White Goods

[tangaroa67]

Hi Chaps,

And a happy new year to you all.

Having recently made a permanent move to 'the Rai' I find myself in need of some white goods (side by side fridge, washing machine and cooker initially), as well as some reliable information.

Wherever I've lived, I've always tried to buy the best product available at the keenest possible price. I've done the rounds of the obvious places, Sinthanee, Tesco Lotus, Makro etc., and what I've found so far is a lot of mid to low end equipment at reasonable prices (which is fair enough, that's what the local market demands) and very little by way of higher end products (and those at colossal prices ... 50% more than I would expect to pay in UK).

I have found a couple of sites online that seem to offer the kind of product I'm looking for at a fairly reasonable price, but neither is a 'big name' and I've no way of knowing whether either is a bona-fide, honest, reliable supplier.

I guess I have two questions:

Is there a bricks and mortar supplier in or around Chiang Rai (or Chiang Mai) that is prepared to discount higher end white goods? Or failing that, a bona-fide, reliable online retailer prepared to deliver this far north?

If I need to bite the bullet and pay top dollar, please tell me ... it might save me a lot of time and trouble in the long run.

Many thanks,

Luke

BTW, I'm not after exotic European or US brands, just the best Asia has to offer :-)

[tinfoilhat]

perhaps home pro chiang mai and have it delivered.

I furnished an entire house from Bkk and had everything shipped to koh phangan.

All major appliances, hob, oven, microwave, fridge, water cooler etc were shipped from home pro.

[AjarnP]

I find that teh problem is more related to after sales service and spares availability than initial purchase. Yes, it is possible to catch Homepro on a good day in Chiang Mai and have it carried over here at your cost.

The problem comes much later though when you need that replacement water filter for the ice-maker in the fridge/freezer or ??? This generally applies ot all "major" brands. We had a beautiful Whirlpoool side by side fridge freezer but the only guy in the north qualified to service it lives in Chiang Mai and charges three thousand baht per single visit. Of course that's one visit to find out what's wrong and two more to install the part you have waited for for the last three months. (second visit because he forgot his screwdriver, I kid you not!!!)

IMHO, buy a (much cheaper) LG/Samsung/Hitachi all of which to basically the same job. Not only do they do the same job but invariably they have installed the latest in inverter technology which means that it eats half the power too.

Happy shopping

[tangaroa67]

Thanks Ajarn for taking the time to reply. I have given consideration to potentially expensive future repairs (and parts availability), so am planning to buy Samsung / Hitachi / LG etc, albeit towards the top of their ranges. From their (rather poor) website, HomePro prices seem to be list price only. Am I wrong?

[JAG]

When i built and furnished Casa JAG some 8 years ago (ah, heady days of B70+to the £) I used the local Sintanee, - what you have described as mid range products. The washing Machine (Whirlpool) has just expired - and that after 8 years hard use - and the fridge (Samsung) is still going strong. Best Beloved reckons her Brother could fix the washing machine but he has mislaid his 27 piece hammer set!

We celebrated the New Year with a new washing machine (Hitachi B7500) as you see I am an incurable romantic. At that price if it lasts 5 years I reckon it is pretty good value.

[inapeartree]

Thanks Ajarn for taking the time to reply. I have given consideration to potentially expensive future repairs (and parts availability), so am planning to buy Samsung / Hitachi / LG etc, albeit towards the top of their ranges. From their (rather poor) website, HomePro prices seem to be list price only. Am I wrong?

Most people I know that have built homes here have bought from Sinthanee. I visited recently and was quite impressed by the range on offer and there were a lot of brochures lying around, I'm sure they could order you some items if they didn't have it in stock.

[villagefarang]

Thanks Ajarn for taking the time to reply. I have given consideration to potentially expensive future repairs (and parts availability), so am planning to buy Samsung / Hitachi / LG etc, albeit towards the top of their ranges. From their (rather poor) website, HomePro prices seem to be list price only. Am I wrong?

Most people I know that have built homes here have bought from Sinthanee. I visited recently and was quite impressed by the range on offer and there were a lot of brochures lying around, I'm sure they could order you some items if they didn't have it in stock.

That is something I think a lot of newbies overlook. If it is not on the shelf or on the floor they assume they don’t have it or can’t procure it for you. Many of the items we bought, required a short wait while they ordered it.

[mumbojumbo]

I find that most appliances, electronics are disposable now. It might cost more to fix them, than a new one. Buy mid-range, hope for longevity, and sometimes you win-I have a Fridge over 13 yo, and it is one of my best

[sceadugenga]

Agreed MJ, a lot of the cheaper stuff is disposable.

[Will27]

In my experience, I've found the best prices by a long way is a place called Panich Electric Square.

It's on the same side as Central going towards the old bus station. I think it's a bit of a hidden gem.

If you get the chance, have a look.

Regards

Will

[tangaroa67]

Thanks for your replies, guys and for some useful information and advice.

Whilst I don't mind paying for anything, I hate overpaying. My wife is concerned (and perhaps rightly) about 'aftercare'. Most manufacturers are offering quite long warranties on their products. Am I wrong to think if there's a problem, I just contact the manufacturer, rather than the shop?

[villagefarang]

Sinthanee is pretty good about servicing what they sell, from what I have heard. Depends on the item of course.

[tangaroa67]

Good morning, chaps.

I thought I'd post an update on my search for white goods.

Having done some internet research I'd selected the precise model of fridge, washing machine and cooker I wanted to buy, and knew the price I was happy to pay for each. I'd wanted to buy from Sinthanee (because of their good aftersales reputation) and had sent the model numbers and prices I proposed to pay to the salesman by text. After checking things out, we received a call to say they were happy and we should come into the store to sort out the formalities, which we did. On checking the model numbers on the paperwork, I noticed the model number of the fridge had a character missing. I queried this with the salesman and he assured me it was the fridge I wanted. I knew this not to be true (the model number they'd presented on their paperwork was a non-inverter model costing 12k less). Eventually, after much debate and other people getting involved and having their say, it was admitted they could not supply the model I wanted for the price they'd said, it would be 6500 more. Having being caught red-handed attempting to do the the old switcharoo the salesman just smiled and said I could still but the washing machine and cooker. I smiled and said I'd prefer to buy it elsewhere.

Before my visit to Sinthanee, I had a backup plan. I'd sent the same information to the salesman at Porpanich who'd agreed to my price proposals. We visited him the next day. There were no issues over the paperwork, models or price (in fact the high-ticket item, the fridge was 2000 less than I was happy to pay) and the goods (less the cooker) have been ordered. The cooker has been ordered from PowerBuy as Porpanich could not supply the brand. We don't need the goods until next month, so I won't see them until then and I'm not naive enough to believe there might still not be problems, but I'll let you know if there are.

Many thanks to all who offered advice both on the forum and by PM, it's much appreciated.

Edited January 20, 2013 by tangaroa67

[villagefarang]

Thanks for the followup, most of us really appreciate the effort involved and it speaks volumes about the poster. One wonders, in a topic as innocuous as this, what one could say in a PM that couldn’t be shared with everyone else on the forum? Hope you end up happy with your purchases.

[tangaroa67]

Nothing sinister, VF. I had one PM which gave me the lead on Porpanich. Perhaps he felt it might be against forum rules to 'promote' a particular shop, though I'm certain he's not connected to them.

Edited January 20, 2013 by tangaroa67