I find that JB Hi-Fi is usually more expensive than the Good Guys (so I'm pretty bummed about JBHF potentially buying TGG as they plan to do in 2016) but usually cheaper than Harvey Norman, the now-defunct Dick Smith (no wonder they went out of business) and most other chains. I'm not a huge fan of the scattered warehouse motif that JB uses but I guess it works for them. The selection is fairly good and you can pretty much find whatever you're looking for.
This review was prompted by a particular incident in which my JB house brand (Soniq) TV broke after only 2 years. Switched it on one day and nothing happened. So I took it back to the store, since I had bought the extended warranty. They said it was finished and I would have to get a new one. The TV originally cost me $300.
Surprise! They don't make that model any more. The current version costs $400. Plus extended warranty for $100. What? I have to shell out an additional $100 to replace my TV that only lasted for 2 years, with another crappy TV of the same brand that will surely only last 2 more years? AND I have to pay 25% for a FREAKIN INSURANCE POLICY on my television??? Don't be ridiculous.
The manager said I could instead have a $300 store credit. Ok fine, but he wouldn't put that in writing, even though it's an option on the extended warranty on the original TV. He also wouldn't give me a receipt, or any kind of proof that I had dropped off my broken TV and had $300 to spend at the store. I said, fairly calmly I think, "So what if I want to come back and spend this money later?" to which he actually replied "Ask for me and I will remember you."
Yeah right.
I convinced him to let me take a picture on my phone of the repair/replace order and then I came back later to buy another TV (good thing I did this - that manager wasn't working on the day that I came back). In the end I got an incredible deal on a Samsung TV that was priced around $2000 at other stores but that was on some kind of clearance, so I got it for $1000 (minus the $300 store credit).
The net result is that I had a crappy TV that broke after 2 years, and then I had to pay $700 to replace it - but I got a pretty good deal on the new TV, so I guess let's call it a draw. The whole experience was pretty poor and I hope I don't have to go through that again. read more