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New Zealanders |
Muhammad-Oli
Joined: Jun 13, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: The NZ of L
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Well I'll say that my 'best thread' was the same as yours!  That's enough giving stuff away now.
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carkitter
Joined: Apr 29, 2005
Posts: > 500
From: Auckland, NZ
PM |
Had a read of the C902 review in My Mobile tonight, that Dushan Delic really is poor at writing and reviewing. His percentage ratings should be taken with a healthy dose of salt... 
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Muhammad-Oli
Joined: Jun 13, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: The NZ of L
PM |
Haha, yeah he's awful. I didn't read the review because I feel bad reading a magazine and not buying it. 
What was so bad about his C902 review? What I don't like about that magazine is that they copy and paste from other reviews even though those other reviews have some bad English. Sometimes they even make the mistake of not changing the name of the phone they are reviewing when they paste it in...
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Muhammad-Oli
Joined: Jun 13, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: The NZ of L
PM |
K well I have a bit of a problem. I hope someone can help me out. The thing is, I'm looking at getting a C702 very shortly, but I'm a bit confused about where to buy and where the hidden charges may lie.
Firstly I will lay out my options:
1. Expert Info-tech can get me a black C702 for $535.01 (what's with the one cent?) + $59.95 for a one year warranty + $12.45 for delivery. So $607.41 all up.
2. E-Town can offer one in black for $599.98 + $23 delivery and I can't find out how much a one year warranty will be. If anyone can help that would be great. So $622.98 + unknown warranty charge (if they even offer one).
3. Plemix.com have the same for $460.57 +$53.39 one year warranty + $38.71 for shipping. That comes to a total of $552.67.
So why am I not going for the Plemix one? Well there will be an import tax on it which is worrying me. Firstly, I don't know how much it will be, and so it may end up being more expensive than the NZ suppliers (or out of my price range even), and secondly I don't know how I am supposed to pay this import tax.
If one of you know (K71 maybe seeing you had experience with this!), it would be great if you could let me know!
There are a few things worrying me about the other two options too.
E-Town:
1. I have dealt with them before, buying a Z550i for my girlfriend and they were friendly enough. But they sent the phone in the wrong colour. My girlfriend didn't mind, but I don't want the hassle if they decide to send me a Cyan C702 which I will have to send back.
2. There is no guarantee it won't be branded in some way.
3. They have the dodgiest looking website I've ever seen.
Otherwise I would be ok with buying from them, but they are the most expensive option at the moment.
Expert-Infotech:
1. Carkitter, you have had experience with these guys. They sound like an extremely dodgy outfit, despite now having a nice enough website, etc.
2. I wonder whether the phones are branded or not, whether they'll get my order right, and whether they actually have the C702 in stock!
Any kind of comments on Expert-Infotech would be appreciated, as well as E-Town if you have anything to say.
Another reason for my paranoia about the NZ importers is that being from Christchurch, I can not see before I buy. When I purchased my K700i from Parallel Imported in Auckland, it came with photos already taken on it, which were of their shop, kind of proving they had a play with it before sending it. When my brother bought a K300i from them, his phone was a branded one, with some Spanish stickers (rather than Quickshare) and software branding that looked horrible.
With Plemix, I have seen photos of the kind of stock they have which is unbranded and looks great. Plus I have the backing of several Esato users who have used them with no problems. They also have a respectable website that lists all the information I need right where I want it.
I think I have covered all I have to say. Please, any advice, comments or alternatives would be greatly appreciated.
I am not interested in E-bay, TradeMe or buying from a person rather than a store though. I don't want to be scammed, ripped off, or buy a second-hand phone!
Thanks in advance guys!
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K71
Joined: Jan 28, 2008
Posts: 34
PM |
"No revenue collection will be made if the total amount owing on the goods imported is less than $50. This revenue waiver does not apply to alcohol or tobacco products."
this is a quote from the NZ Customs website page : http://www.customs.govt.nz/im[....]ustoms+Charges.htm#paraTitle01 so have a read to familiarise yo' bad self wid it.
basically if the GST calculated on the value of the phone including postage and insurance is more than nz$50, then you will have to pay.
so Plemix = $460.57 + $53.39 (warranty) + $38.71 (post) = $552.67 x 0.125 (gst) = nz$69.08.
therefore buying through Plemix would end up costing you nz$621.75.
the GST is either paid to the courier company when the item is delivered to you (cash, cheque, or credit card), or NZ Customs will send you an invoice for the amount owing, and then send the item on to you when you have paid.
of course it really depends on the Plemix policy of reducing the overall value of the item.if the overall value was reduced down to say nz$380, that would give a gst amount of nz$47.50, which is below the nz$50 threshold (nz$400 gives nz$50 gst exactly).
as far as i know the gst charge is the only one that should apply, as my G900 only had an extra gst value to pay on delivery.
this is also my third phone through ebay, and although it is a bit risky, SE phones generally seem to be ok stability wise.of course my G900 could shit itself tomorrow, but the seller i bought it had a free one year warranty sign on the auction when i bought it (whether they would live up to that is another matter of course!!), so there may be some type of cover at the end of the day.
[ This Message was edited by: K71 on 2008-07-17 13:01 ] |
Muhammad-Oli
Joined: Jun 13, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: The NZ of L
PM |
Thanks very much K71, that's exactly what I wanted to know.
I think the Plemix option is my best one because I'm not too keen on Expert-Infotech. I will wait and see if carkitter has anything to say about them though.
I wonder if I could avoid the tax by asking Plemix to put a low value on it? Haha I guess I might get in trouble for that.
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K71
Joined: Jan 28, 2008
Posts: 34
PM |
well look through their shipping policies.they may lower the value if requested, but most likely not to a ridiculous amount.even if it saved you $15 or so on the gst cost it would be worth it.(i just had a quick look, and no mention of lowering the value if requested is there, but it never hurts to ask!!)
my G900 came in through Fedex, and they give you a call to let you know there is a charge to be paid, so you can then ring them up and sort out payment on delivery, or give them C.Card details for direct payment.although i think the nz call centre is actually in india, which is a bit of a worry communication wise, but it all worked out in the end.
_________________
Red G900 + 8 Gig Stick + HPM90 + Sennheiser PX200 = who needs an Iphoney?
[ This Message was edited by: K71 on 2008-07-17 13:23 ] |
carkitter
Joined: Apr 29, 2005
Posts: > 500
From: Auckland, NZ
PM |
Sorry for the lack of response, I've been in bed for 3 days with the worst fever  It looks like I missed alot.
I would certainly buy from Expert Infotech because of thier prices, but only because I live 20mins away from thier store. I would want to test the device in store before I parted with any cash. I dont know whether thier phones are branded or not as when I visited them last, not a single phone was on display!
Many of the importers list SE phones as 'low stock level'.
That means they have no stock at all as was the case with EI when I asked to see a T650; they said it'd be 3 weeks away which obviously means they import to order. I'd be very cautious about paying up front for something which may not be in stock because if it becomes unavailable at thier supplier, you possibly won't be offered a refund but the choice of another phone and maybe not even an SE at that.
Call or email first to check availability and confirm a date for delivery before sending payment and keep a paper trail and notes pertaining to all phone calls. You probably won't need it but if something goes wrong it becomes invaluable.
Plemix seems like the best option ATM for you. |
Muhammad-Oli
Joined: Jun 13, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: The NZ of L
PM |
Thanks for your response! I hope you're feeling better now mate.
Yeah I'm definitely leaning towards Plemix.com, and I'm watching the price waiting for it to go down! Quite excited really.
Obviously seeing I live in Christchurch, it makes it a lot harder for me to buy from an Auckland retailer. Buying from Expert Infotech just makes me a bit worried that they'll give me a branded handset or something. I dunno... They are cheaper, but they just seem dodgy for some reason.
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carkitter
Joined: Apr 29, 2005
Posts: > 500
From: Auckland, NZ
PM |
@M-O
Could you add W595 to the first post as Coming Soon please? Unfortunately the others don't appear to be NZ bound. Surely the W902 will be a goldmine for importers?
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Muhammad-Oli
Joined: Jun 13, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: The NZ of L
PM |
That is really strange... I would have thought the C902 would be the best phone for NZ out of the three that were announced. Judging by the (un)popularity of the W910i here, I would have thought they wouldn't take up a similarly specced slider.
BTW, Vodafone have dropped the 4GB card from the W910i package. So I guess it was only for a limited time. So I'm not so annoyed now that its just a $200 price drop.
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Muhammad-Oli
Joined: Jun 13, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: The NZ of L
PM |
May as well do a Vodafone store update:
It looks like the K610i has finally been removed (who would buy it at the same price as the V640i anyway?) along with the W200i and now there are just 5 SE phones available: The P1i, K850i, W910i, K770i and V640i. No price changes at the moment.
Anyone else get the feeling Vodafone NZ is phasing SE out though?
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carkitter
Joined: Apr 29, 2005
Posts: > 500
From: Auckland, NZ
PM |
It's felt that way for 2yrs now, but just when  products appear to be petering out... along comes some more stock in a different colour to limp along alittle further. I am of course thinking of the Red/Silver K610i that replaced the V630i, the Pink W200 and the recent additions of Black K770i and Black W910.
There will always be phones in VodafoneNZ's lineup, just the usual poorly selected range, late and overpriced, with no accessories, and many features disabled. You know, business as usual...
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Muhammad-Oli
Joined: Jun 13, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: The NZ of L
PM |
Yeah you're probably right. I wonder if this means the C902 is coming soon. I am very interested to see what price Vodafone think they can get for it. Should be worth a laugh! 
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Muhammad-Oli
Joined: Jun 13, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: The NZ of L
PM |
Well, here's some news! I just went shopping for some fancy shoes and popped by the first mobile store on my through the mall, and guess what caught my eye!
A black W350i on display! It looked to be brand new stock, with no info on display. But it did have a price: $299
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Posted: 2008-07-16 11:02
