Quote:
Originally Posted by mdgodf
Piece of mind and the availability of local support are more important measures then raw failure numbers…I’ve had warranty claims and more importantly repairs outside warranty but free of charge because of the Australia Nikon supplier wanting to maintain a relationship – something that is sadly missing in this “cheap as possible never mind the service” world.
“from Chinxxxx” Not at all, many things are well made from china. I like local support and service, the protection of our business infrastructure (as Eric set out) and prefer to support Australian businesses notwithstanding the country of origin of the goods – what comes around goes around. The only time I don't is when the item I want is not available locally.
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I often buy what I want by mail order from overseas.
If Australian retail prices were similar to those from overseas , I would buy locally , but the point is , unless I think warantee support is worth the extra expense (and it can mean several hundreds , even thousands of dollars), if the product is top quality you should not need ever to use the warantee , then I do not need or have any incentive to spend the extra $.
I never buy on an impulse, I specifically leave my wollet at home or under the seat in the car when I visit the shops (HND, Camerahouse, Tandy, DSE, fishing tackle shops) unless I plan on buying something specific.
I never carry my Mastercards on me - they are for emergencies ONLY.
I do my home work and am prepared to haggle , I should get a discount for cash too when I buy but try to ask for a discount for cash
, and I never ever buy camera or astronomy gear on the never never, I save for what I want - so since my money comes hard , I expect plenty of bang for the $ , therefore , I will buy overseas by mailorder.
Recently I bought an Atlux , and got a great deal despite buying locally (Had to buy locally because of Vixen's dealer rules - foreign dealers can not ship overseas !!! which is BS if you ask me , TeleVue , Meade and Celestron have similar restrictions).
Similarly with my 40D Enthusiast Kit.
Both bought locally BTW , but I haggled and managed to save several thousand dollars.
Did the same when I bought my brand spanking new Pajero in 1992 (still driving it - best car I ever had !!! done 296k and still going strong.
My tip is get several quotes by fax or email, and when you visit a dealer , show the best quote to them and ask if they can beat it , let them know right away when you show them the quote that if they can't beat it you will be out the door and wont be coming back, or if they beat it you are ready to buy , using cash or visa debit or efpos ,
right there and then , and always ask for the guy in charge (don't deal with the know nothing salesman who might be keen on preserving a commission), the GIC has the power to change prices.