Shopping

Who can you trust?

On this page you will find information about business and websites that I recommend. I am a very experienced internet shopper (since the early days in the mid 90's) which, coupled with my investigation skills and very low tolerance for nonsense or poor/sloppy service, means that anything listed here has to be very good. Only the best will do - my time is too valuable to waste and I expect the same high standards of quality and service which I extend to my own customers . I do not however accept responsibility for your own personal experiences with these businesses.

If you are a consumer reading this, then it is worth bearing in mind that business grade equipment, or consumer products that are popular with business, are often a better choice. In the past, I have owned a wholesale business, as well as retail, and discovered that a lot of really good stuff is not readily available to the public - sometimes hard to obtain. Many excellent products which are better than the norm are often more obscure and the purchase method can be "off the beaten track".

List & categories will be continually added.

• Desktops, Notebooks & other hardware - Dell - www.dell.com.au   - I have tried other brands, and worked on many more during IT consulting & investigations, so have experience of a good number of manufacturers. Dell have been the best by far, both in terms of product quality, support, ease of use and purchasing method. Obviously I haven't tried every other brand, however I have also come across a lot of businesses which have used Dell for years and are very pleased with them. I like the customer centered approach to supply, where you can select what you want and need - not put up with what the seller has on the shelf. If you contact me I may be able to show you how to legitimately save money on Dell products. 

• Software & hardware – all very good service and prices:

        www.iconnect.com.au  - my 1st choice – excellent service from long term well established IT Professionals.

        www.emarketplace.com.au

        www.ozdirect.com.au

• Dining - Kitchenware - Kitchen 'n Table  - very good prices and service. Great range. Glassware arrived safely. Supplies the professionals (caterering businesses) as well as general public. Another store from which I receive great service is www.kitchenwarehouse.com.au - in fact, they supplied me with a fantastic design of butter dish which I was not able to obtain locally. (Bodum Anke Butter Dish With Cover). This situation is another example of how shopping online is making life so much easier, and better - in the past I had wasted a lot of time sourcing a butter dish locally everytime one broke. The choice was always limited and I never felt truly happy with my purchase until I came across the range at Kitchen Warehouse. These days I am increasingly looking online for stuff and often never make it out to the shops.
• Regional -  Gold Coast Local
• Printing - www.saltprint.com.au - sensible prices, good quality, online ordering and very user friendly website even for people who know little about printing like me. Staff helpful and proactive. I like their plant a tree policy.

  Here is some comment I sent to them:

          I was very impressed with the cards that were produced for my first order.

          I used to order from a quality competitor and in switching to you I found:

  1) Better service
  2) Better print quality on back of card (black on white)
  3) Better laminate – there is less friction from your laminate when you run a finger across it.
  4) The laminated front looks better too.
  5) I preferred your slightly smaller size.

  

• Garden Tools - Forestry Tools - Australia's dedicated supplier of equipment for foresters, arborists and maintenance specialists. Forestry Tools offers the highest quality pruners, loppers, saws, telescopic pruning equipment, diameter and measuring tapes, height meters, clinometers, borers, calipers, marking, flagging, pottiputki planters, planting spades and tree measuring equipment from leading global manufacturers. 

I have ordered tools online from Forestry Tools on a number of occasions and been very happy with both the quality and service. The quality of the tools is superb and I like the choice - much better than I can buy locally at either a big hardware chain such as Bunnings, or at a shopping centre garden tool distributor. 

In the past I have used some garden tools (cutting) I got from a stall in a large shopping centre - the demos looked good, however I was not happy with them in use and on further investigation discovered that the products were cheaply made with large profit margins available to the distributors: in other words there is less scope for value in the product itself. Buying from Forestry Tools was such a refreshing change. Simply speaking; Forestry Tools supply the professionals, which implies much.

• Gardening Supplies - Organic - Green Harvest - these people have high ethics and the service is very good indeed. The range and quality of products is impressive.