Currys and Kormas - Neither Are Too Hot (Currys)

Member Name: Nibelung

Product:	Currys
Date:	02/01/02 (263 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lots of demo stock to play with

Disadvantages: Not backed-up by real stock

I'm currently up to my posterior with home electronics so it'll be a while before I write any more hardware opinions of my own. However, word gets around that you know "a bit" about this stuff and you get asked to go with friends when they are making some momentous purchase of their own.

Just so yesterday. A pal of mine decided that it was time he went "wide-screen, DVD and digital-broadcast" all in one go.

He'd seen (and heard) my Sony 32" wide-screen set with integrated digital tuner for the extra "free to air" channels, plus its DVD player, and 5 channels digital hi-fi accompaniment. However, what he didn't want was all this stuff dominating his viewing room, which being the main room in a flat was also his dining room.

So I did some "digging around" for him on the web to get a feel for prices before setting off the Richer Sounds (for the DVD player) and Currys (for the rest) to see what they were giving away in the New Year.

First stop, Richer Sounds in West Ealing. Well, sorry Julian old chap, but you cut yourself out of the loop completely by being closed on New Year's Day, and when a lad's got "management permission" to go spend a few dollars, he's not going to hang around to see if it's true what they say about this stuff burning holes in pockets.

So, into the big Currys warehouse store on the Great West Road, Brentford we glide - two lads on a mission to part with a grand or so.

Sure enough, there was the TV that I was suggesting to him, a Sony 28" wide-screen set with the integrated digital tuner, but, hurdle number one, was there a price on it? Was there b*****y!

Hurdle two - track down someone to look it up on the computer. "Yes, it is £999 and yes, we only have the display model in stock, but I can ring round a few other stores....blah, blah, blah" Still, at least it didn't give
him the chance to rehearse his spiel about extended warranties.

OK, so let's look at the VCRs. (this was his original reason for wanting to update everything - the VCR had gone west). Plenty of stock, and you even get a £50 discount if you buy a Sony one to go with the TV. Well, of course we'd love to have done, but there was that stock problem...

What about the DVD player then? Since my pal is not a hi-fi nut, and doesn't have the room anyway, we chanced upon a LG DVD combination which includes an FM radio, a CD/MP3 playing facility AND the 5 channel decoder and 6 speakers including the "woofer", all in the space of the average VCR. Brilliant! Just what he needs, with the added bonus that he can even relegate his older little mini-hi-fi to the shed.

Price? £399. Well, I had no idea if this was good or bad, but he was intent on buying something, so back to the sales terminal we go. You can guess what's coming can't you.

That's right! "None in stock, but we can get you one by Fri...."

Exit two lads, crestfallen at not having parted with anything but petrol.

Back at the flat, we get on the web. A web site I have used before (and written about) www.qed-uk.co.uk has the DVD combi unit for £324 so lucky for us Currys didn't have it, because we've just saved ourselves £75.

As for the TV, www.electricaldiscountuk.co.uk has it for £849 (!) including 3 years warranty. They will also give a £50 discount on the VCR, so guess where my pal is redirecting his money, and quite rightly so.

So let's recap. The total potential spend at Currys would have been £399 + £999 + £90 (approx for VCR), all with no extra warranty at a grand total of £1488.

Total cost by splitting the purchase , £324 (at QED) and £849 +£90 (at Electrical Discounts) which then includes the 3 year warranty on the TV. Total spend, £1263 for more added value. A "bit&
quot; of a difference, I think you'll agree.

OK, big deal, Mr N proves that the web is cheaper than Currys. So what?

Well, if I was high up in Currys I'd be worried. Not only are they dearer, but through not stocking what they purport to sell, they'll force the public to go elsewhere, when in fact with money to burn, my pal would quite happily have paid their prices.

FOR CRYING OUT LOUD CURRYS, GET SOME BLOODY STOCK IN!!!!

This isn't an isolated cae. I had to troop around 3 or 4 Currys to find the fridge I wanted, and there have been numerous other occasions where they only have the demo model. If they only see themselves as a showroom to a warehouse distribution system, then they are conning us into thinking they are a real shop, a sort of Argos with no stock. Now there's a worrying thought!

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