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 such as mobile phones.
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 register an Australian ".com.au" domain name or include the word "Australia" in a website name to give the impression that you are an Australian business when in fact the business is located in another country. More detailed information here.
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. More detailed information here.
3. Be extremely carefull of drop shippers on various auction sites and marketplaces selling cheap phones. No drop shipper making a $50.00 profit on a rugged phone is ever going to be able to refund you $600.00 if your phone is faulty or needs to be replaced. Most of those drop shippers will not have access to spare parts for the phones they sell either. Think about that for a minute and then choose carefully.
4. Watch out for websites and drop shippers who claim to be in Australia but are really based overseas, their advertising can easily mislead you. Some of our customers who had previously purchased cheap phones from an overseas seller, 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!
5. 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.
6. 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!
7. 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.
8. 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 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.
