Or was that 200% pure rip-off
July20
The Bills article in the NZ Herald has fired the ire of many a Kiwi. It has even been discussed at cabinet level I read.
Bills has a followup this morning entitled Don’t Shoot the Messenger Guys: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=10659895
I’ve found myself in the past that if you daresay anything that’s not ra-ra about New Zealand you get roundly criticised. But my role as a journalist isn’t to be a cheer leader for my country.
I’m writing my own followup about rip-offs in New Zealand for the Weekend Herald this Saturday:
The seatbelt buckle on our Volvo recently failed. I called the authorised Auckland Volvo dealer’s parts department for a new buckle. No stock but they could bring one in from Sweden for $1,000. We are talking about a seatbelt buckle here, that bolts to the floor, not a new car interior.
Found a Volvo dealer in England and e-mailed him. He could not supply a replacement buckle on its own, but offered a complete genuine Volvo seatbelt which would include the buckle. Price, including shipping to New Zealand – 77 Pounds (NZ$165).
There is no question we are ripped off in New Zealand by all manor of retailers.
Interesting you say that. A friend’s Volvo had a blow out a while back and I seem to remember she had to play $900 for another tyre.
Thanks for all your feedback on my new blog. It’s great that people are reading it and commenting. I’ve got lots more ideas to follow.
Have just moved back here after almost 20 years living in south-east London. We are finding it much more expensive to live here, the cost of milk/cheese/lamb/fruit is extortionate. Petrol is cheaper – but the list ends there.
Buying a coffee – wow, I could get a g&t for that in London!
Things have changed so much in Auckland since I left that I feel bad every time I criticise anything, and fellow Kiwis make me feel very disloyal, but the truth of the matter is greed is here, it’s rampant and we are all being stung as a result.
Personal rip-offs: Basics at the supermarket (those guys must be making a killing); take-away coffees; houses (WTF??); cars (ditto); books; anything to do with kids (they must see us coming) – the list goes on.
“BB”:
I completely agree that New Zealand is a ripoff.
It may be true that economies of scale are partly to blame, but many Kiwis seem to use it as justification (read: coverup) for rampant and blatant gouging.
We migrants have a joke about the “migrant surcharge” – the minute they hear your accent, up goes the price. Especially Americans. And unfortunately Canadians, who have had the opportunity to feel some empathy for Americans because they are mistakenly overcharged for having a generic North American accent.
Housing is the absolute worst. It would be hard to find a home in New Zealand for the price of this very modest little older 3-bedroom house in Indiana for instance (just one typical example of good prices in flyover country in the U.S. – there are a great many of them):
http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/1124-Garden_Elkhart_IN_46514_1115783678?source=web
What could you find in, say, Hamilton New Zealand for the equivalent, i.e., about 90,000 NZD? The uninsulated sheds they call homes start at around 230K if you get a fixer-upper or desperation sale. These homes are not worth the firewood they’d make for some cold migrant.
When prices are compared in “marketing material”, the marketers usually use NY or London prices to emphasize the “relative inexpensiveness” of New Zealand. It is time to look at this marketing more closely and ask questions about where they get their figures.
New Zealand is a huge rip-off, however you want to look at it.