Harvey Norman Refusing to Pricematch Officeworks on Nintendo Switch

[Deactivated] on 27/12/2024 - 21:07
Last edited 27/12/2024 - 21:47 by 1 other user

I went to purchase a Nintendo switch.

I have a Harvey Norman locally as do I have Officeworks etc at the time of purchase I would have had to go a distance to pick up one from Officeworks. That being said I approached the Harvey Norman for a price match the price that Officeworks had for $445 and they refused and said that was below cost. They also refused to state what cost was so I have no way of confirming that this is the case.

I could have done the 2 hour round trip to go to a store that had the stock available but I didn't have the time to spend doing that as I had a long list of things that needed to be done that day in preparation for Christmas

Why are they allowed to have a "Price match Guarantee" that has exclusions that basically allow Harvey Norman to in nearly every case refuse it. It seems a bit like false advertising to me.

They claim they won't be beaten on price but then say "we are all franchises so the rules don't apply to us" then in the next breath say that their costs and prices are higher because they don't have the buying power that shops like JB Hi-Fi or Offficeworks do. And that they will only order 5 from the supplier not 50 so they don't get the good prices.

What especially annoys me about this is that it was Harvey Norman who were the ones who kicked up a big stink about online shops making it hard to compete yet on the other hand they don't even try to compete.

Additionally, it seems they have been hit in the past for misleading conduct.

Generally, out of principle I have in the past refused to deal with Harvey Norman but in this case I really didn't have a choice.

Anyway, given their terms and conditions basically give them the an out for every circumstance that they don't price match, why is it ok for them to flash in every Tv commercial that they do when they know very well they don't. Granted they give a link in the commercial to the terms and conditions that show there is an out for every circumstance however I just don't think you should be allowed to flash advertising that you will do something then in the fine print say that they actually won't. Also given there is no transparency surrounding their cost pricing I think it's very easy for them to say that its below cost when they actually just don't want to price match

Additionally stores like The Good Guys are also franchises and they don't seem to have any issues price matching, so I am a little perplexed as to why these issues are exclusive to Harvey Norman stores.

Simply put customers with positive experiences will give good feedback through word of mouth. I know I will be telling people I know to be careful dealing with Harvey Norman and I know that a family member was actually thinking of buying a new TV there and are now going to avoid them so I know for a fact that this experience has cost them more than the few dollars that they made extra on a Nintendo they sold me.

Gaming Game Console Nintendo

Related Stores

Harvey Norman
Harvey Norman

Comments

  • AndyC1 on 28/12/2024 - 09:34
    +2

    HN cost is BS. It is actual cost + marketing % + Gerry tax % + rent + wages + very small profit %, so HN cost is not the real cost, but cost so as not to make a loss.

    • gromit on 28/12/2024 - 09:46
      +2

      while I would never support HN, that is how all businesses calculate cost… except those on a fast track to bankruptcy.

  • Seaeagles on 28/12/2024 - 09:43

    Common knowledge that you don’t shop at Hardly Normal unless everyone else is out of stock or you don’t have time to wait or drive 5 minutes further.

    I went to buy a printer at there once as my partner was buying something from a store next door. While she was there I went into Harvey.
    JB had the printer on special for $120 and I asked Harvey Norman if they could price match it as they had it for $225.
    They said no we can’t drop the price as we have a $40 cash back offer from the manufacturer, I should buy it from them as JB aren’t offering a cash back.
    I said I wasn’t interested in a $40 cash back and it works out $65 dearer from your store. They kept going on but you’re getting $40 as a bonus from us.
    Its very rare for them to have the lowest price or even attempt to price match, I don’t think I have purchased anything from them in over 15 years, if they have been cheaper I’ve had no problem getting a better price elsewhere.

    • AssociatedHardlyNormal @ Harvey Norman on 28/12/2024 - 11:32
      +1

      no idea why the salesperson kicked a fuss over the cashback, he isn’t losing commission over it as the brand is funding it. i would’ve matched it with cashback. win-win!

  • Adz81 on 28/12/2024 - 10:39
    -3

    JFC.

    All the time spent going to HN of all (profanity) places, then writing this whinging (profanity) essay bitching about lack of price match… Why the (profanity) wouldn't you just buy from the place already offering it at a good price rather than supporting HN?

    Grade A Assclownery right there.

  • AssociatedHardlyNormal @ Harvey Norman on 28/12/2024 - 11:05
    -1

    Hey mate, if you were in VIC, i would 100% match this offer as taking a small profit hit, gaining your business and taking officeworks’ business is far better than refusing a price match on a product that makes no money anyway. This franchisee is a dumb dumb and should learn from this, especially considering it seems that you went to great lengths to get this product.

    • BendBridge on 28/12/2024 - 12:25
      +1

      I stopped shopping at Harvey Norman after discovering that a "brand new" item I purchased was missing an important piece. On another occasion, I saw a customer return a laptop because it didn’t include a charger. It still amazes me how such things could happen.

      • AssociatedHardlyNormal @ Harvey Norman on 28/12/2024 - 17:15
        -1

        i’m definitely guilty of selling a (knowingly) displayed monitor and forgetting to include the power cable hahaha
        Every person and retailer makes mistakes like these, just human error.
        We sell ring doorbells which claim they include certain screws in the box, but upon opening they dont include these. doesn’t help that ring has no AUS support and are just sold to us through a third party distributor.

        • BendBridge on 29/12/2024 - 09:59

          I have installed numerous Ring security cameras and doorbells, and I have NEVER encountered any missing screws. If anything, they often include extra screws. With all due respect, I find your claim difficult to believe. To all the OZbargainers who have purchased Ring doorbells, how many of you have experienced missing screws?

          • AssociatedHardlyNormal @ Harvey Norman on 29/12/2024 - 12:02

            @BendBridge: i know this claim to be true as we opened every single sealed box of a specific model to find missing security screws, it was for a staff member aswell.

          • Purp on 30/12/2024 - 08:50

            @BendBridge: I'm sure the retail store will have a much larger sample size than your numerous installs

    • JimmyF on 28/12/2024 - 13:13
      +2

      So the story is true, HN refused to hold up its price matching policy then?

      • AssociatedHardlyNormal @ Harvey Norman on 28/12/2024 - 17:08
        -1

        Switches are tricky as we sell them very close to cost price, any price change could be argued as a ‘significant change’ to pricing as switches rarely change in price apart from big sale periods, and the fact that a sale like what OW has is significant relative to the cost price and RRP.
        but regardless, they should’ve done it.

        • JimmyF on 28/12/2024 - 17:18
          +2

          Switches are tricky as we sell them very close to cost price

          While this might be true, the store/chain does have a policy, so if OW can do that price, then HN should as well.

  • Poor Ass on 28/12/2024 - 11:25

    Manager at Kedron JB also have refused to price match one time assuming it'll make the sales figures look bad

    Instead referred me to a nearby JB store where they would price price (and they did)

    Not sure what to think

    • Yummy on 28/12/2024 - 16:16
      +1

      Don't think. Take his advise & head to JB… wait what?

      • Poor Ass on 29/12/2024 - 01:38

        Bruce Lee don't think?

  • pegaxs on 28/12/2024 - 11:54
    +3

    F#%K Harvey Norman and everything they stand for. Buy it from Officeworks. They offered the best price, so reward them for having the lowest price. Don’t reward a store for “matching”. This is lazy marketing.

    Unless a place does a price “beat”, don’t use them for matches. I’ve never understood why people do a price “match” and then reward the lazy ass store with with their business.

    • Wiser on 15/01/2025 - 11:11

      Couple of reasons
      They may have a gift card to use.
      The closest store you can easily get to.

  • bazingaa on 28/12/2024 - 12:05

    try used one from Ebay, they are pretty cheap, I got one for $200 about a year ago with all case, sdcard etc

  • Jono05 on 28/12/2024 - 13:00
    -3

    So how much time did you waste crying about on here? No sales person owes you anything. You asked for a price match and they refused so move on. Did you ask what was the best price they could do? Might have been only $10 extra.

    • [Deactivated] on 28/12/2024 - 13:56
      -2

      i don't care that they didn't do it. what i care about and is clear from my post and comments that they are advertising something they don't and have no intention to do. Im actually a little surprised that people on here are so numb to that. at what point did false advertising become so acceptable in our society?

      • Jono05 on 28/12/2024 - 15:23
        -2

        I haven’t had any problems getting deals or price matches from them. So therefore your comment is not factual.

  • EFC94 on 28/12/2024 - 13:36

    I didn't read past the first sentence, but why not just buy it from Officeworks? You can avoid the driving part by just paying an extra $15 or so in postage. You'd probably spent close to that in fuel anyway, but now you have the bonus of not needing to leave your house.

    • [Deactivated] on 28/12/2024 - 13:53
      -6

      I recommend reading the whole post before commenting because this question was answered in the original post and in subsequent follow up comments.

      • EFC94 on 28/12/2024 - 14:49

        I just read it all, it wasn't answered in the original post and you partly mentioned it in a reply to someone. I mean if you're leaving it till a couple of days before Christmas to decide what to buy your partner can I suggest trying to be a little more organised. I appreciate Christmas is a very busy time of year. Officeworks also have a 2 hour delivery option for most products, you could try that next time or even try going to JB, EB Games or similar. You're making this much more of a drama than it really is.

        • [Deactivated] on 28/12/2024 - 14:58
          -8

          im really not to be honest. I think its people on this forum that are trying to drag drama into the mix where there really isnt any.

          and it was answered sufficiently, this is starting to delve into areas that are not anyone's business to be honest. yes i did already have a gift planned however the partner said what they really wanted that night. i went out first thing the next morning to get it. or are you wanting me to list all the things i had planned to give family members and a second by second account of what I was doing that day so you could judge me a little more. there are a lot of things that i purchased food wise too that could not have been done sooner.

          I don't have a Cristal ball that will tell me the future so i really cant see how you can argue that with a straight face.

          I went to the local shop that had it in stock. they provide a price match guarantee. they didn't honer that. its false advertising it. fairly simple to be honest. the 2 hour delivery option you mention is for your local shop not from one across the other side of brisbane.

    • Jono05 on 28/12/2024 - 15:24
      +3

      If he bought it from officeworks, he wouldn’t be able to whinge about it on Ozb.

  • Subere on 28/12/2024 - 14:37
    +8

    Do what I do and ignore every bargain that has HN as the store.
    He's scum and doesn't deserve your business.
    Between the job keeper money, and forcing GST on overseas and digital! sales a decade ago I haven't shopped there since.

  • [Deactivated] on 28/12/2024 - 14:55
    +1

    unfortunately OP as scummy as it might be, clearly states in the their price match FAQ page…

    What are the exclusions?

    Offers which include cash back, bonus, bulk purchase, quantity limits or packages.
Pricing with included delivery or installation.
Offers not available to the general public - including trade, special event, club or membership offers.
Clearance, seconds, refurbished, ex-demonstration or display products.
Products shipped from or sold by third-party sellers on marketplace, auction or classifieds websites.
Products supplied through unauthorised distributors (known as 'grey market' items) or delivered directly to customers from an overseas distributor.
Pricing errors.
**Products with pricing set significantly lower than the recommended retail price or market value.**
    • Dan_ on 30/12/2024 - 10:40
      +1

      significantly lower than the recommended retail price

      So every single item sold at HN then?

      The ACCC should force them to stop advertising a price guarantee and publicly acknowledge their underhandedness.

  • [Deactivated] on 28/12/2024 - 15:04
    -2

    "Products with pricing set significantly lower than the recommended retail price or market value."

    as i mentioned before its not significantly below market value because market value is the tally of what everyone else is selling it for. "significantly" is a form of weasel word that has no definition in a dolar value so it basically lacks trensperency and allows them to refuse anything.

    My point is it shouldn't be and any reasonable person would believe (and that is the test when it comes to legal proceedings) that the price match guarantee is a guarantee. deliberately putting in a clause that allowed them to refuse the offer in all cases should not be allowed especially given harvey norman are usually far more expensive in nearly all cases.

    additionally $50 is not really significantly lower. $200 would be significantly

    • [Deactivated] on 28/12/2024 - 16:34

      this has been linked multiple times and i have addressed my issues with it multiple times, in fact your actually commenting on my addressing this exact thing so you either,
      1. didn't read anything i have said.
      or
      2. you are deliberately trying to troll.

      • CurlCurl on 28/12/2024 - 16:57
        +2

        this has been linked multiple times and i have addressed my issues with it multiple times, in fact your actually commenting on my addressing this exact thing so you either,
        1. didn't read anything i have said.
        or

        1. you are deliberately trying to troll.

        What? I was on your side. Now I don"t gives a rats.

        Go Harvey Norman.

        • Yummy on 28/12/2024 - 17:14
          +1

          Go Harvey Norman.

          Not recommended, but I've + you for redirection effort.

          OP hasn't stop whining yet. OP needs chill pills.

      • CurlCurl on 28/12/2024 - 18:50

        I didn't neg you. You're not worth me wasting a neg on.

  • Leeroy Jenkins on 28/12/2024 - 16:43
    +3

    Geez mate you still go to these scumbags for things?

    After that GST thingy, I was done with them.

    I've not given them 1 cent since. They don't deserve my money.

    Plus their prices are pure robbery.

    • [Deactivated] on 28/12/2024 - 19:44

      well they are obviously still getting enough money from the public to stay afloat because they are still going strong.

      • Protractor on 28/12/2024 - 19:52
        +1

        You'd be surprised how deep the stupid pool is.

      • CurlCurl on 28/12/2024 - 20:26
        +1

        well they are obviously still getting enough money from the public to stay afloat because they are still going strong.

        Harvey Norman shares. $4.71.

        JB-HF shares. $96.62.

        • vorsprung on 28/12/2024 - 22:23
          +1

          If you’re going to compare how the market values each company you should be looking at market cap, not share price. You’re still right, but they’re close.

          HVN $6bn
          JBH $10bn

          • bcYield on 29/12/2024 - 03:19

            @vorsprung: Amazon robbed all the share? xD

          • CurlCurl on 29/12/2024 - 10:28
            +1

            @vorsprung:

            If you’re going to compare how the market values each company you should be looking at market cap, not share price. You’re still right, but they’re close.

            HVN $6bn
            JBH $10bn

            Would the reason be that HVN own a lot of their stores?

  • typhoonadventure on 28/12/2024 - 17:17
    +2

    I purcahsed two laptops from harvey norman gepps X, acer nitro's.

    Had no end of issues with them, this isn't the first time having issues with harveys. First wrong model supplied, wrong model advertised so on and so on.

    Then the overheating issues started which ended in Acer admitting the entire nitro series has heating issues and directed us to harveys for a refund.

    Who decided that despite acer advising that the series is a crapshoot of luck as to how long a laptop lasts, let alone can stay on for, that we should get a full refund.

    Harvey's at Gepps decided they knew better than the manufacturers and wanted to send them off. Upon reading tons of feed back seems that sending it off is code for lets waste some time and see if you go away as it's going to come back saying its fine.

    Long story short, never got refund, never got gift cards for inconvenience promised by the computer manager and they just kept fluffing us around until the warranty ran out.

    Harvey are fing scum.

    • AssociatedHardlyNormal @ Harvey Norman on 28/12/2024 - 20:14
      -5

      if either the laptop is 30 days old, or acer gave you a claim number stating that the laptop was faulty, then the store can just swap/refund. if that didnt happen, we need to send off to get the fault verified.
      if the laptops are heating up without any issues with performance, then theres no fault. if they are bottlenecking/crashing directly due to thermals, then its faulty.
      nitros are the most basic gaming laptops, definitely can’t ask their thermals to be top notch.
      if you ask for the gift cards promised then you should get them…

      • Typical16-bitEnjoyer on 29/12/2024 - 12:37
        +2

        definitely can’t ask their thermals to be top notch

        Ever heard of fit for purpose?

        Get out of here with your ridiculous Gerry boot licking.

        • AssociatedHardlyNormal @ Harvey Norman on 29/12/2024 - 12:58
          -3

          if it’s thermal throttling and performance is horrible, of course customer is entitled to a remedy of their choice. If the computer runs as expected for its mobile specifications, and doesn’t thermal throttle on reasonable tasks, then it’s fit for purpose. im just speaking on face value as every laptop is different.

          • Typical16-bitEnjoyer on 29/12/2024 - 13:03
            +3

            @HardlyNormal: Wow, I actually feel like I'm wasting my time in a HN store in real life.

            Deflecting and straw man all in one paragraph. Surprised you didn't try and upsell a $129 HDMI cable.

  • Bluto Mindpretzel on 28/12/2024 - 18:16
    +1

    I approached the Harvey Norman

    That was your first mistake.

  • Emcaljoe on 28/12/2024 - 18:55
    +1

    Only discovered it recently but first liquor price match is pretty good. Always match Dan Murphy which is 40km away, no questions asked.

  • Protractor on 28/12/2024 - 19:52
    +4

    I thought that admitting you fed Gerry was an automatic expulsion from Ozbargain?

    • payless69 on 31/12/2024 - 10:50

      All the dog lovers here feel so sad that his falsly named dog has lost on of them glittery stones.

  • Empharand on 28/12/2024 - 19:58
    +1

    That being said I approached the Harvey Norman

    That was your first mistake..

  • mding on 28/12/2024 - 20:12

    HN's price match guarantee is pretty much a waste of time due to the their clauses. I tried to price match a switch game with bigw as i had a giftcard to use - declined due to below cost price they say.

  • Miss B on 28/12/2024 - 22:18
    +1

    Seems like Gerry's next project based on these comments will be doubling GST for all stores except HN, because it's not fair that other stores are more efficient.

    I'll click and collect clearance items from them if they're cheap enough, but wouldn't shop there otherwise.

    The stores I have been to have done things like putting up sale signs, but no sale pricing, because they "hadn't had a chance" (near the end of a 3 day sale). Back when they did the $30 Telstra sims for $5 they manually overrode the price and made it $30, they made a big show of checking the price online when I told them it should be $5 and generously gave it to me for that price. I didn't realise they didn't do change of mind returns years ago like every other large retailer. They were generous enough to provide a refund after berating me for a few minutes and telling me I was stupid for buying the wrong item for what I needed, when their salesperson had told me it was what I needed - they were sure to tell me how great they were for giving me a refund when they didn't have to as well (which is not true because they had lied and it didn't do what they said). Claiming to not have stock of a TV on sale, but conveniently having one for double the price from a worse brand. Trying to upsell all the 1000% mark up cables and things and lying about what they can do.

    I'd say it could just be a few of the franchises, but this sort of thing has been fairly consistent and also seems consistent with how Gerry would like things run.

    Having said that, ordering via click and collect has not been an issue. I just try not to spend any extra time there so I don't have to hear their salespeople.

  • spixder on 29/12/2024 - 00:02
    -2

    No idea why you're copping suck flak when you have a pretty good reason to complain, I mean they should have told you what cost was. Most likely that the commission that the salesman would have gotten would be close fk all, doubt the price was even below cost. Regardless just don't shop at a HN, I haven't walked in to their store in over 10 years. Bloody good reasons why.

    • belongsinforums on 29/12/2024 - 11:42

      These kinds of forum posts attract no lifers who just want to shit on people, even when they're doing something with good intentions

  • dealbreaker on 29/12/2024 - 00:29
    +1

    Op i agree with you that if HN advertise a lowest price guarantee as a main point of difference the they should honor it if its an advertised sale at officeworks. Its not some online dodgy site. Your allowed to be pissed. I doubt the situation will ever change but if noone complains it certainly wont.

  • haemolysis on 29/12/2024 - 01:51
    +2

    Deceptive advertising. By including ambiguous phrases in their terms they’re basically saying “we promise to price match - well.. unless we don’t want to, of course.” If you can’t compete with other stores, then don’t claim that you promise to do so, or just take the odd loss now and again: it’s really that simple.

    However, stores like this will only continue to get away with it when customers protect them from backlash. Why didn’t you name the store location? Stop protecting a dodgy franchisee. Name and shame - include the store location.

    • 2025 on 29/12/2024 - 08:45
      +2

      Stop protecting a dodgy franchisee

      This!

      With several apologists who seem to think it’s ok for this store to advertise and promote price matching, then refuse to do it, it’s no wonder they feel they can get away with being deceitful and dishonest.

      We have a commenter associated with HN letting us all know they personally would do the price match, helping to demonstrate that the item wasn’t below cost and the OP was lied to by his local store.

      Honesty, integrity, and simply following their own written words should be expected from any retailer, and it’s unfortunate that a few commenters believe this is optional and that it is OPs problem for expecting that.

      • AssociatedHardlyNormal @ Harvey Norman on 29/12/2024 - 12:09
        -1

        i think i miswrote what i said, the switch price match is definitely below cost, but is worth it to take the business for future purchases from that customer and giving them an overall good experience

  • Davo1111 on 29/12/2024 - 04:55
    +3
    1. You shouldn't go to HN ever
    2. Don't price match, award the original retailer
    3. Contact the ACCC, but be aware it's a statistical company. "Oh we got 48 calls this week about HN, we should look into that"
    4. Move on with your life
  • druex on 29/12/2024 - 08:36
    +3

    Stop giving Gerry Harvey your time and money.

  • serpserpserp on 29/12/2024 - 09:02

    You should write a letter to Gerry and see what he does. Good luck.

    • Empharand on 29/12/2024 - 20:49

      It will make him cry and he'll use the stolen COVID relief funds (that were meant to go to the HN employees) to wipe away the tears!

      He's called dodgy Gerry for a reason!

  • Sidog on 29/12/2024 - 09:13

    Probably should have just waited for the Switch 2 at this point 🤷🏻‍♂️

  • JediNite77 on 29/12/2024 - 10:00

    We had an instance a few years ago, where we saw HN promoting a TV at a really good price and unfortunately by the time we went in to get it, we missed the promo by a day or two. Thought it is worth a shot anyways. They refused to price match what it was or even come close. We looked up online (while I was in the store) and found an online store offering the same price HN had two days prior and they would not match, so walked out and ordered it online instead. We had the TV delivered to us 2 days later. Their Price Match Guarantee is a crock of $h!t.

    • AssociatedHardlyNormal @ Harvey Norman on 29/12/2024 - 12:38
      -1

      TV’s are a unique one because their RRP and sales prices are quite drastic and funding for these sales is direct from the manufactuer. there could be a chance that either it was WAY below cost when using the sale price after it ended, or possibly the salesperson was butt hurt because they wouldve made way more than that.
      would definitely recommend speak to the franchisee next time if something like this happens, as they are thinking from a business perspective and care more about every single customer.

      • JediNite77 on 29/12/2024 - 15:25

        Thanks for the response. In this case, definitely think it was a manufacturer promotion that was why it had the price it had and the online seller just happened to run the promotion for a few extra days then what HN did.

  • bigbadboogieman on 29/12/2024 - 10:34
    +1

    That's "Hardly Normal" standards…what do you expect?

  • AssociatedHardlyNormal @ Harvey Norman on 29/12/2024 - 12:32
    -5

    it seems like a lot of you have had bad experiences with HN franchises, I’d be more than happy to hear anyone’s stories to see what and why things have happened from our point of view.

    But will definitely say that not all stores are the same, i know plenty of good and bad franchisees, whether some hate price matching or love it etc.

    • Typical16-bitEnjoyer on 29/12/2024 - 12:40
      +6

      Ah yes, the good ol' shift the blame to franchisees. Never HN's fault. Ever.

      • AssociatedHardlyNormal @ Harvey Norman on 29/12/2024 - 12:51
        -4

        when its individual cases of price matches being refused etc, yes it is the franchise’s blame. they are the one who hold the ABN for the business. if you get a bad job from Jim’s mowing or a cold burger from Maccas, you dont go blaming the head office for that. you can definitely write a complaint through our website (which every Harvey Norman General Manager, including John Slack-Smith (our COO) gets CC’d in) if you want head office to hear it and have something done about it.

        Im telling you, once you experience a franchise that REALLY gives a shit about customers, you never go to another retailer again.

        • Typical16-bitEnjoyer on 29/12/2024 - 13:06
          +3

          They hold the ABN for the business due to a convoluted one sided archaic franchise model to off load any responsibility and risk from HN.

          Do the franchisees get to decide where to operate? What catalogue stock to order? How about when a franchisee gets the 60 day tap on the shoulder and gets told to go to Darwin after running a store in Melbourne? Do they have a say? No. They're fake bosses. Just like every dodgy franchise.

          Get real. You're really deep in the HN Kool aid.

          • AssociatedHardlyNormal @ Harvey Norman on 29/12/2024 - 13:33

            @Typical16-bitEnjoyer: the responsibility and risk is actually more towards Harvey Norman than you think.
            They need to appoint the right people to the right stores. and when they dont? a certain VIC franchise recently recorded a stock loss north of $350K. That franchisee obviously got the boot, however as they never needed to buy in to the franchise and got paid a very generous flat pay + 50/50 profit split + phone and car allowance, that whole loss is worn on Harvey Norman Holdings. Thats risk.

            im happy to run around circles talking about franchise agreements, however im just here to explain deals and support the company I work for.

            • dylo on 30/12/2024 - 04:18
              +4

              @HardlyNormal: So you're telling us poor HN had to pay for their employee's devices in order for him to do his job? Won't somebody please think of poor Gerry!

    • JimmyF on 29/12/2024 - 12:57
      +3

      it seems like a lot of you have had bad experiences with HN

      You could have stopped there. Basically your 'boss' aka owner is a scum bag, like forcing GST on overseas sales to protect his dying business.

      How about HN gives back the job keeper money in full and then we can start to talk? I bet the old bastard hasn't given a cent back, even after promising to give some back.

    • vorsprung on 29/12/2024 - 13:15

      My personal bad experience was working there for 4 years.

    • 2025 on 29/12/2024 - 13:53

      I’ve been curious - when I got a fridge a year or two ago for a couple of grand, he insisted that we take a grossly overpriced surge power board for free, I said no, don’t need it, we have a central surge protector in the fuse box, then he insisted that we take a terribly priced $299 cutting board for free, and on the receipt the fridge was marked down by the price of the cutting board, and the board was full price. It want a bad experience per se, it just left me wondering WTH.

      • AssociatedHardlyNormal @ Harvey Norman on 29/12/2024 - 14:04

        surges destroying appliances are rare, i’ve never seen any myself but have heard of them. as long as the house already has protection then don’t worry. definitely salesperson being salesperson.
        about the cutting board, there may be a bonus for them including it on the invoice.

  • T1OOO on 29/12/2024 - 12:46
    +2

    This is what happens when people in charge don’t really take their responsibilities seriously or think things through. Some just don’t follow the rules and end up abusing their power. It’s kinda like the police sometimes—they only focus on the short-term and don’t see the bigger picture. They don’t realise (or care) that their actions can hurt their own chances of survival down the line. They think they’re "winning" but really, they’re not.

    I haven’t been to a Harvey Norman in about 10 years for this exact reason. Had a bad run-in with a “manager” who honestly seemed like they were just winging it. Felt like dealing with someone who never really grew up, and it was frustrating.

    The whole “lowest price” slogan is supposed to attract more customers, right? But sometimes you’ve gotta spend a bit more (maybe out of your marketing budget) to keep people happy. They don’t seem to get this, and instead, they end up pushing people away.

  • Daddy Chill on 29/12/2024 - 13:15
    +1

    Gerry is the scum of the earf

  • matt1234 on 29/12/2024 - 18:00

    Every single price match guarantee advertised anywhere always has loophole and T&Cs to avoid stupidity like this.
    Examples, EB don't price match hardware - only games, office works excludes clearance products, JB excludes bundles and coupons, many stores exclude online matching or include shipping costs in the price match or exclude grey market imports…etc, etc….

    It's not rocket science - always read the T&Cs.

    • [Deactivated] on 29/12/2024 - 18:54

      And thats fair enough however from a buisiness perspective that transparency can come across in a positive way. taking a slight loss on a product or at the very least being transperrent about it would have potentially resulted in my future business. I will give you a scenario that played out just today. Our lounge room TV has a failing backlight causing the image to flash. it has ticked me off enough that i said to the partner today we need to replace the tv. Harvey Norman have the samsung Q60D for $1344 plus $59 delivery.

      https://www.harveynorman.com.au/samsung-65-inch-q60d-qled-4k…

      The good guys had it for the same price didn't quote delivery I imagine it costs similar.

      https://www.thegoodguys.com.au/samsung-65-inches-q60d-4k-qle…

      I refused business to Harvey Norman today even with their price being slightly cheaper and instead went with another business who price matched them and gave it to me for $1334 with $51 delivery and they are delivering it tomorrow. that is business i would have given Harvey Norman if they had come to the table. im not saying they had to offer me the same price but they could have come part way.

      And to be honest even if this company didnt price match it i would have still bought it at their price of $1444, why? because I have a far better experience buying from them.

      why didnt i buy from The Good Guys you may ask? I had thought about it but then i remembered the last experience i had buying with them about 3 months ago. the transaction itself went ok but when i stepped out the front of their building (not my local one) i was putting money back in my wallet after purchasing a bunch of things for my coffee machine, a gust of wind blew about $80 worth of notes under the sports car parked next to mine in their car park. I asked them if they knew who owned the car they said rudely they didnt know, I asked if they had a broom or mop or something i could use to pull my cash back out from under the car, they said "no" well there was nothing i could do about it. the car was directly in front of the building they could see it from the front. anyway i decided to move my car out of the way and wait a bit to see if the owner of that car came back and not long after moved the car i saw one of their staff come to that car with a broom and pulled the money out from under the car.
      BS like that is what leaves me sour taste in my mouth dealing with a company.

      • AssociatedHardlyNormal @ Harvey Norman on 29/12/2024 - 20:05

        the baffling thing aswell is after all backend rebates post purchase etc, these tv’s sell at avg 25% profit.

      • MorriJ on 29/12/2024 - 21:21

        Well that was silly.

        You could have bought this from the store to get your notes back:
        https://www.thegoodguys.com.au/karcher-window-vac-extension-…

        You could then promptly returned it under their change of mind terms. Carefully reading store terms would have meant you would have known you would have 30 days to return it provided you didnt rip off tags / damage it and kept it in resalable condition.

      • Drewbo on 30/12/2024 - 15:28

        Did you confront that staff member and retrieve your cash?

  • kaleidoscope on 29/12/2024 - 20:45

    Mixed experiences at HN for me… last time i had incident where one store (distant) had discounted price, when i went to purchase the item from store nearest to me on a later day (discount was still on), the floor staff called the other store to inform them of a mistake in pricing 🤷‍♂️

    since that day however i have not set foot on their stores 🤪 (not because of that incident, but didn’t have a need or had any sales i was interested on)

  • greatlamp on 29/12/2024 - 22:10

    OP this is what you need to do:
    1. Copy/paste this post as a review on Google maps
    2. Attach an image of your ACCC claim/form or similar

    Google maps users won't read every review but some are likely to flip through the photos on the location listing - they will see an image of a complaint form and will then read your review.

    Expect the franchise to respond with a template message, usually asking you to contact them.

    I've also seen some stores respond to negative Google reviews by review bombing with positive (fake) reviews to drown out negative ones.

  • Wiser on 30/12/2024 - 08:22

    I don't think any governing body will intervene on price matching.
    Price matching policies always comes with their own coveats.

  • netsurfer on 30/12/2024 - 09:54

    Harvey Norman's price match guarantee is limited to stores that retail store feels like price matching. It's always been like that. 10+ years ago, when I asked Harvey Norman to price match MSY, the store staff flat out said they don't price match MSY.

    More recently, I asked a Harvey Norman store to price match The Good Guys, the store refused and the staff said can't price match, buy it from The Good Guys.

    Furthermore, it is inconsistent between stores because they are franchise stores. I had a store willing to price match but have limited quantities. I went to another Harvey Norman store wishing to buy more and that other store refused to price match.

    There is a reason people refer to HVN as Hardly Normal.

  • Kiro on 30/12/2024 - 11:08
    +1

    My local HN price matches anytime prices drop from the jbbhifi 100m away.
    I have even gotten better deals at HN in some cases and yeah, I've had no complaints.

  • mdell95 on 30/12/2024 - 16:32

    Dont think it effects the Salesperson when they match a price but very strange they point blank declined it just because it was "below cost".
    The only clause i can see they might pull is "Products with pricing set significantly lower than the recommended retail price or market value."
    But its not an unreasonably high discount.

    • vorsprung on 30/12/2024 - 20:33
      +1

      No doubt it varies by Franchisee, but when I worked there selling things below cost meant taking a hit on your commission. Commission was 10% of profit across your sales over the week. Making one sale $40 below cost effectively meant $4 docked from your pay.

      Before you ask, you couldn’t just “unassign yourself” from the sale. You had to take the good with the bad and you could only try your best to recover a bad sale by upselling accessories or extended warranty etc.

      • jason101 on 01/01/2025 - 05:12

        This is the answer. Is Gerry, the franchise owner or the salesperson in the wrong? Probably. But if you’re the salesperson who is personally penalised for upholding a company policy, would you do it to help out a random who’s itching for a fight and it’s days before Xmas?

        The corporate methodology here is actually pure (evil) genius.

  • curryblender on 30/12/2024 - 16:47

    I avoid hardly normal like a plague, saw a tv which they were selling for $1299 last month, paid $1,329 elsewhere but won’t give them my dollar.

    My partner was wondering why I didn’t buy as I’m a true ozbargainer but in Hardly normals case I’ll always be happy to put my badge down and walk into another deal.

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