Masters no more

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

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Originally Posted by justonething

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.

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Any chance of a screen shot of the "inventory is now owned by the great American Group" article, please....

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Originally Posted by China

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

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Woolies will still exist
and it's pretty negative to have a go at the regulator without at least telling them what the problem is

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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.

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Originally Posted by Mike B

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...

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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.

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.

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Originally Posted by TermiMonster

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.

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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.

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Originally Posted by NathanaelBC

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.

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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.

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.