It’s the middle of June, which means we’re barrelling headlong towards the end of the financial year here in Australia.
That means a couple of things when it comes to most Australians’ personal finances. First, it’s nearly tax time. Second, it means the chance to grab a bargain at various end of financial year (EOFY) sales.
But according to some, Aussies should approach the EOFY sales with caution. Indeed, some products should be avoided altogether.
To clarify, there’s no specific type of product that should be avoided. Rather, the advice is to make sure the product on sale is of a quality that does not result in costing you more in the long run.
Where are these EOFY sale warnings coming from?
The warnings come from consumer advocacy organisation CHOICE. Ahead of the financial year’s end, CHOICE has identified a slew of sale products that don’t stack up quality-wise, including a number of household appliances – fridges, dishwashers, dryers, vacuum cleaners, air fryers and televisions among them.
Most of these items don’t come cheap, even when on sale, so caution is well-advised.
Of the EOFY sale appliances appraised by CHOICE, the most expensive category was fridges.
Here, CHOICE was particularly savage in its assessment of the Haier HRF420BEC. In its review of this 433-litre ‘freezer-on-bottom’ model, priced at $119, it marked it at just 37 per cent. Haier’s HRF420BHC model ($1299) faired little better, scoring only 43 per cent.
However, Haier models’ shortcomings were less concerning than models from Bosh and Smeg. Bosch’s KFN96VPEAA model and the Smeg FAB32RPB5AU both rated 43 per cent, the same low rating as Haier’s HRF420BHC.
But both are far more expensive than the Haier. The Bosch retails at $3099 and the Smeg at a whopping $3990. So, even if you were to get a big EOFY discount on these, you’ll be getting a poorly marked product.
For your viewing displeasure
Less of a strain on your budget are televisions. Even so, when seeking an EOFY bargain, steering clear of an inferior product where possible is not a bad idea. With that in mind, take note of CHOICE’s three lowest-ranked TVs, two of which are the Aldi-specific brand, Bauhn.
The lowest-ranked of the range was the Bauhn ATV40UHDW-0124, which earned a CHOICE expert rating of 61 per cent. The Bauhn TV50UHD-1120, meanwhile rated 67 per cent, as did TLC’s 65P745.
There are two important things to note here. The first is the variation on price on these items. While Bauhn’s ATV40UHDW-0124 model ranks lowest, it is by far the cheapest, retailing at just $329. The two televisions rated at 67 per cent also differ greatly in price. The Bauhn TV50UHD-1120 will set you back $1899 compared to $795 for the TLC model.
Secondly, it’s a good idea to check why the ratings given are low. For instance, the TLC model is unable to record to USB. For some buyers, this will not be an issue. For others it might be a deal-breaker.
Give yourself an EOFY advantage
Of course doing your own research where possible is a good idea, but CHOICE’s EOFY product alerts are very useful. You can see the full list of products and related advice here.
Are you an avid EOFY bargain hunter? What are some of the wins and losses you’ve had? Let us know via the comments section below.
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Personally I’ve found “choice’ to be the brand to be avoided. I find it’s a completely different animal than the value found pre 2000, which used to be primarily concerned with manufacturing quality and reliability. A couple of times I’ve made the mistake to re-subscribe, then kick myself for doing so.
The line in the story above “But according to some, Aussies should approach the EOFY sales with caution. Indeed, some products should be avoided altogether”…. followed by listing some specific brands is irresponsible journalism at best…. I’d call it something different.
I’ve bought a number of TCL tvs since my displeasure with the failure of a samsung tv just after its 1 year warranty finished, in the early 2010s. It’s not much use have consumer law covering “reasonable lifetime” if the regulators won’t get involved in disputes… leaving the victims to wear it, or take out a lawsuit. After that I decided never again to buy a TV with a 1 year warranty.
TV manufacturers that only offer a 1 year warranty should be considered “avoid altogether”.
Only a handful offer a 3 year warranty, including TCL. Since my samsung debacle I’ve bought 6 TCL models for different locations and purposes, and will continue to use them when required. One of them developed picture issues after 5 years steady use. I selected the TCL brand in the first place because of the 3 year warranty, very low power consumption, and low purchase cost, along with satisfactory picture quality.
Choice’s suggestion (highlighted by this story) that the TLC’s 65P745 should be avoided on the basis that you can’t record to a USB stick is in my mind ludicrous. “products should be avoided altogether” should only be applied to a poor failure record or poor manufacturer support.
Features that a product has, whether in a TV, a car, a phone, or anything else…. should be rated against price. If an EV hits the market with a record low price, and the only “negative” is that it doesn’t deliver tyre scorching 0-100KPH… that’s a feature… NOT a manufacturing defect.
I don’t know why the other brands copped flack, but I’m certainly not going to re-subscribe to choice to find out.
Who bloody well cares? Do your research before purchasing and go with what you think is best for you.