and told him I would be contacting the local paper (I might have also mentioned Joe Duffy) to let people know about this wonderful sale, he immediately offered to give me 20% off every item on the list as a "gesture of goodwill".
Be careful, do some research a lot of these sales may not be the bargain they claim to be. Even now whenever I buy something I Google the product in front of the salesman to let him know if I can find it cheaper somewhere else...

Peintre Celebre

Fair play to you. You do realise that they still could technically have had 20% off, as long as they were being sold at the higher price in three months beforehand they can claim it is discounted.

TheDoc

The girlfriend gets photos processed from her phone in there. Its around the laptops and tablets.

I hear the "advice" that staff provide customers and a few times I've felt like intervening...and once I did. They are either highly I'll informed staff and poorly trained or they just flat out lie to get the sale.

Personally I always know what I want when it comes to electronics and I normally just walk in and get what I want specificslly. But the odd time I'm unsure I tend to avoid shops that push commission sales.

Its a bull**** shop IMO. Sales every week with **** all sales and staff that either purposefully mislead or just downright poorly trained . The things I hear the staff around laptops say makes me cringe.

Midnight Sundance

I'll never buy here again either,
First time I tried to but their third "salesman" told me to come back the make and model of everything I wanted. Now if he was any good he would have spotted someone who was easily sold to, ( I've since learned) and he could have sold me every electrical thing I needed for a house from fridge down to toaster.

I swore never to go back only to be convinced by my mother. What made me walk out the door was their insistence that they wouldn't deliver to Meath or some big hulabalu over it.
I took my money and walked next door into DID . I was kitting out a whole house, it wasn't like I was looking for delivery of a kettle or something.
Haven't been a fan since. Treat your customers with a bit of respect and they'll keep coming back.