After 2 months of waiting, I finally received my HD Bonus from Panasonic the other day. Excited. I haven’t opened it yet, just haven’t had the time to see how the things work. My bonus gift was the Blu Ray Home TheatreSystem. I was one of the lucky ones who scrapped through for the gifts and got it reserved on back order.
I am pretty impressed with Panasonic so far. They said it will take 8 weeks, and spot on they were right. Their website is also very useful, and had up to date information. I know some others may differ with their views, but in my experience it has been a pleasant one.
Panasonic initially had the Wii promotion, and then brought out this promotion. Pretty tough to beat! I believe both promotions have now ended.
I would be interested to hear how everyone else’s HD bonus gift is working and what they got, and what their experiences have been. Comment below.
Store Optus Yes Shop Shop 113, Forest Hill Shopping Centre
270 Canterbury Rd
Forest Hill, VIC 3131
Tel: (03) 8804 6900
When you visit this store (which is a franchise) be sure to ask for Matt. I recently went there to get the Optus Broadband + Home bundle package. Matt was extremely helpful in these ways:
* Very clear about the pricing
* Knew the answers to all of my questions (I also tested his knowledge because some answers I knew as well)
* Knew the product really well
* Was not pushy to sign me up
However this is what I expect from any customer service consultant. Here is how Matt excelled:
* He said it may take 2 weeks to get the broadband cable installed, but rang within 1 hr to confirm installation within 2 days
* He struck a deal with Optus (without me asking) to waive the land line connection fee of $55
* He obtained a tel number for me straight away
So far I have had my dealings with Optus, a large part of them negative. You can read about my Optus rant here! There were rare moments of surprise. Almost all of my dealings with Optus was via the phone with some dude sitting on the side of the planet. This just annoys me.
I was quite surprised to received such great service from Optus. Maybe the franchise issue has something to do with it, but I hope Matt and Optus Forest Hill keep up their customer service.
I am getting my broadband installed tomorrow, and hopefully things go smoothly.
I don’t usually review latest technology products, as this blog is not designed for such occurrences. However with the latest announcement of the Apple iPad, I thought I will make a few salient points.
Point to note: I have not reviewed it, I have not used it, I have not seen it. My post is based on other people’s written/video reviews, and experiences. Other people who have a little bit more knowledge about technology than me, however I hope to provide a consumer aspect to this by relating to how I would use it (if I had one).
2009: Having been an avid fan of Windows operating system and PC rather than Apple’s equivalent I decided to give way and but an Apple iPhone 3GS. It transformed by day to day life. The phone feature is pretty mundane, and there is nothing special about it. However, the rest of the iPhone is simply brilliant. I use it every day, keep in touch with News, Stock, Facebook, Videos, Photos and much more more. I cannot stress how much I enjoy using it, and I take my hat off to Apple and Steve Jobs who were responsible for such a wonderful creation.
Having said this, I still think Windows is a more practical operating system and PCs are better than an Mac book pro, or Air or whatever else Apple calls it.
Unfortunately for Apple, my love for their product stops there. Their new iPad is not a super tablet as Steve Jobs made it out to be in his much hyped announcement a few days ago. Here are my problems with it from a consumer point of view, and why it won’t be as useful as my iPhone even (In his announcement, Steve claims the iPad is better are many things when compared to a smart phone, or Notebook so I will be phrasing my opinion surrounding this statement)!
The name: There has been much fun poked at the name, and I suspect a lot of women find those comments offensive (even though some women think it’s a great name!). Why is it OK to say “notepad”, but not “iPad”? But there were better options out there such as: “iSlate” or “iTablet”. A slate is a small blackboard used in many developing countries, so “iSlate” would have complemented the huge advances we have made in technology when compared to 30 years ago. Steve is wrong!
No camera: This is just stupid. No camera means you cannot take photos, or use internet video calling software such as Skype. I use Skype every day on my notebook/laptop, so why would I buy a tablet computer if I cannot do that. Steve is wrong!
No multi-tasking: This is a no-brainer. Right now, I am checking news and stocks while I am typing this post. I can’t do that on the iPad. This is also an annoyance on the iPhone and I hate that aspect of it. Steve is wrong!
No USB or HDMI: My laptop/notebook has both of these connectors. I use it every single day. I connect my laptop to my TV and share photos with visitors when I hold a party. It’s the best way to share. I also display all movies I watch onto my TV. These cannot be done on the iPad. What’s the point of watching high definition video on a 9 inch screen? Steve is wrong!
No GPS support: The iPad has Google Maps, but no GPS. What’s the point? Yet again, I am perplexed to find that even the basic feature of the iPhone is not included in the iPad.
iBooks only US based: Why treat other countries as pariahs? Don’t we also deserve to use the iPad as an e-reader. After all, isn’t that what Steve is using to sell the so called “cool” product.
Restricted to iTunes: Apple has a business concept tied to the iPhone, and iPad. The App store, iTunes and now iBooks. Restricting consumers to these features just annoys people. I think Apple has to set the tone by allowing people to add third party applications from other online stores, and eventually other companies will follow.
No 3G support: Do you expect me to only use the iPad within the house. Defeats the purpose! Sure,this is one thing I cannot do on my laptop/notebook but nor can the iPad.
Reading online reviews about the iPad, there are plenty more reason “why the iPad sucks?” as one article put it, but a lot of the other reasons don’t really apply to me. For now, I will be sticking to my laptop however I think Apple will hit back with the next generation iPad with all these features. By then, people will find something else to complain about.
One of the things I find hard to grasp is, the iPad doesn’t even have some of the basic features we take for granted in a laptop/notebook. If Steve wants to promote the iPad saying “it can do things better than a laptop”, he better have a better product to put forward next time he takes centre stage because a lot of what he was showing off during the announcement I already have my beloved iPhone 3GS!
Baby Bunting is probably one of the best stores out there for all things baby. Surprisly, all things baby means all things expensive. How can smaller clothes, small plastic toys, and baby related bedding be so expensive. It’s simple, they play on parents emotions which is why I got sucked into buying an enormous amount from Baby Bunting. The shopping experience was pleasant, however there are a few things I find very annoying.
The service We have been to several baby stores in and around SE Melbourne, and found Baby Bunting (Bentleigh) to have all the products under the one roof. They also have a 3 month layby service which is useful if you are buying plenty of items and racking up the bill. We took pretty much a whole day to do our shopping, which demanded a personalised shopping assistant. Baby Bunting is one of the few stores that offers this service. A customer service lady accompanied us the whole day explaining each and every product, and dissecting out our questions. It seems she knew most things, however did slip up on a few occasions. We didn’t expect her to know everything, but overall the service was admirable.
It started to get a bit annoying when I sensed she was starting to feed on our paranoia and baby ignorance by recommending products we didn’t need, such as the specific nappy disposal unit. Sure it might be useful, but certainly not a necessity by any means. I caught onto this and stayed stern towards the end of the day. We did blow our budget significantly, but hey – its for the baby, so it’s worth it.
The price Don’t expect Baby Bunting to be the cheapest place out there because it is NOT. We found prices for most products were competitively priced, however there are price exaggerations around. We found cheaper play toys, gyms, clothes, bedding, and cots at other places such as: Babies R Us, Baby Co, Babies Galore however because Baby Bunting sold all things under the 1 roof we stuck with our choice and paid that little bit extra. Also the 3 month laybe helped us in terms of meeting our costs in time.
The annoying things I mentioned earlier…
* Admirable that they have a 3 month interest free laybe system, however you can only take the products you have paid for. They really should have a 12 or 24 month interest free terms for purchase prices above a certain range similar to electronics stores. This allows for people to budget for the products, and also buy a lot more at once which will benefit Baby Bunting anyway.
* Each time you pay for your layby you are given a receipt with outstanding amounts due, but not given a receipt for items you have taken home. This puts the onus on the buyer to keep track of what they have taken home, and what is still left at the store. When you buy a few items, this task is easy but when you buy several items (like in our situation) it became a bit of a nightmare. It is is really annoying for the customer. Perhaps an online, or even an email system will help customer’s keep track relatively easily.
* The delivery service is subcontracted out to King’s who further subcontracts to an private individual who delivers using a van. The buyer must help during the delivery process. Now, they deliver mostly on weekdays, and customers are usually working with their pregnant wives at work or at home (so they can’t help, i.e.: they’re pregnant, they are buying baby products – hint hint!!). It’s really annoying how they charge for the delivery but yet ask for the customer’s physical help to unload the van. This is my view is very poor practice!!
* The phone number for the East Bentleigh store rings out after only a few rings, and often cuts out with an “unreachable” message. This is super annoying when you ring after 10am which is their busiest or even on weekends. Their phone system needs an upgrade.
The delivery Despite clearly booking the delivery on a certain date, it was delivered to our home almost 2 weeks early. The guy rang me to ask me where I was, and I told him I wasn’t expecting the delivery today. This was a bit annoying because he asked if he could leave it outside the house. WHAT? I was a few hundred km away, so was in no way prepared to have expensive items left outside the house (in the rain too!). Silly question from his part!
The botched bassinet It turned out the bassinnet which I assembled and couldn’t for the life of me figure out why it was slanted, did in fact have a manufacturing defect. I promptly returned it for a brand new bassinnet (these aren’t easy to assemble either).
Summary - 7 / 10 (service as impressive, but annoyances are a major downside to the experience!)
I would recommend Baby Bunting you want those small products, or want to buy everything in 1 shop. I would certainly recommend if you want variety because Baby Bunting has it all, but don’t go there if you want a bargain because you WILL be disappointed.
Clive Peeters are hosting their VIP customer invitational only sale in December. You need to ring up your local Clive Peeters dealer and register your interest to attend this night.
It is a one night only event where they are guaranteeing all products at cost price + 5% across their range. It’s a good saving if the product you want is not already heavily discounted.
I got my invitation recently, however I have already secured a great deal at Clive Peeters for some electronics but if you are looking for a bargain then it’s a great opportunity. Snacks and beverages will be provided on the night.
Note: there is not much out there about this sale on the internet.
Makemytrip.com is a one stop solution for travellers to India. Their website is comprehensive, and is similar to the Australian equivalent: Wotif.com. I am a great fan of Wotif.com (see my earlier post). I was recommended by a friend to give Makemytrip.com to plan my Indian trip.
The website The website is comprehensive, providings travellers with air, bus, and rail options. Their main attraction is the cheap accommodation packages. I wanted to book accommodation in New Delhi, and it provided me with a range of options quickly within my budget. Furthermore, you can direct your search based on location (i.e.: South Delhi, Gurgoan, Connaught Place, or International Airport). Using this in conjunction with Google Maps made my booking a breeze.
With flight bookings, they have a really cool feature which tells you the percentage on time statistics for flights, and average delays expected. Internal flights in India can be a bit of a nightmare, so don’t go for the cheapest flights. You will also notice the exaggerated taxes associated with flights. Advertising is not strictly controlled, so they will advertise only the cost price of flights and not tell you the taxes until the very last page (which can be very annoying). Similar advertising strategies are not allowed in Australia.
Addit: Recently they do display the “all inclusive price” straight up.
The service
Most web companies have minimal customer service. This is what makes Makemytrip.com much better than other similar products. They have call centres staffed to assist you in your bookings. I made some changes to my booking, and dealt mainly with emails. In most cases, I received replies within 24 hours which is excellent service for a large web company. I also spoke to staff at their head office in Gurgoan who were very helpful. However, their Australian headquarters in Sydney were not very helpful at all, with a guy who spoke little English (which I was not expecting).
Cancellations I had to cancel a few flights and rebook them. I received full refund of the taxes (which amounted to the majority of the price) which was pretty cool. Similar refunds are not possible with many Australian airlines. The refunds were processed within 5 business days straight into my credit card.
Suggestions
* Too much graphics on your site, so keep it to a minimum to make bookings easier.
* Perhaps a site specific to Australian travellers will be helpful, similar to your US and UAE site. I understand volume is an issue
* Add a feature where you can get reduced prices if you leave your booking till late (similar to lastminute.com, or wotif.com)
Inside tips * Read the fine price carefully, notice: refundable, non-refundable tickets
* Choose your airline carefully, stick to: Jet Airways in general
* Allow plenty of time for connections, Indian airports are notorious for bad design and cause maximum annoyance for travelers with multiple security checks due to domestic security issues
* Check with smarttraveller.gov.au before you anywhere.
Summary – 8/10 (I would use it again) The cluttered search results page needs an overhaul. I am impressed with your level of customer service.
Houspect Cost: $550 (building and pest inspections) Rating: 9.5/10
After purchasing my home subject to building & pest inspections, I came across Houspect. Houspect specialise in various inspections, depreciation schedules for investment properties and some commercial options as well.
The service
I had to organise an inspection within 5 business days. That was part of the contract. In hindsight, I would have liked more time. My major concern was not being able to get hold of a reputable inspector. The person I talked to on the phone was remarkably helpful. He went through the total cost, what to expect in the report, and liaised with the estate agent to organise suitable times.
The inspection was done the following day, when I rang on Monday afternoon. Incredibly quick.
Once the inspection had been done, I received a phone call detailing a brief summary to put my mind at ease, and then within 24 hours I received a detailed report by email. This included several page reports, and recommendations.
The follow up call
A few days down the track I received a follow up call from Houspect. I thought this was excellent, and wasn’t expecting it.
The report
I received 2 pdf files within 24 hours detailing the building and pest inspection results including brief summaries. The industry is quick conservative when it comes to recommendations, so don’t get too fussed about all the detail. Note that it is best to get an inspection on an empty property, but this is not always possible so you have to take it with a grain of salt.
Summary
For the money I paid, which was around a few hundred bucks, I was impressed with the service rendered. When you buy your first property, you quickly come up with a list of trusted services whom you can rely on next time. It’s important to have this list, and build a business relationship with them. Well done Houspect!
VIP Consulting – David Melatti 43 Wakefield Street
Kensington VIC 3031
Tel: 1300 736 638
What is a buyer’s agent?
* they are licensed professionals who help in searching, evaluating, and negotiating the purchase of property on behalf of the buyer.
* they work exclusively for the vendor
* are usually ex-real estate agents themselves and know how the system works
* are becoming more and more common in Australia. In the US, > 50% of buyers use them
* usually work on a commission fee structure
* often have access to properties which are never put on the public market
* are professional negotiators, which means the “emotion” is out of the picture
* generally can save you time, money and most of all – the hassle.
You can search for buyer’s agents in your specific area as well.
Why did I choose a Buyer’s agent?
If you haven’t read my experiences of trying to buy property myself, then do so. It will give you a sample of what is potentially heading your way if you plan to do it yourself. I had nor the time, patience, or expertise to tackle the process. Besides, I had failed a few times already and that time was lost.
The VIP experience.
Having lost a few bids, and getting confused with the whole process I enlisted VIP Consulting to do the work for me. I met with David Melatti who explained the process. The key for me, was the emotional disconnect. When using a buyer’s agent, all you have to do is let them know which property and they do the work for you. With my property purchase, I informed David on a Sunday morning of my interest, and he created a 10+ page PDF document by the afternoon, detailing the:
* latest sales surrounding the property
* latest sales in nearby suburbs
* the price range of the property in question
* suburb summary, and median price range over a number of years
David has access to wealth of information through his agent’s database which sources these details. He also advised me on a property in Melbourne’s East to stay away from due to a cluster title issue, which I hadn’t realized.
My situation was simple: it was my first home, I wanted potential capital growth, and wouldn’t mind a bit of renovation here and there.
After going through the PDF file, I set my maximum price (which need not be the buyer’s agent’s maximum price on the range!) and he negotiated the deal for me. Be sure to inform your agent the conditions of sale. For example: subject to finance (even include the bank if you want!), building, and/or pest inspections. David rang me back a couple of times, and even inspected the property (although I am not sure if this is routine from other buyer’s agents). Unfortunately the offer fell through. After a couple of weeks, David called back informing me the accepted offer from another party fell through and I was allowed to renegotiate. He used this to our advantage and negotiated a cheaper purchase price.
As David would say, its all about timing. You need to time your offer, time your inspection, and time your interest. Way too much work for me, so I was glad to have acquired the property through VIP Consulting. They do offer a first home buyers discount from their final percentage cut.
Was it worth it?
In my case, yes because the cost of VIP Consulting was offset by the savings I made by negotiating a cheaper price. So essentially, I lost nothing, but gained less stress and effort. I would definitely use a buyer’s agent again, and judging from my experience from VIP Consulting I can’t see why they won’t be my agents next time as well.
Few things…
* Be frank with your agent on their fee structure (i.e.: how much is engagement fee, and will it be deducted from the final price. In my case it was, so I couldn’t lose really!)
* Ask them questions about how the process works. For example, once David negotiated a deal for me, then I met with the estate agent (for the first time!) and finished all signing of documents. Sometimes the agents will do so on your behalf but you will need a power of attorney
* Ask them if they have preferred lawyers, building and pest inspectors. They may offer discounts!
* Ask them about their levels of service. If you are happy to search for properties like I was, then you can save on fees.
Coming soon:Houspect and their building and pest inspection service.
Digiworld 224 La Trobe St
Melbourne, VIC 3000
Tel: (03) 9663 6699
Fax: (03) 9663 6696
I had been on the hunt for a new computer for quite a while, and finally had the opportunity to purchase it. I was looking for either a Dell, or Asus. Ausus is a good brand, but a little bit expensive but they are a quality manufacturer, and they offer 2 years international warranty on all their laptops. Here are the specs I wanted:
* Pentium Dual Core
* 4G Ram
* Windows Vista
* Wireless card
* At least 250G hard drive
* At least a 15.1″ screen
Pretty basic specs really. I found a computer at Digiworld after doing considerable research. I didn’t know about this shop until I scoured La Trobe Street, which is where Landmark Computers was – my initial shopping place.
Friday the 13th
I was up for almost 20 hours since I began my night shift at work, and heard about Harvey Norman’s Friday the 13th sale. “Millions of dollars off all electrical items” the radio screamed at me on my way home from work. Anyway, ignoring the radio’s advice (I listen to TV more!), I visited Landmark Computers in La Trobe street. I was greeted by an Indian chap, seemed to be the boss of the store. He showed off his arrogant characteristic during his explanation of the sale.
I know a reasonable amount when it comes to computers, and have a few buddies who are in the industry. However, it’s always nice to pretend “basic customer”, and I was taken for a ride. The guy at Landmark Computers basically told me I was not going to get the specs for the budget of $1300, and that I was free to look around. He diverted me to an Asus with poorer specs that I had wanted, but threw in a free laptop bag to get my attention.
I left the store, and told him I will come back if I don’t see anything better.
Digiworld My next stop was Digiworld located opposite Melbourne Central. They did not have a range of laptops but had the one I wanted. It was an Asus, with a full spec keyboard along with 16.1″ display, but only a 250Gig HD and 2 Gig RAM. You see, I am a greedy person (aren’t we all – LOL) so I wanted to see how much I can squeeze out of the sales person. Over the course of the past year, I have made reasonably big purchases, so knew a thing or not about bargaining. However, rather than try and get a better price, I generally try and get a better product for the same price. There is a difference.
I told the sales person that I am really interested in the laptop, and that I wanted to buy it today by 4pm and pay straight cash for the purchase. That got his attention, but I also made it clear the offer must be better than the displayed price. My eBay search revealed the same laptop for around $1300 with similar specs. The advertised price was: $1370.
I told him, I am going to Harvey Norman as they are having a “massive sale”, and if I found something similar with better value then I will not come back to Digiworld. It frightened him a little, however I felt he kept his calm and allowed me to leave the store.
Harvey Norman I made my way to Harvey Norman. Let’s face it, Harvey Norman for electricals is a bit of a rip off in my opinion and there is no bargaining power in major department stores. I saw many computers in Harvey Norman, but couldn’t find anything close to the price being offered at Digiworld with similar specs. Harvey Norman was at least $300-$500 more expensive on comparable products.
The Strategy I walked back into Digiworld, and told the guy: “Okay, I found an excellent deal at Harvey Norman, a bit more expensive but much better specs. So I would like the following: Price: $1300, Specs improvement: 4 Gig RAM upgrade, 320Gig HD upgrade, free 17″ laptop bag”.
His first response was, “You must be kidding me”. I had asked for a better laptop, for lesser money, and a free laptop bag. At that stage I was thinking perhaps I had pushed it “too far” this time, but let’s see what happened. After about 20 minutes with the sales person going back and forth to speak to his manager, the price slowly dropped: $1350, $1330, then bingo: $1300. He promptly accepted the sale and I was on my way.
If the sales person who remembers this sale is reading this, sorry mate – it’s business, nothing personal!
This quiet store on High Street Rd is where I went to a loved one some flowers. Of course, having no knowledge about flowers or the nitty gritties of buying them, I was expecting a personalised service which is exactly what I received.
The service The lady who served welcomed me, and promptly figured out I had no idea about flowers. I told I was buying flowers as a show of affection to a loved one, and that’s all that was required. She went through a few options with me, and explained what sort of flowers are appropriate. I was keen on red roses, so she went through all the possible options with them: gold or silver coating, vase colour, and whether to put funky strings on them. She provided a written instruction booklet on how to take care of them. Who would have thought flowers come with special instructions. I just thought they needed water, but apparently they need a lot more. She went through a few strategies to “get the most time” out of the roses.
The lady made the bunch of roses in about 15 minutes, and it was fresh and ready to go.
The ambience
The shop is very well maintained, and has an essence about it. The flowers, and gift options are neatly displayed. There are plenty of card varieties to choose from.
The price Here’s another thing I never knew. Flowers are very expensive. I spent around $100 to buy some roses and a personalised card. They ain’t cheap, but worth it if you want something special for your loved one.
Summary – Rating (8.5/10) I would definitely recommend this small shop for your flower needs. Personalised service.
It is a one night only event where they are guaranteeing all products at cost price + 5% across their range. It’s a good saving if the product you want is not already heavily discounted.
The VIP experience.
Friday the 13th
Digiworld
Harvey Norman
