Safe Buying Tips
Important - Please read carefully
Buying online can be a safe and a enjoyable experience but it is important to make sure of the following, especially if you are buying electronic goods.
1. Always purchase from a GST registered Australian company or business that is actually based in Australia and not some dodgy business with zero customer support in an overseas country. Remember its not hard to use a Trade Mark to be able to register an Australian ".com.au" domain name and give the impression that you are an Australian business when in fact the business is located in another country.
If a company says they are Australian, ask them for their ACN (Australian Company Number) and then ask them for their ABN (Australian Business Number) for GST purposes. If they cant provide these then they are most definitely not a GST registered Australian Company.
2. Check a websites feedback and their associated businesses. Customer support is everything. If you are about to buy a new phone, you need to know that the company or business you are buying from will stand behind their product and their warranty obligations.
Don't become a disappointed customer like most of these ones here who purchased a phone from one of our New Zealand based competitors (page opens in a new window). If a New Zealand business can't look after their own customers in New Zealand, what chance have you got of being looked after in Australia if you were to purchase a phone from their Australian site? It's just not worth the risk!
3. Be extremely carefull of drop shippers on various auction sites and marketplaces selling cheap phones who claim to be in Australia but are really based overseas, their advertising can easily mislead you.
We have received feedback from some of our customers who have purchased cheap phones from overseas sellers and have experienced major issues such as receiving the wrong items, not receiving the item at all, item returns not being accepted and genuine warranty claims being rejected . Don't risk it, deal with a trusted GST registered Australian company like us.
4. Websites offering "1800" or "1300" numbers may look like they are in Australia but they could very well have a redirection on these numbers that get answered in another country.
5. Buying from an Australian business or company gives you a lot of protection in relation to your purchase. If you purchase from an overseas company or business and something goes wrong, their promises about service and product warranties are not binding in Australia and are worthless. This could end up costing you a lot of money. It's just not worth the risk!
6. Buying from an Australian company that offers proper local customer support is worth its weight in gold if you have an issue with the item or product you purchased. Don't risk it, buy from a trusted GST registered Australian company like ours.
With warranty service contracts in place with specialist phone service repair centres in Australia, together with our phone parts importing business, you can have total confidence in our backup and customer support services in the event of an approved warranty claim.
7. Only an Australian GST registered company, business or sole trader can provide you with a tax invoice, which for business people is very important. Without a tax invoice you cannot claim a GST input credit.
Rugged Phone Store Pty Ltd (ACN 630 104 031), the owner of this website, is a GST registered Australian company (ABN 24 630 104 031) based in Melbourne and is 100% Australian owned.
