Hello - is anyone there?

[Dilo]

Harvey Norman are just turn the handle, suck the profit merchants these days. They care little about customer service or the truth. They will pretty well do anything for a sale.

I had 2 items on interest free and purchased a new digital camera and they added it to the interest free. I don't mind the interest free as I pay $total/months each month so its kind of reverse saving. I'd nenver want to pay the interest.

When my monitor died I wanted to add that onto the interest free also. I was told there wasn't an interest free sale due for the rest of the year (in May). The salesperson made a big song and dance about getting 12 months for me instead of 6. Turns out they lied as not only was there another interest free sale that weekend there has been one just about every weekend since.

I hate being lied to...and these will be the last products HN ever sells anyone in my family.

[topsi4]

I have not bought anything from HN for 10 years. When my daughter started Uni, we did the rounds looking for quotes on a computer to suit what she wanted. In the end, HN came up with the best price for the parts we wanted. So we rocked up to buy it and the assistant told us we couldn't have what we wanted for that price (yet it was written down for us.) We didn't argue, I grabbed my daughter and we walked out and haven't been back since.

In that 10 years, we've probably replaced every electrical and electronic item in the house plus most of our furniture, and they missed out on all those sales.

[ibast]

I went to HN recently to buy a couple of different electronic item. One was a wall mount phone and the other an electric mixer. I went to the counter and they charged my credit card. Then said I had to go to a different counter to buy the phone. Not only was this a waste of time but meant two charges on my credit card. To make matters worse the phone was not wall mount as advertised and I had to go to the hassle of taking back and get a different one. I may as well have bought the two items from the local flea market.

[Cas98]

Hardly Normal warranty policy: Concrete Warranty = Once your feet hit the concrete outside their store, Hardly Normal will NOT GIVE A DAMN about you...

About 1997, bought a printer at 9AM on a Saturday. 10Am called to ask the guy what the "dip switch" settings were on the working printer on display, informed to call Cannon on Monday.

Yep.. My feet had hit the concrete.. NEVER will buy from them again.

[den019019]

Harvery Norman Rockhampton is no better - believe me..... I bought a Microwave from them when we moved into our new house and 12 months and 1 day it stopped working - I called HN in Rocky explained that the Microwave died on me 1 day out of its warranty and if there was anything they could do. All I got was a flat no it was up the Manufacturer. I said yes I realise that, but are they likley to honour a warranty 1 day outside the period. Again all I got was that HN do not carry the warranty the manufacturer does, again I said I realised that. and so we went around in circles. When I expressed my disgust at they way I was being treated, the assistant put the phone down on me. I immediately called back and tried to speak to the manager, but he was busy and would call me back. Well it is now almost 2 years later and I am still waiting for his call. Needless to say I will not and have not purchased anything or will go near a Harvery Norman Store ever again.

[benton]

Are we talking about Harvey Norman here or Hardly Normal? I think the latter would be a more appropriate name

[mojo1964]

That's typical Harvey Norman, in reality there is no Harvey Norman, its just a name on a tin shed, with individual franchisee's, all with differing standards, "computerflyer" explains this well.

My experience with Harvey Norman was in Melbourne, after measuring and quoting on floor coverings, they reneged and would not do the job without increasing the price. I certainly used my feet, quick as I could to a smaller retailer who owned and ran the business; they quoted less than Harvey Norman on a superior product and stuck to it.

I will never waste my time again with any Harvey Norman, let alone set foot in one.

[rx8]

YES, What has happened to good old SERVICE!, if only stores woke up to the fact that SERVICE is the key to success.... I know I sound like I am preaching here.
When I was 16 many years ago one of my first jobs being at DAVID JONES (1970's), some may remember when there were actually "shop assistance" aplenty.
Today you can let a shotgun off in these stores and still no SERVICE.
I cringe at the way SA's treat their customers, in-fact I get extremely annoyed when I have to wait for an eternity to get noticed...GGRRR..
My local HN is similar salespeople more interested in doing nothing.

[derat]

I've found Dick Smith the same. Both can stand around chatting with other sales staff for a good 10-15 minutes sometimes while I look around.

What further raises my ire is when they see you walking with something and ask to help you with it and quickly print out a receipt. The receipt is linked to thier sales performance. The annoying part is that in this instance have done nothing. So i'll always throw the receipt away before I get to the counter.

The other one is to ignore you while you look in a cabinet, then help you just to get it out and immediately slap the little receipt into your hand. No way I am giving sales points or commission for pulling something out of a cabinet.

On the other hand, if they have helped me with a sale, answered some questions or such. I'm all for getting the receipt to credit them.

[computerflyer]

As with most franchises, the merchant (franchisee) buys a right to the name, advertising, and usually bulk purchasing discounts in return for paying a percent of gross.

The merchant is an independent business who has simply agreed to some franchise conditions that vary widely. Each franchise could be very different in customer satisfaction, professionalism, and anything else except the marketing umbrella.

The franchiser usually has no responsibility for the franchisee. The better franchisers will ask poor performing franchisees to raise their game - this is a spread sheet issue, not a customer satisfaction issue. The basis is that profitable franchises are doing OK, regardless of the odd unhappy customer. (No, I do not think that is good business, but it is how many operate.)

Franchisers are often too big to get involved in what they see as probably a "he said - she said" petty nit instigated by a pesky customer.

As for HN, in my sector of Melbourne there are a few, and I have not had a bad experience with any, and an excellent experience with more than 1. I patronise the better ones.

[lea77y]

vote with your feet and dont ever go back to HN. I certainly dont.

[Magdalena_Babblejack]

I went to Harvey Norman in Gladstone (Qld) to purchase a new microwave one Saturday in mid to late June. I had cash with me and was ready to buy.

Not realising that the store was closing in ten minutes, I made my way to the electrical goods section and had a quick look. I had a couple of questions, but there did not seem to be any staff available on the floor.

I noticed three staff members standing talking behind a counter on the other side of the room. I was about to make my way over to them, when one of them looked across at me and yelled out, "We're closing at 4pm." and then went back to chatting to her workmates.

There was no offer of assistance.

I stood there too stunned to speak...and then I simply became too angry to speak. Taking my cash with me, I exited the shop, stopping to express my disgust about their staff on the way out to two other employees on the checkouts.

This is not the first time I've been treated shabbily by staff at this store...but I can tell you now it will be the last! I won't be back EVER!

Quite a pathetic attitude if you ask me - these staff members should get a good kick in the backside!