Dick Smith - useless this time around :(

pookie on 31/12/2013 - 12:28

Hi

I usually have had no issues with Dick Smith purchases but my recent experience was less than great..

A couple of weeks before xmas I went into the Nowra store and was looking at an Asus Laptop (intel i7) , it was reduced by a few hundred dollars to $999 and had everything I wanted. I think it even came with a redemption coupon, but I can't recall for sure.

Because I live in Wollongong I asked the sales guy in Nowra if I could get this laptop from a Wollongong store the next day , he said yes its store wide sale. He gave me the product number/code for the laptop.

So tomorrow came and I called my local store (Warrawong) and gave the guy the product code to check for stock. It was crazy parking so I ended up just calling the store from my mobile on the side of the road.

The guy said yes they have stock and the price is $1399 or similar. Obviously not the sale price of yesterday.

So I rang the Nowra store and the guy there told me yes it should still be on sale and to check Wollongong store.

So I then rang Wollongong store and got the same information….no longer on sale.

Apparently the sale ended yesterday but the Nowra store still had the sale price on their display model this morning.

Ended up nobody would sell me it for the sale price of the day before….

I could have bought it from Nowra while I was there :(

Nobody told me it ended that same day :/

Not happy

Stupid Dick Smith staff.

So then I sent an online complaint a couple of weeks ago…still no reply even though they say I will hear within 2 working days.

Great service and great customer complaint handling ….. NOT !

Cheers

Pookie

Computing

Related Stores

Dick Smith / Kogan
Dick Smith / Kogan
Marketplace

Comments

  • PissLUR on 31/12/2013 - 12:34
    +17

    you should be blaming yourself and not dick smith' staff.

    buy first, think later.

    :Peace:

    • ItsMeAgro on 01/01/2014 - 11:58
      +28

      Err, guys, the oft-repeated OzBargain credo of "buy first think later" is mostly a joke about how fast the best bargains sell out, not a real philosophy for making sensible purchases.

      This thread is full of people berating OP for not making an impulse buy. Now, I do agree that he should have just bought it if he had the time to ask the guy if Wollongong would have it. But…

      That doesn't make the Dick Smith staff less negligent here. They still gave him the wrong info, causing him to miss out. He's warning us about DS staff incompetence.

      • pookie on 02/01/2014 - 09:47
        +4

        At last.. thank you mgowen :) someone with common sense. I was becomming concerned that I may have been in the Twilight Zone.. lol

        Cheers

      • NGPriest on 04/01/2014 - 00:25
        -1

        It was a verbal contract between the the seller and you…
        Tell them to honor the verbal contract or you'll bring it up with the ACCC?

    • coprod on 02/01/2014 - 09:25
      +1

      always ask when the sale will end. always. this is your responsibility.

      well, you have learnt valuable lesson.

  • sraymond on 31/12/2013 - 13:15
    +6

    I know who would be blamed if Dick Smith management read this thread. As soon as the customer tried to defer purchase the TM should have told him the end date of the sale.
    That said, I'm not sure why you didn't just grab it. Not like it was a 60" plasma.

  • easternbluecut on 31/12/2013 - 13:20
    +4

    Have you tried other stores if DS had it for that price chances are Centrecom/MSY and other computer stores have it for even cheaper.

    • NGPriest on 04/01/2014 - 00:25

      I get them to price match everything :D

  • fertiliser on 31/12/2013 - 14:19
    +5

    Thanks for joining Ozbargain and contributing to the intention of the website.

  • pookie on 31/12/2013 - 17:07
    +3

    Hi.. I only raced into the store to grab a phone plug for my mum, I had to get her to an appt and knew I wouldn't be back before the store shut. So I didn't have time to do the purchase !

    And yes, I would have assumed the sales staff would have told me the sale ended that day !

    Perhaps I could have come back after dropping my mum to the Dr and bought it while I waited for her. But I didn't know.

    NOT MY FAULT !!

  • pookie on 31/12/2013 - 17:09
    +1

    Ive tried to find same at other stores but can only get the i5 model for a similar price.

    I was hoping for boxing day specials but no luck :(

    It was suppose to be my sons xmas present…

    So he is still waiting… he has told me exactly what specs he wants and the one I missed out on had it all..

    Ba humbug to Dick Smith…

    Pookie

  • p1 ama on 31/12/2013 - 17:17
    +1

    To be honest, you should have called the Wollongong store whilst you were at the Nowra one and checked to see if they had stock and whether they would do that price for you tomorrow…etc.

    While it is Dick Smith's fault for giving you misinformation, they don't exactly have to honour it if the employee made a genuine mistake and the sale had ended.

    • pookie on 01/01/2014 - 19:41

      Hi..yer I know..its just annoying :( cheers

  • Ughhh on 31/12/2013 - 17:41

    Don't their sale tags usually say when that sale/price ends? Or am I thinking of a different store.

  • pookie on 31/12/2013 - 20:44

    Yer I know legally I have prob no standing but its just a crappy thing to happen. But..

    I relied on the skill and expertise of the sales person.. see s18 'acl' (cth) (the old s52 tpa) also caselaw (ACCC) regarding reliance on sales persons advice.

    But not worth the effort to chase :(

    • tonyjzx on 31/12/2013 - 22:06
      +1

      "skill and expertise of the sales person"… wtf?

      an uneducated minimum wage sales droid who has no repercussions for screwing up?

      its not exactly brain surgery is it?

  • pookie on 31/12/2013 - 23:09

    Lol I agree.. but from a legal perspective a consumer is entitled to rely on the skill and expertise if they make their requirement clear.

    But yep.. not rocket science lol

    • p1 ama on 01/01/2014 - 13:51
      +2

      This is silly, you'd have a hard time proving the employee even said what he did and even if you could, it's just human error.

      • pookie on 01/01/2014 - 19:43

        Yep… true. Oh well.. whatever..

  • pookie on 31/12/2013 - 23:10

    Employer becomes vicariously liable for actions or inactions of their employees.

  • shannonn54 on 01/01/2014 - 08:03
    +13

    If you had time to go into the store find a phone plug go through the sales process for that item, the 2 mins extra to have the second item (computer) processed at the same register would have made so little difference to a DR's appt , where we all know you are never seen on time and they allow you 5 mins either way.

    Sounds like you're pissed at your own stupidity and just want to sound off and vent
    you also have a whinge about HobbyKing wasting 4 hrs of your time here https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/128997?utm_source=newslett….

    A suggestion for 2014 stop bellyaching

  • ItsMeAgro on 01/01/2014 - 11:59

    Pookie, On the bright side:

    Does your son really needs an i7 laptop? Are mobile i7's actually useful? Desktop i7's (actually quite different CPUs) are still mostly a waste of money for general use and gaming. i5's are just as fast (or faster, depending on which 2 CPUs you compare) and much cheaper.

  • pookie on 01/01/2014 - 12:27

    Actually I walked straight in and got the plug…. took me 3 mins.

    I was already late to get my mum and the store was packed and … WTF with all due respect Shannonn54 you were not there, I don't consider it stupid to wait for the next day to get it locally.. !

    Anyway, yes.. I have worked in retail and dealt a lot with pissed off customers..both from a legal respective advocating before tribunals and simply writing letters of complaint etc..

    If wasting 4 hours trying to get a website to resolve a problem including their so-called live-help to fix a problem is acceptable then whatever…you do it.

    Cheers

    Pookie

  • pookie on 01/01/2014 - 12:31

    Mgowen: thank you for your reply, you may be correct, I am not familiar with the diffs between i5 and i7 , I am only going on what my 'over enthusiastic' son keeps nagging me over.

    I see i5 laptops for much cheaper then i7s…. do you think he would be mad if i got him an i5 ?

    Cheers

    Pookie

    • easternbluecut on 01/01/2014 - 13:15

      an i5 laptop is better than no laptop. If you see a store with an i5 version of your laptop you can also call them and see if they have the i7 available, while customisation is rarer for laptops than pcs it is not outside of the realm of possibilities.

      Alternatively if you actually post the model/specs you are looking for here someone might be able to steer you towards a decent bargain/compromise whatever.

    • ItsMeAgro on 01/01/2014 - 13:16
      +1

      Don't ask me, you need to discuss it with your son: how much research has he done? What does he want to do with the laptop? He'll probably be annoyed if you just ignore him and get an i5, even if it later turns out it was just as good.

      A purchase this expensive is worth a few hours of googling (certainly for him, if you don't want to).

      Does he want it for games? School? Photoshop? You can potentially waste hundreds of dollars getting him an i7 if he wants it for gaming. Same if you get one with a decent mobile GPU but he never plays a game on it.

      Can't remember what the best site for research is, but I think it's this one:

      http://www.notebookreview.com/

  • easternbluecut on 01/01/2014 - 13:23
    +1

    Bing Lee has an asus i7 for $988+postage (it is showing flat rate of $5 for me)

    http://www.binglee.com.au/asus-f550lc-notebook-i7-1-8-ghz-4g…

    • Speckled Jim on 01/01/2014 - 13:51
      +1

      And a lower spec Asus i7 for $799 free delivery. Currently showing "low stock".
      From…DSE

      • Speckled Jim on 01/01/2014 - 13:57
        +1

        A slightly speccier Toshiba i7 again from DSE, again low stock.

        I'd probably save the $100 and get the Asus. Does your son need 8 gig ram?

    • pookie on 01/01/2014 - 19:44

      Thanx..ill take a look :)

  • LYRICALRAVER on 01/01/2014 - 14:19
    -1

    pookie, what i gather from reading your post,' it seems to me as if the DSE people 'told' or 'rang' the Wollongong people to sell that Laptop at the RRP ($1399) because they somehow wanted to make a bigger profit margin and instructed stores people to do so, as they knew there was a 'customer' wantin to buy that laptop. seems a bit suspect to me.

    and how come people spend so much on Christmas presents? - if your son wants laptops with those sorts of specs, he should learn to save up and buy it for himself. in my opinion.

  • Fobsessive on 01/01/2014 - 15:18
    +1

    You could always grab a Lenovo Y500/Y580 from the US site with better specs and a 1080p screen for a similar price.

  • spychiatrist on 01/01/2014 - 18:16

    The moment you walked out the store, you could also have easily changed your mind and not buy a laptop at all. And what if the sale is still on-going the following day but so happened that someone bought the last laptop off the shelf ahead of you? Don't blame dse. It's just a missed opportunity you put yourself into.

    • pookie on 01/01/2014 - 19:31
      +1

      I disagree that its simply a missed opportunity. . This would be the case if I had of known the sale ended that day and I made an informed decision to not buy it.

      But my gripe is that after I asked the sales guy if I could grab one in wollongong tommorow..he should have said it ends that day..not just said yes.

      Am I not explaining this clearly enough..if so my appologies. .

      Anyway it seems to have stirred up some weird replies..

      And I am very grateful for those who replied with useful advice and comments :)

      Maybe some have hangovers today lol.

      cheers

      Pookie

  • cookie2 on 01/01/2014 - 21:20
    +2

    pookie, y don't you try speaking to the manager at the Nowra store, since this is the store where you were getting advice and info from the staff member, and also the store where they again told you the wrong info the next day and still had the incorrect price advertised. sounds to me like more than 1 member at that store , didn't know when the sale finished, so it makes sense you wouldn't have gotten the correct info. If that doesn't work, go onto Facebook. sometimes it works wonders. Don't worry about ppl on ozb too much, a disappointing few just have 2 much time and not enough sense.

    • pookie on 01/01/2014 - 22:20

      Cookie: thnx for your sensible comment..and yes I agree some on here lack sense but have time lol… I feel sad for them.

      Thanks to some peoples comments about the i5 im now trying to see if my son would be ok with that for his gaming…he is really hooked on it..

      Cheers

      :)

  • pookie on 01/01/2014 - 22:16
    -2

    Hey downer.. im not looking for sympathy lol where did you get that from ? I just voiced my opinion about what I still say was a poor piece of sales service by dick smith staff..obviously not all staff..but if you want to infer that as well thats your right..lol

    And I used the word 'stupid' very liberally..meaning that it was poor service..obviously I have no way to tell if the poor sales kid was actually stupid..in its true meaning..but I gave readers like you credit for knowing the difference..apparently prematurely.

    Returning to the sympathy thing… I dont care if people are sympathetic or just pathetic .. like a few … I respectfully submit that hurling abuse towards me doesnt do much for the site.. or themselves. Does it ??

    So if a few are glad I missed out.. good..I wont loose any sleep over it. I hope they grow up one day and find another way to feel good about themselves instead of trying to make others feel bad…and failing lol

    Cheers

    • Ughhh on 01/01/2014 - 23:11

      So if a few are glad I missed out.. good..I wont loose any sleep over it.

      You seem pretty worked up about all this though.

      Also, use the reply button below comments to reply to comments, rather than writing in the box below and posting a new comment.

      • pookie on 02/01/2014 - 01:30
        +1

        Pfft..I just dont like people trying to appear big by standing on others ..their ignorance irritates me.

        sorry about the new comments each time..

        :) no worries.. I will do the reply thing in future.

        Cheers..

  • pookie on 02/01/2014 - 10:45

    btw people… It's interesting to note for those advocating for Dick Smith and bagging me out for writing about my experience… Its now been almost 3 weeks since it happened and I have sent 2 separate complaints/feedbacks/emails to them but still not a single word of reply.

    … waiting for the flood of abuse for mentioning this point as well ..

    cheers

    • Speckled Jim on 02/01/2014 - 13:45

      Pookie, let that one go for now, and consider the cheaper i7s we've linked you to.
      There's little point in wasting time on the principle. Twenty years ago, I'd have said "go for it" but sentiment, principle, ethics etc have been dispensed in favour of results, profits and instant gratification.

      The DSE ones are still showing stock. Don't penalise the DSE online store because some kid was stoned at Nowra (well the Shoalhaven is conducive to altered states — beautiful place).

      If you actually order something, pay for it and then they stuff you around, I'm sure you'll have the weight of OzB support behind you. As it is, the situation you described is really line-ball and shouldn't be a surprise, given the quality of retail staff these days.

      • pookie on 02/01/2014 - 14:01
        +1

        Lol thanks mcmonte :)

        As an update..which I think this thread deserves I have just now received an email response to my complaint..

        They apologised and have informed me that the very same laptop is up for the same price in a week or so.

        So they have adressed my issue…albiet a little delayed..maybe due to xmas etc..

        So all good :)

        Cheers

        Pookie

        • ATD on 02/01/2014 - 15:19
          +2

          Maybe you would like to retract your comments about DSE staff being idiots and useless?

        • pookie on 02/01/2014 - 16:15
          -1

          Yer and ill redirect the same comments to some on here !

  • morini on 02/01/2014 - 15:22
    +6

    Waitaminute there pookie. You asked a guy in Nowra if you could get this laptop from Wollongong the next day. His answer was apparently "yes its store wide sale." Maybe there's more to it than that, but assuming that what you write here is pretty much verbatim what was said, I draw these conclusions:

    1. You asked the wrong person. You should've asked someone in the Wollongong store, maybe by phone while you were waiting. They might have even put a laptop on hold for you.
    2. You asked the wrong question. You should've asked whether you could get it for the sale price the next day. In other words your actual question was different to your intended question.
    3. You did not get the information you wanted. The DSE staff member's answer did not answer either your actual question or your intended question, indicating that he did not understand what you wanted. If he'd answered your intended question by saying "Yes, the sale will be on tomorrow" you'd have more cause for complaint. If he'd answered your actual question by saying "Yes, that product is for sale at the Wollongong store" then you'd know you'd need to follow up with another question.

    I can sympathise if you didn't get what you wanted. Maybe you were feeling rushed. But that's not the DSE staff's fault. It takes two to communicate, and only one of you has something to lose over a misunderstanding. Caveat emptor.

    • ATD on 02/01/2014 - 15:45

      A good question to ask pookie is if he was told the sale ended that day, would he then have miraculously found the time to purchase the laptop? If you believe the story, there was no way he could have purchased the laptop on that day anyway…

      Apparently the 5 minutes it would have taken to complete the purchase transaction would have been too long.

      • pookie on 02/01/2014 - 16:17

        This has already been answered earlier in this thread… perhaps you should look before you leap..

    • pookie on 02/01/2014 - 16:20
      -7

      Hey moroni..

      Lol have you actually proofed your reply before posting it for common sense value? I think not.

      There are so many illogical statements in your reply that the only logical conclusion I can draw is that you are being slightly comical..to conclude otherwise may come across as insulting to you..

      :)

    • pookie on 02/01/2014 - 16:33

      Lol do you even know what caveat emptor means?

      If you do.. please explain its application in terms of retail sales and whether you think it still has relevance today .. especially in light of the recent changes to consumer protection legislation.

      And then how do you relate the principles of the caveat emptor to my situation? If you think it does apply?

      And before everyone jumps up and down… no I am not suggesting any legal right to be told the sale ends whenever…

      Good luck…

      • morini on 02/01/2014 - 21:36
        +1

        Okay pookie. Good luck with all your future transactions.

        • pookie on 02/01/2014 - 22:07

          cheers :)

  • lolmao on 02/01/2014 - 16:07

    What if Wollongong didn't have the laptop in stock? What if the sale ended before you went the Wollongong store? Either of these circumstances could've happened (and did). Thats the risk you took by not buying it when you saw it..

  • pookie on 02/01/2014 - 16:24
    -3

    Hahaha I knew that if i commented again that some people couldnt resist the temptation to add further lame comments to this thread …

    Lol thanks for not dissapointing me..

    And for those who have contributed with sensible input..thank you..and please gaurd your common sense dearly…as the problem with common sense is that its not all that common.

    …now let the flaming continue hahaha

  • pookie on 02/01/2014 - 16:37
    -2

    Im wondering if some here work at dick smith or have family who do..

    There seems to be a couple who are really keen to advocate for ds staff..no matter how lame their comments are lol

    ..just a guess..

  • Ughhh on 02/01/2014 - 16:41
    +6

    From what I see here, this thread is basically a big whinge by someone who only wants to listen to people who agree with the op.

    • pookie on 02/01/2014 - 17:23
      -1

      May I suggest you look a bit closer..not just at this thread but also at your own perception.. cheers

      • Ughhh on 02/01/2014 - 18:03
        +1

        May I suggest you look a bit closer

        All I see is more whinging. You seem biased and stubborn. Calling anything/anyone that disagrees with your comments as 'lame comments' and 'DSE advocates' isn't exactly mature.
        First world problems.

        • pookie on 02/01/2014 - 18:17

          I dont mind people disagreeing. .. thats everyones right..

          I take issue with the manner and nonsensical remarks.

          And yes…perhaps I am starting to follow their lead..

          Thank you for pointing it out..

          Cheers

  • ankor on 02/01/2014 - 16:47

    @Pookie: I'm still waiting for this case law. As a law graduate working in a totally separate field, I personally find consumer law interesting and would like to have a read.

    • pookie on 02/01/2014 - 17:21
      -2

      As I clarified/conceeded earlier..the caselaw on reliance would really only apply if I had puchased it and it was not suited to the purpose of which if I had made clear to the salesperson at the time of purchase..

      But since there was no purchase..I merely raised the issue of reliance as a very remote alternate argument for missing out on a particular deal.

      Perhaps the caselaw more relevant would be in the realms of 'loss of chance/opportunity' see for example: Sellars v Adelaide Petrolleum NL (1994) 179 CLR 332

      Where the court said "A person who suffers a loss by conduct of another person/or company that was done in contravention of the provisions of parts IV or V of TPA [now s18 acl] may recover the amount of the loss by action against the person/company involved in the contravention…"

      The court determined that the primary question to ask is whether an advantage/benefit would have been derived by the applicant had the contravention not occurred.

      the contravention includes any actions done or omitted or statements made or omitted whether or not malice was intended which on the balance of probabilites materially contributed to the applicant being prevented from deriving such a benefit or advantage.

      (S82 (1)) tpa.

      Although this case on point concerned much higher $$ the principle is the same.

      Another landmark case would be Commonwealth v Amann Aviation.. I doubt I need to revisit the facts of that case as it is a classic for missed opportunity. .however once again on a much larger commercial scale :)

      also see : Gates v City Mutual [citation omitted] and Norwest Refrigeration v Bain Dawes (WA) [citation omitted].

      so I trust you will now go read the case summaries and reply with your interpretation.

      btw..for direction on orders for contravention see s87 tpa :)

      I would expect no less from a collegue :)

      Cheers

      • ATD on 02/01/2014 - 17:44

        What a joke, I'm sure now this is just a wind up from a new member with too much time on their hands. Personally, if it wasn't for the holidays and having too much time on my hands, I wouldn't haven't bothered wasting my time.

        Where is your contractual relationship? Loss of opportunity is a claim in damages, not a cause of action. I understand why you could not know that and simply reaffirms my point that you don't know what you are talking about. You've done a bit of backpedaling already, but then you go and put your foot in your mouth again. I'm done, enjoy your ignorance pookie.

        BTW - you're not anyone's "collegue" (sic).

        • pookie on 02/01/2014 - 17:52
          -1

          Lol I guess the full bench supreme court are wrong..

          And is this your way of appearing superior in the face of defeat?

          Btw I certainly hope you are not on the roll of legal practitioners… because your idiodic outburst is far below the expected standard..

          Just one final point to mention..exactly where did I say it was a course of action ? In fact im sure I have said much earlier that I doubted there is any legal recourse.. I merely raised the question as a remote argument..I never argued its merits.

          you asked for cases..I gave you some..I never stated that any were really applicable to my issue..just pointing them out.

          im not stupid enough to think I can take dse to court for loss of chance..it would be suicidal to even try.

          but

          If you find consumer law so fascinating then back youself up by at least sticking to my orignal post facts.

          BTW no need for the "youre nobodys collegue" remark.. I was actually being respectful calling you a collegue.

          but if you took offence to that then a simple " youre not my collegue" would have sufficed dont you think?

          Cya

        • ATD on 02/01/2014 - 18:33

          "a course of action ?"

          Can't even get that right! The legal term you are looking for is "cause of action".

          "If you find consumer law so fascinating"
          Nope, that was ankor who said they found it "interesting" - not fascinating. I just said that I'm exposed to it when I volunteer my time at a community legal centre on a monthly basis assisting those who can't afford to see a lawyer.

          Bye troll.

          Edit: Just had to read your post and have another laugh "full bench supreme court" - seriously?

        • pookie on 02/01/2014 - 18:44
          -2

          Ahh a clc volunteer..

          Then you should conduct yourself better.

          Yes I do conceed though I did write 'course' instead of 'cause' and supreme court when I meant federal court…my mistake. Thank you for being so superior lol

          But really if you want to learn something useful read the above mentioned cases..

          btw which clc are you with ?

          were you at the recent awards night?

          I think not..

        • ATD on 02/01/2014 - 20:12
          +1

          You've shown your true colours here. I don't know of any person associated with community volunteers who would make such comments as you have. Clearly you don't provide such a service so you should add that to the list of things you should stop talking about because you clearly know nothing about what you are saying.

          It's a pity you've come across someone who can clearly see you are full of it. I note you are selective in what you reply to, just like a true troll. Tell many tribunal members to read a case themselves to determine your legal argument…or did you just rely on the vibe of things Dennis Denuto?

          Time for you to retire, move along….move along.

        • pookie on 02/01/2014 - 21:24
          -1

          "Tell many tribunal members to read a case themselves to determine your legal argument…or did you just rely on the vibe of things Dennis Denuto?"

          This makes no sense…

        • Moderatorneil on 02/01/2014 - 21:30

          pookie & ATD, Let's stay on topic and respectful to each other.

        • pookie on 02/01/2014 - 22:05
          -1

          I totally agree..

  • [Deactivated] on 02/01/2014 - 17:37
    +2

    First rule of magic: Always be the smartest guy in the room.

    • pookie on 02/01/2014 - 18:28
      -1

      :) yes must be dealing with magic/illusion here..because there is a distinct lack of logic in many replies.. I think alot of people have not read my original post..only looked at comments without checking the source..

      A common error..

  • Moderatorneil on 02/01/2014 - 21:31

    Please keep discussion on topic.

  • IMBI3 on 03/01/2014 - 00:21
    +1

    Mod, maybe time to end the thread now. DSE has offered a solution so no point to discuss any further. Who wants to learn law cases or logic on ozb??

    • lolmao on 03/01/2014 - 00:26

      I just got my popcorn

      • Speckled Jim on 03/01/2014 - 15:19
        +1

        I'm having Youtube flashbacks.
        And popcorn.

  • [Deactivated] on 03/01/2014 - 00:51
    +1

    I wish we keep this thread in a way so it remains open and we see finally if our friend got their computer :)
    After all I guess it wouldnt be far of a nice salesman if they had given that notebook for the same price next day, regarding to the story.
    I personally would! Why not DSE?
    Maybe if you have told the first store manager the story next day they would.
    At the end of the day its not going from their own pocket and if they can sell it for the price now they can do it few hours later too!
    All the best mate

    • pookie on 03/01/2014 - 13:31

      Thank you :)

  • magikz on 03/01/2014 - 16:24
    +1

    For $999 you can get a great laptop so trust me you have not lost out. Personally I find buying laptops at retailers to be a rip off. You are much better served buying online from trusted online vendors like shippingexpress, iibuy, or centrecom.

    • pookie on 03/01/2014 - 17:15

      :) thanks magikz.. I have been looking more online as per the suggestions by members like yourself on here.

      I agree that many retailers prices seem to be a little inflated compared to their online counterparts…they say its to cover overheads etc..which may be true. However I would have thought the additional buying power would compensate.

      but im not in retail so im just assuming.

      cheers

      Pookie

      • ankor on 05/01/2014 - 16:55
        +1

        You really need to find out what your son is doing with the laptop before committing to an i5 or an i7 laptop.

        My understanding is that in an i5 or i7 desktop system, the CPU (central processing unit) will be a haswell CPU that contains 4 cores. The i7 is a multi-threaded processor whereas an i5 is not. There are other differences but this seems to be the key difference.

        When you move to laptops, it gets a bit confusing because they sometimes use the i5 designation for dual core processors.

        A multi-threaded i7 cpu, with 8gb of ram and a decent video card installed will essentially allow your son to:

        1) maximise his productivity in terms of things like video editing, photoshop usage, other graphical design, autocad, autodesk etc
        2) run extremely large spreadsheets and perform other complex calculations through his computer
        3) be able to compress large volumes of information extremely quickly
        4) allow him to play some very good PC games on the i7

        If it is strictly a word-processing, email, and heaven forbid, legal research, then you can get away with an i5 dual core processor.

        If you are able - check out:

        http://www.staticice.com.au/cgi-bin/search.cgi?price-min=&q=…

        www.msy.com.au
        www.umart.com.au

        Just a quick search on www.oo.com.au has brought up:

        i7 asus (reconditioned) $909 + delivery
        http://www.oo.com.au/ASUS-N53SV-SX708V-15-6-Multim_P207403.c…

        i7 acer $830 + delivery
        http://www.oo.com.au/Acer-Aspire-M5-581TG-73516G52M_P139546.…

        I have chosen the larger 15.6' screens because smaller screens = glasses at an earlier age imo :\

        • pookie on 07/01/2014 - 00:39

          Thank you for the comprehensive reply :) Some good info to think about.

          My son wants his laptop purely for gaming. I doubt he will do much more on it, except social networking sites.

          His cousins are into gaming, and have been for the past 10 years. They have the latest everything :/

          So my son , who spends a lot of time with his cousins wants to have what they say he needs…Initially he wanted something called "AlienWare", but I priced it and it was way to expensive for what I think will just be a gaming computer.

          Unfortunately since he lives with his mother, she is happy for him to spend all of his spare time stuck in front of his multiple gaming consoles, often until 4-5 am, while she goes to nightshift :/

          I don't have an Xbox so the only way I can communicate with him is via the internet, hence me suggesting I get him a laptop.

          Anyway, such is life….

          Cheers for the info..

          :)

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