Local vs Grey Imports

• 

  donga100 on 03/08/2014 - 20:45

  It depends on the product and the importer. In this case I would definitely buy it from Google Play store.

• 

  Settero on 03/08/2014 - 21:03

  yea you are gambling with warranty issues (postage + time ) for 20$ ballsy.

  its all about the warranty.

• 

  mskeggs on 03/08/2014 - 21:04

  I'd pay the $20 in this case.

• 

  PissLUR on 03/08/2014 - 21:05

  Let's take a scenario where there is a dead pixel in your Nexus 5.

  Google will send you a replacement phone and arrange a courier pick up for your faulty phone in that order.
  Whereas Kogan will probably ask you to send your phone to their warehouse, wait until they receive and check the fault and then send you a replacement.

• 

  18 on 03/08/2014 - 21:44

  If I was you, I would wait til Late Oct/Early November for the Nexus 5. Otherwise, if you really wanted the Nexus 5, wait for it to drop by $100 similarly to what happened to the Nexus 4, roughly 2.5 months prior to the release of the Nexus 5. But that may not happen this time round… Personally, I own a Nexus 5 at the moment, and it is one great phone, has no lag. I get roughly 5hrs SOT, 20hrs standby for a full charge, but that's after turning off almost everything, custom ROM, custom Kernel. And on the Playstore, it's $449+$20 shipping = $469.

  • 

    Ventak on 03/08/2014 - 21:46

    I would, but my current phone's touch sensitivity is kinda broken and it's been already 3 years since I got it.

• 

  eug on 03/08/2014 - 21:47

  $20 isn't much. I'd go with local stock for the warranty. Do both prices include shipping?

  • 

    Ventak on 03/08/2014 - 21:59

    Both don't.

    Kogan's shipping is $23 using the white variant (which is $10 cheaper than the sold out black one).
    Google's shipping is $19.95 with the black one.

• 

  p1 ama on 03/08/2014 - 23:04

  Everyone here is just basing their opinions on superstitions though, "what if…?"

  $20 is around 5% of the price of the phone. The chance it'll break in the warranty period is nowhere near 5%. If it was, LG would be out of business.

  Thus, mathematically speaking, you're better off not paying the $20.

  • 

    eug on 03/08/2014 - 23:34

    Everyone here is just basing their opinions on superstitions though, "what if…?"

    Nope. No superstition involved, just experience. I've had to send in quite a number of phones for service.

    A number of my friends (and me) had the S3 sudden death problem. Local warranty meant it got fixed on the spot while-you-wait, or within a week if no authorised repairer was nearby.

    I cracked my Note 2 screen. I sent it to Samsung to get the screen replaced. They quoted $260, I agreed. A week or two later they said they couldn't get a replacement screen anytime soon, so they gave me a brand-new boxed phone for the same price instead. That would not happen with an import.

    My outright HTC One M7 had a camera problem. I got it swapped on the spot at a Telstra shop.

    My Note 3 had a blemish on the screen. I got it swapped on the spot at JB (it was within the 30 day ELF).

    The replacement then had a problem with the power button. Samsung took a week to fix it. They did say if they had stock on hand, they would have replaced it on the spot. If it was an import, it would have easily taken 2-4 weeks based on what I've read on whirlpool.

    My friend's 3-week old S5 had a problem with the volume buttons. He got it swapped on the spot last week at DSE.

    For a $20 price difference I really wouldn't bother with grey imports. Not only is the warranty service slower and more inconvenient, you'll also get a charger with overseas power plugs.

    If the price difference was much larger, I would certainly consider it.

    • 

      [Deactivated] on 04/08/2014 - 02:06

      Wow. That's quite the litany of trials and tribs, eug. At least on the phone-front, you and your friends appear to be a touch, well, cursed…
      Yea verily and forsooth.

      I'd certainly be steering clear of any potentially mishandled/dinged grey-market canned food, but I reckon I'd be seriously contemplating (local-stock/undented) empty tins & string as phone alternatives at this point…

      • 

        eug on 04/08/2014 - 12:02

        At least on the phone-front, you and your friends appear to be a touch, well, cursed…

        Well… when you go through a lot of devices, you're bound to see more problems than someone who keeps the same phone for two years. :)

        I'd certainly be steering clear of any potentially mishandled/dinged grey-market canned food, but I reckon I'd be seriously contemplating (local-stock/undented) empty tins & string as phone alternatives at this point…

        I tried to, but the local council wasn't too happy with the number of strings I had for my social string network.

  • 

    [Deactivated] on 04/08/2014 - 03:29

    A few years ago I bought a just-released flagship smartphone, from a UK online store to save a $200 - after all, like you say, the chance of it breaking during the warranty is slim.

    Three months later it developed a power fault and stopped working. The manufacturer wouldn't repair it locally. The UK store were happy to take care of it provided I covered the shipping there and back. AusPost were refusing to fly lithium batteries, which meant a courier - and there would go my $200 saving. It was about the same cost to get it fixed by a local repair shop.

    For $20, I'd certainly go for a local warranty.

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  wayacos on 04/08/2014 - 10:58

  My experiences with Kogan and their warranty has been dismal to say the least.
  At least 5 days to respond to emails and then try to spin you bullshit.
  Finally give you a Postal Return Sticker.
  Send item back then another email 4 days later confirming item faulty.
  Then after 2 weeks received another unit that worked for 6 months.
  When that one ceased to work and advised them(same fault)Oh sorry out of warranty.
  Contacted ACCC and lo and behold refund on CC.
  Steer clear of Kogan is my advise.