I also bought Titebond, but Titebond 3, organoil hard burnishing oil and some decking paint. I got 10% + 5% trade discount for everything. Didn't bother with anything else.
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I also bought Titebond, but Titebond 3, organoil hard burnishing oil and some decking paint. I got 10% + 5% trade discount for everything. Didn't bother with anything else.
Checked the Masters website early tuesday morning, matched their prices to my list, factored in the 10% 'sale' discount...All looking good, headed out to Heatherbrae to Masters although three Bunnings are closer to my place. First item -piano hinges, website says $11 tag says $15.79! ! Same with push-latches, website $10 tag on the shelf $15, sanding sealer -website says $30 shelf price $35. Sales assistant checks the prices with his little scanner and says "Sorry mate, we don't have anything to do with the website...another mob has bought the shop and these are the prices we have to go by". False advertising!
Bye bye Masters. Never again. Went by the big green shed on the way home, spent $131 and saved about fifty.
Len, that's actionable. Fair Trading and/or ACCC don't give a toss who owns the stock. If they say it's 10% off then that will apply to the advertised web prices, regardless of what some guy in the store thinks. Otherwise shut down the website completely, not just partially as they have done.
Agree that the sale is not what it should be, given how much stock they have to move. Discounts will become bigger as the weeks go on. There are many who are disgruntled at this so-called firesale, and they are not parting with their readies as a result. See the other thread, "Masters no more".
put a complaint into the ACCC - they can't do anything about this sort of thing if they aren't told about it
https://www.accc.gov.au/consumers/co...umer-complaint
I would not bother with the ACCC by the time they begin any action the company will have been wound down and no entity left to face the music, just protest with your feet and walk away
When you go into masters. You should notice the sign in front of the return area that says something like all sales are final and the only returns you can have are those afforded by the consumer protection legislation. Looking a bit closer, you will find that their inventory is now owned by the Great American Group. So when we go in, we are no longer buying from the Woolworths group. Whether Woolworths will still stand behind the products on the shelves (which are now not theirs) is not clear at all. GAG is free to set their prices to any of their items and many items were actually cheaper before fire sale. Fasteners were 50% off, and is now 30% off the retail price. The web site does not reflect what GAG is selling. Beware when you go bargain hunting in there.
For all intent and purposes, Masters are gone already.
I would just like to thank those that have posted on this thread and the "Masters no more" thread. I had been planning on going to the Heatherbrae Masters for the Fire Sale but after reading the posted comments I put the kybosh on it. Talk about a con job. And to think I would have had to drive another 30km past the Bunnings store at Taylors Beach to get to Masters. A big thumbs up for the forum for the sharing of information.
Regards to all
Twoheds
Any chance of a screen shot of the "inventory is now owned by the great American Group" article, please....Quote:
Originally Posted by justonething
Woolies will still existQuote:
Originally Posted by China
and it's pretty negative to have a go at the regulator without at least telling them what the problem is
I'm really not sure what some of you guys were expecting in the first week of a 3+ month liquidation. Liquidations are about maximising returns. No doubt it will all make it down to 30% and beyond as the date approaches. The game is keeping your powder dry and hoping someone else doesn't buy it first!
Personally I'm keeping an eye on the Minwax finishes. I know most Bessey clamps won't last past 10% as I watched a guy come in and buy every last TPN screw clamp on the shelf (and up on the shelf in boxes). They were one of the few Masters items that were already cheaper than anywhere else in Oz...
Was in Masters at Adelaide Airport yesterday, 2 blokes were busy hanging a sale banner over the big 10% price beating sign outside.
Inside there were lots of signs at the cash registers about no refunds etc.
All wardrobe items were 30% off, I was checking this out for my son who has just purchased another house.
There were some other 30% off signs as well but can't remember what they were for.
No refunds is fair enough as long as it doesn't infringe on compulsory consumer law. If I was liquidating a business the last thing I would want is returns. They are trying to offload stock not build a business or reputation based on friendly store policies.
I agree there will not be really good discounts on most things. I was in masters over 2 months ago and an employee stated they were trying to get rid of anything high value and carry as little stuff as possible.
Bulky stuff like timber and outdoor settings will probably be discounted sooner rather than later. Brand name tools will be the last thing to be discounted.
Yeah i'm fully expecting all the clamps to be gone by the time the discounts get deep. I have a feeling people will just be buying the Bessey clamps at 10% off just because they're not readily stocked elsewhere in Perth.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike B
I'm just planning on stocking up on sandpaper belts and discs, PPE and possibly some drill bits and blades etc.
I'd expect a decent discount if I'm not getting the benefit of the option to return for refund, let alone the high risk of warranties not being honoured.
One of the reasons I like shopping at Bunnings is because they're so damn good about returns and refunds. Without those benefits I'd expect to pay less. Just like some people are happy to pay a premium at independent stores for the service and advice.
So, what I'm saying is, 10% off, 20% off even 30% off - it's hardly a bargain because you're not getting something you would have otherwise paid full price for.
I believe that manufacturers' warranties still apply, ie if your bessey clamp breaks, you should be able to return it to bessey, who should then replace/repair etc.
I bought a phone from Dick smith, which had a fault, and the manufacturer replaced it.
Prices thus far are not cheap. I needed some 16mm MDF, so thought I'd check their pricing. $37 odd per sheet minus 10%. Bunnies: $30 odd, minus trade (not much): still at least 10% cheaper. No wonder builders never went there.
TM
I noticed this morning on ebay that one of the places I get my powertools from are charging $450-500 for a triton router JOF001 MOF001 TRA001. The price seems to have skyrocketed because it wasn't so long ago that they were ~$280-350. I do note that timberbits still has the MOF001 for $350 and TRA001 for $420. I considered buying a spare MOF001 for about $320 at masters but bought the oscillating spindle sander instead for cheap at $224. If it breaks, I will just call triton and they will probably tell me to take it to their repairman or an agent which will then send it to the repairman.
It was busy at Masters this morning. It was "almost" as busy as Bunnings on any given Monday morning....almost :D
And the staff actually stopped to ask whether I needed any assistance. that shouldn't have been a surprise, but it was very far from the normal over the last couple of years.
Perhaps, but a) Shipping Bessy clamps back to North America would be prohibitively expensive; and b) the manufacturer doesn't have to comply with Australian consumer law seeing they didn't sell the product here and have no presence in Australia. It's much more convenient to drop it back at your local brick & mortar and get an immediate refund.Quote:
Originally Posted by TermiMonster
So much incorrect information here. Products bought and sold in Australia are covered under the Aus Consumer Guarantee. It might be slightly more hassle to deal with manufacturers or distributors but the fact remains you are protected. Bessey is a German company but intl shipping is irrelevant as Bessey's Australian distributor is Horden & Co.Quote:
Originally Posted by NathanaelBC
This comes down to the specifics of the company. If masters themselves bought them from an Australian supplier consumer law would apply. If masters bought them directly from the USA it gets a lot more confusing.
http://consumerlaw-staging.tspace.go...antees_web.pdfQuote:
A manufacturer includes a person or businessthat makes or puts goods together, or has theirname or brand on the goods. A manufactureralso includes a person who imports goodsinto Australia, where the maker of the goodsdoes not have an office in Australia. Inthese circumstances, the importer bears theresponsibilities of the manufacturer for thepurposes of the consumer guarantees regime.
So yes, if Masters sourced froma localan Australian distributor then you can seek remediation from that person or organisation under ACL. But if Masters were the importer then you're screwed.
According to Masters website Woolworth will continue to honour all warranty's, etc, until the stores close and then setup a new entity to deal with further warranty claim.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike B
Peter.
I have been disappointed too often in the past to make a farewell trip to Masters. More satisfaction driving past them to Bunnings where I am likely to get what I went in for.
Oops, i completely missed the 'masters no more thread' with three pages of similar stories and much more detailed information on how this whole debacle has developed. By the way there was one good deal in Masters which was the 500g gram 'black finishing wax' for about $20. I've just bought 200g over the net for $25.
As for Fair Trading I am sure they are across this stuff but will they take any action? probably not...budget cuts.
You encountered two GOOB tactics.
First, advertise "10% off everyday. 10% today, plus another 10% tomorrow, . . . ."
Somewhere around 30% off and in the middle of the night most of the good merchandise is removed and replaced with junk that hasn't sold in the last six or eight GOOB sales run by the liquidator. Usually it is the kind of junk that you wouldn't buy at 95% off.
Second, entire stock sold to a liquidator. The liquidator comes in during the night, raises all the prices to about 20% over MSRP or full retail price. Then they "discount" everything 10%. The liquidator will operate the store for, at the most, another month. (Depending upon the lease and what part has been paid by the GOOB.) Then the store is gone, closed forever. The liquidator will allow any and all advertising to run under the GOOB name. Yes, false advertising but the store isn't in the GOOB name anymore. It doesn't matter what the sign on the building says. You don't even get so much as a F Y very much.
The terms here:
MSRP - Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (Mainly applies to vehicles but an accurate description)
GOOB - Going Out Of Business
I encountered a similar situation when Circuit City went out of business.
We needed a printer. CC had one on sale for 50% off, but it was in their GOOB newspaper advertisement.
At CC I find a printer, put it in a shopping cart and go to check out.
The clerk rings the printer at 10% above MSRP.
I object. The clerk says "That's the price."
I say this is the newspaper ad. The clerk says, "We are mumble, mumble name. We don't honor any CC advertising."
I say the sign on your building . . The clerk says, "We are mumble, mumble name."
People in line behind me are getting irritated. I look at the clerk and say, "Put it back on the shelf." Then I leave.
I went a few doors down and asked what Staples could do on the printer. They matched the price AND loaded the printer in my pickup truck for me. :U
There are sleaze and even more sleaze but the GOOB liquidators are the ultimate in sleaze.
Just my experience. I went in to buy some 100litre storage boxes off Masters on Monday (have bought them before and needed a five more). Shelf price was something like $33 no discount listed. I didn't care too much about the price as I needed them anyway. Got to the checkout and scanned them out, roughly $10 off each box. Bonus
This will be interesting to see
https://www.facebook.com/realcommerc...38083329623094
I was not having a go the regulator I just know how long the process takes as for Woolies Masters would be a separate company and I very much doubt that Woolies will have guaranteed liability
Quote:
Originally Posted by Simplicity
Chinese trying to purchase more of Australia????
More to the pointQuote:
Originally Posted by crowie
You can rest assure what ever you buy there will be 100 percent Chinese made.
:no: Chinese wanting Australia to purchase more Chinese.Quote:
Originally Posted by crowie
I'd be very surprised if Masters were sourcing their Bessey products through Horden & Co. The huge discrepancy in prices between Masters and other outlets carrying these products is a pretty fair indicator that Masters had a much more direct path to the factory.
When left without any effective competition Bunnings offer a very second rate service and buying experience. It would have been nice to be able to experience Masters on more than a very occasional basis without having to make a 3 hour round trip before they pulled the pin. Being in the situation of having no alternative to Bunnings in the general hardware field constantly encourages me to support the local tool specialists, timber suppliers and fastener specialists in the area. If I'm unable to get what I want at those local specialists and am unhappy with either the price or choice at Bunnings I order online. Recently I bought 1,000 SS decking screws and a P & N countersink tool at a 38% saving (delivered) on the price for the same thing at Bunnings. Sorry, that's not strictly true, the screws I bought weren't branded 'Zenith'.
Almost any business competing with Bunnings should be encouraged at every opportunity. Believe me it is a sad situation when there is no alternative.
LOOGXERRY! All I have is Home Hardware, and no local specialists - if you think Bunnings are useless.......Quote:
Originally Posted by aldav
Quote:
Originally Posted by FenceFurniture
You have my absolute sympathy FenceFurniture! But believe me when there is no effective competition Bunnings are absolutely terrible. As stated by others, getting to the checkout to hand over your hard earned is more often than not the most painful part of the process - no checkouts open, all business conducted at the returns counter, queue a mile long and all the other staff wandering around like farts in a bottle. The only station that you can guarantee will be manned at Bunnings is the anti-theft, sorry, meet and greet, at the front of the store.
Having quite a number of family in the mountains between Springwood and Blackheath I can certainly understand your frustration though. If a Bunnings did open at Katoomba it would more than likely wipe out your Home Hardware in pretty short order and you would be back to square one, albeit with a larger range of products.
I was at Masters again today to buy a couple of Bessey Clamps, impressive seeing cars in the carpark on such a damp day and a good number of folk inside.
Didn't bother with anything else as I just wanted to get home BUT did notice a "visitor" adding "Closing Down" & "Going Out of Business" signage everywhere....
It's a crying shame that Bunnings only lifted there game once competition was knocking....the old BBC was half decent in comparison, IMHO......
We need competition and diversity in all industries especially hardware.....
Thankfully the Internet has helped with market diversity - you are now no longer restricted to shops within x miles radius of home or work; but sometimes you just want to walk into a shop with a bolt and try out a bunch of nuts to make sure you get the right one, or get a feel for the ergonomics of a power tool before buying. If I'd had the opportunity to play with my Triton TRA001 before I bought it (online) I may not have got it, it feels too top heavy with the handles up high. Or screwdrivers, or trying to hack together some weird contraption from PVC pipe, dowel, aluminium bar and irrigation pipe ... as I've spent hours in Bunnings doing.
I called in the Masters at West Gosford this morning. The car park was full and the traffic was in gridlock along Manns Road. I could see nothing under 10% off and a lot of people wandering about with nothing in their hands. I wanted to get a 5ltr bottle of Titebond, sold out of course. :p
TT
But that's the problem Peter - lot's of cars, lots of people - empty handed. Have a look at the video in the news article you sent me. The number of people coming out with a trolley (or a bag) is a joke.Quote:
Originally Posted by crowie
Lot's of cars driving past though......
I went again yesterday to get the other stuff I should have purchased on Monday (DOH!). 10% off stuff I have an immediate need for is ok. There were stacks more people there but funnily enough I could walk straight up to a cash register, even though there were only 2-3 open......