Why is Australia ripped off so much, and we accept it?

[Winnie]

I've got supercrap and bursons next door to each other and repco just across the road, it's great. Got a mate who works at repco so price is always good there

If you're happy and you know it tap a post!

[mudnut]

We lost our Holden Dealer and Our Ford/Nissan dealer in one blow, because a bloke bought both then reckoned they weren't profitable, so he shut both shops. Many jobs lost and choice of suppliers in town, halved. The Holden dealers parts manager had years of knowledge and was able to get hold of any hard to source part for just about any vehicle.

[taslucas]

What annoys me about trying to shop local is that theres plenty of businesses that simply import items from the internet, put a markup on them and sell them on.
I got a pertronix for my mate from a Melbourne pertronix stockist. They cost $70 more than the authorised US seller and sent us the wrong one!
A few weeks later I bought another identical pertronix fir my self from the US dealer and saved $70......
Now I'm all for supporting local shops but Im not just going pay people for buying off the net and reselling at a profit!!!
My boss organised to purchase a reco gearbox from a company in Hobart. He was going to drive down and get it(a few hours). They told him there's an 8 week wait. When he asked why, they Saud it's because they import them from a company in the US.... They even told him the company! So ofcourse he rang the US company and organised his own gearbox sent to his door QUICKER AND CHEAPER!? What extra service would he have got for the extra dollars?? None.......

FanTapstic!

[GQPorkroll]

Yes agree with a lot of posts here.

I'm restoring a 69 Yamaha scooter. Went into local Yammie dealer with part numbers I needed (like a full rebuild kit plus other stuff) was quoted over $1000 on the bits he could be bothered to find. Went online to bike bandit and got every single part, $50 postage, $320 for the whole order with extra bits like stickers and badges and stuff.

I try not to be too hard on the supercreeps staff, most of them are just young kids looking for any job, but the managers and senior staff should have spare parts training.

We don't order any parts off the net simply because it's too big of a risk if there is a warranty or a fault. We use suppliers we can go back on (and even then they can be bloody idiots) if there is an issue. Try talking to an eBay supplier 6mo after purchase and saying there's a problem!

It does get me frustrated because as a country, we're being ripped off and we are happy enough to sit back and do nothing. Car companies are complaining they can't sell a local product, but the government is forcing them to pay unskilled labourers massive amounts to do menial tasks, where as in china they do it for next to nothing. If our wages were in line with the job performed, and the average wage was reduced, people could afford more employees, and make better products.

Did you know that McD's, KFC, Dominos etc have agreements with Govt to pay under award wages due to amount of people employed, but Subway, for example, a small privately run franchise has to pay award wage. Not really fair.

I dunno about McD being cheap, it's like $4.50 for a Big Mac. But, again, because of media, plus it's image, people go there rather than to a shop with proper food,

[Drew]

Coz we ain't too bright is why


“The best way to cheer yourself is to cheer somebody else up.” - Albert Einstein

[GQPorkroll]

You're right, Drew. The government wants a nation of dummies. In a few years, we won't be able to make anything, or fix anything. Everything is disposable from furniture to cars, in the earlier days, it would have be re-used, re engineered, fixed, rebuilt, or sold to someone else. Now days if a chair breaks, it's thown out, and a new one bought, mainly because people don't know how to use a drill and a spanner and fix it. I bought a $1750 designer bed for $20 because one thread was stripped. I strengthened it and added nuts and bolts. $20 fix, a few hours and it was like brand new. He went and financed a $3000 bed because it must be better, right?

[mudski]

A girl came in for an air filter for her Pulsar. Repco $48, Supercheap, $79 (and those two shops are side by side) we had one for $12.95 same brand. $60 odd dollars difference. She bought it and vowed to never go back in there.

A lady wanted wiper blades. Gave her a price of $10 and she asked how much for fitting. Nothing. Ill throw them on, only take a minute. She told me SC wanted $35 a side for the blades and $15 PER SIDE to fit!! Wiper blades, for fuck sake.

Not arguing the point but I can't see the filters being the same brand with such a massive price difference.
Plus SC have at every shop a sign saying $2 to fit wiper blades, so I think that lady misunderstood. Also she would have been quote the $35 for the blade assembly, not the blade itself. I have the national contract for the Supercheap group so I see these shops probably 5 times a week. Plus I worked in the spare parts industry for 18 years myself (up until three years ago) so there must be a mistake on the filter too. Sorry for the nit pick but that just doesn't add up...
But yes I do agree that we aussies do get ripped, hard. Look at diesel chips for instance, by a DP or equivalent and its minimum of $1300 straight up. I know for a fact it doesn't cost more than $60 to make. Put in the factor of R & D and it still doesn't sit right with me.
But at the end of the day, everyone has to make a coin or two. Do your research and you will save your coin or two....
On the plus side. If anyone wants new batteries, and you can travel to Campbellfield, Victoria, let me know. 15 plate Supercharge batteries cheaper than anywhere in Melbourne.

[taslucas]

Coz we ain't too bright is why


“The best way to cheer yourself is to cheer somebody else up.” - Albert Einstein

Yep..... people complain about jobs going over seas but then they buy cr@p from multinational companies.

But GQ porkroll, dont ever suggest we go down the path of china and india etc with super low wages that create a cuture of poverty. That would be a horrible country to live in!!

[threedogs]

Most other countries only keep cars for 3 yrs then change, as government make it too pricey to re register
They then unload them on to us as grey imports, there is an 8os toyota somewhere brand new rebadged as a nizmota[not true]
and runs a V6 [true]

[Drew]

Another thing is we all want a pay rise but nobody wants to pay for things made by those same people (us) coz it costs too much to buy.

It's like everybody wants the big $$$$ but nobody wants to pay for the goods or the taxes to pay for those $$$

Don't start me coz I'll have to get up on my soap box, but suffice to say it can't continue.


“The best way to cheer yourself is to cheer somebody else up.” - Albert Einstein