Haggle for a better deal

Joanne Carroll got a better deal on a TV. Photo / Jason Dorday

It's something Kiwis are not good at: beating down the price of goods and services by haggling.

But you can bet your bottom dollar that if you have a go, you'll save lots of money.

That's what the Herald on Sunday found this week when it took on Auckland retailers and taxi drivers for cheaper-than-advertised prices.

And it coincided with the last few days of shopping before prices went up with the increase of GST to 15 per cent.

We found that if you haggled, the price of cars, televisions, laptops and even jewellery dropped quickly.

But some prices can't be beaten down. We got a big "no" when it came to a better deal on clothes, shoes and a pint of beer.

The Herald on Sunday haggled with a Nissan dealer in Takapuna and brought down the price of a $34,999 Qashqai to $33,500. He also threw in registration, petrol and floor mats.

A Hyundai dealer in Greenlane said he could bring the price of a Getz down from $22,990 to less than $20,000, also including registration, petrol and mats.

At Wairau Park Harvey Norman, a Panasonic 42-inch high-definition plasma screen TV, advertised for $1385, could be bought for $1299 after some haggling.

We haggled the same TV at Noel Leeming down to $1199. Bond & Bond and The Good Guys said their best deal was $1299.

We knocked down the price of a $1299 Toshiba laptop to $1224 at Harvey Norman and the salesman said he could offer us a discount on software, from $379 to $200.

A Bond & Bond salesman said he could not reduce the price of the $1299 Toshiba but added a bag, flash drive and internet security for a "bundle deal".

Haggling was not possible on $2999 white gold diamond earrings at Partridge Jewellers on Queen St but, next door at Pearl World, a $1125 pair could have been bought for $500.

The shop was already offering a half-price sale but the price came down more when pushed.

There are 4500 taxis in Auckland and competition for passengers is fierce. That means there's a great chance to beat the fares down.

Fares from the central city to Auckland Airport vary from between $70 and $80 with Corporate Cabs to $35 with Cheap Cabs.

Sunshine Taxis agreed to drop its fare from $70 to $40, Express Taxis from about $60 to $40 and Reliable Cabs from $60 to $35.

Auckland Co-op Taxis will also drop their prices if you haggle. Three drivers said they would accept a flat $50 fare for a trip to the airport instead of their normal fare of about $60.

Drivers spoken to by the Herald on Sunday said they needed the business. If people didn't ask, they'd get charged the normal rate, they said.

New Zealand Taxi Federation executive director Tim Reddish said it was unreasonable to compare fares between companies.

There was a big difference between the top-middle operators and those who offered cheap fares in terms of quality of cars, service, dispatching and accounting, he said. "You're not comparing apples with apples."

Reddish said larger companies with a bigger client base would not need to drop fares like smaller companies.

"I suppose it depends on how desperate the driver is for any money."

Consumer NZ adviser Maggie Edwards said haggling was worth a try.

"There's nothing to stop you bargaining down. Since the [taxi] industry is deregulated, you've got more opportunity now because there's more competition."

Edwards said New Zealand was not a nation of hagglers but Kiwis were catching on. Most shoppers would be surprised by how much retailers would cut prices to make a sale.

The best way to haggle was to ask for a discount for cash or to buy more than one product.

"Tell them what their competitor is charging and ask them to better it ... you have nothing to lose apart from your dignity."

* Do you have a consumer story? Email joanne.carroll@hos.co.nz or phone (09) 373-9341.