[AMA] I Am The Operation Manager at MSY Head Quarter, Ask Me (Almost) Anything

Lbeetran on 17/11/2017 - 11:31
Last edited 20/11/2017 - 17:20

[UPDATE] 5:18PM 20/11/2017: Due to no more post coming in, AMA is officially closed now.

[UPDATED] 11:43AM 18/11/2017: There are a few accounts in this thread marked "Associated". User name "beetran" is the only MSY account with OZBargain. The rest of other users are not associated or related to us. Guys, I am just doing the AMA to bring MSY closers to everyone. Please do not mess around like this.

Hello everyone,

I've been a OZBargain follower for many years and I thought it is the time for me to contribute back.

A bit about myself:

  • I am the Operation Manager
  • I am based in Melbourne head quarter office
  • I am a male

Disclaimer: all my reply here express my personal opinion only, not representing MSY.

Let's start !

Introduce Yourself

closed Comments

  • krunchymoses on 18/11/2017 - 09:49
    +4

    Also, for the record, I have never had an issue with warranty at MSY. Quite the contrary, they are incredibly helpful and while sometimes things get a bit lost if you follow up it gets sorted.

    • beetran on 18/11/2017 - 11:57
      +3

      Thank you for your kind words

  • je on 18/11/2017 - 11:46
    +1

    Do MSY know what a telephone is and have they been trained to answer the phone when it rings?

    Really horrible service in that aspect.

    • beetran on 18/11/2017 - 11:57

      Give us a another try next Monday, we have made some changes to the call centre system and should be much better now

  • Moderatorneil on 18/11/2017 - 12:02

    AMAs are for people to give insights on their lives, career whatever. There have been a number of new accounts registered that we can't confirm work for MSY. We will be removing all comments and if they wish to verify they currently work or are associated with MSY, then they can do so by contacting us and then checking the associated box. However, this is beetrans AMA and others can do their own without taking over.

    Update: Republished most posts, removed MSY as store so only OP is highlighted. We won't be doing verification unless there is some issue.

    • beetran on 18/11/2017 - 12:03
      +3

      Thank you so much, Neil

  • ozbjunkie on 18/11/2017 - 12:03

    I haven't shopped msy in a while so sorry if this is a dumb question.

    What is the best way to check stock levels at each store?

    • beetran on 18/11/2017 - 12:05
      +1

      Website will show you if the items are instock or out of stock. If it says "Check with store", please give us a call. Worst case, if you come in and no stock, they can do stocks transfer from other store or their local warehouse next day for you (except clearance items)

      • ozbjunkie on 18/11/2017 - 12:06

        Great! Thanks for reply.

  • Davo1111 on 18/11/2017 - 13:04
    +1

    I've always been a fan of MSY. I think the stores/service etc have improved over time - especially considering where it started out from. People need to be realistic though, if you want a "salesman" experience, you need to pay for that, and go to a store with a retail shopfront.

    Personally i love the Parts.PDF It's so simple, if i'm going to the store, I can look at 3 A4 pages (on my phone) and work out exactly what i need/want - No BS.

    I hope the website does improve, particularly in regards to stock levels/clearance stock. When i'm laptop shopping, finding a laptop in stock is particularly difficult. For example: Finding an Asus laptop in stock, Plympton or Adelaide CBD, $900-1100 value, sorted from price low to high

    my 2c

    • beetran on 20/11/2017 - 10:26

      Hi Davo1111,

      Thank you for your kind words.

      With the new website coming in Feb 2018, we will have a much better backend support and you can find exact items that you need in our website.

      • Davo1111 on 20/11/2017 - 11:45

        Thanks man. Best of luck with everything

  • ozgeek on 18/11/2017 - 13:43
    -2

    Is MSY legit? Their website design leaves to be desired.

  • sixpointnine on 18/11/2017 - 13:55
    +2

    When will you be stocking male fragrances?

    • beetran on 20/11/2017 - 10:26

      Not in the list unfortunately

  • Plug on 18/11/2017 - 14:02
    +1

    Can you order in items that you no longer officially carry?

    • beetran on 20/11/2017 - 10:26

      Unless it is a bulk order, we can consider.

  • ronnknee on 18/11/2017 - 14:12

    Hi, thanks for posting. Nothing really to ask. Just wanted to say that I've been a regular MSY customer since the early 2000. Haven't had any bad experiences except maybe long lines every now and then. I particularly like the PARTS.pdf as it's simple to use. I think people just love to complain for the sake of complaining.

    • beetran on 20/11/2017 - 10:27

      Hi ronnknee,

      Thank you for your kind words.

  • [Deactivated] on 18/11/2017 - 14:14
    -4

    People say MSY rude but me go Mitcham not rude, me go Ultimo not rude. But once me go Box Hill with bro and he normally head butt rude people but he so shocked all he say is "hey, these guys are really rude!" which make me laugh as he just talk no head butt like normal. Me love MSY.

    • Slippery Fish on 27/11/2017 - 16:56

      Your so trolling lol

      • [Deactivated] on 27/11/2017 - 17:58

        Personally i consider it an advanced skill.

        Actually that story is true - he just couldn't believe how rude they were and was kind of paralysed. Unusual for him…

  • Tuttorix on 18/11/2017 - 14:17
    -1

    How come upon return of a product I was not provided a refund, yet told that I would receive one as the issue is genuine and it was within warranty! Following on to now, which is 9 months forward, I am still yet to see my refund on something as simple as an SSD that is $104 only? (MSY Hurstville)

    • SquareTofu on 20/11/2017 - 13:25

      The items needs to be confirmed to by a real fault and not due to software issues, user not using it correctly, etc

  • Lancerx on 18/11/2017 - 14:40

    When you got n a have a more 21st century website?

    • beetran on 20/11/2017 - 10:28

      Feb 2018. We will be up to date for sure

  • petry on 18/11/2017 - 14:42

    Are msy still banning people who complain about refusal to honor warranty?

    Many stores still refusing to serve them even after 2nd accc court case - which you lost - again.

    Clearly warranty still an issue with MSY.

    'Tuttorix 27 min ago new
    How come upon return of a product I was not provided a refund, yet told that I would receive one as the issue is genuine and it was within warranty! Following on to now, which is 9 months forward, I am still yet to see my refund on something as simple as an SSD that is $104 only? (MSY Hurstville)'

  • justwii on 18/11/2017 - 16:26
    +2

    Are lucky draws real? Or just promotion tricks to get people's details? Never really giving out anything?

    • beetran on 20/11/2017 - 10:31
      +1

      Yes, they are all real.

  • yjun355 on 18/11/2017 - 16:28

    Question: so how do you order the products from suppliers? Is there industry marketplace where you have special feed (I guess like AliExpress) with quantities?

    Are you ordering in Australia or directly from China?
    What sort of quantities to you buy?

    • beetran on 20/11/2017 - 10:31

      Our stocks are local stocks and we order them from local distributors

  • AceIsMe on 18/11/2017 - 16:35

    How much do you think MSY will be affected by Amazon once they open up shop here?

    • beetran on 20/11/2017 - 10:32

      Will be affected in some way but not a lot. We have our own strategies in place for the next 12 months :)

  • nowlan on 18/11/2017 - 16:50
    +2

    Dunno. Service is shit.
    Long line, No helpful advice, Nothing in stock.
    Rather spend extra $5 at local store, than chase bottom dollar.

    I call MSY the soup nazi. Queue up, place your order, dont deviate.

    • CalmLemons on 19/11/2017 - 20:34
      +3

      That is how MSY runs. That is what it is known for. You should go lookup the advice on Google. Do your research. Have your list ready or order online for instore pickup. Please don't be that guy that holds up the line because he wants a recommendation of graphics card and then every other part.

      There are long lines because people ask for too much advice. If you want more people serving, this means a higher price. Very simple maths.

      There are three elements that businesses can target, Price, Service, Quality.
      MSY do Price and Quality (as a retailer this is the onus on the manufacturer).
      There is only one company in the world that can achieve all 3 and that is Uber.

  • KiLeAk on 18/11/2017 - 17:41
    +2

    There have been some classics in this thread! Good work guys!

    Massive fan of MSY, and the Mitcham store in particular. Never had a problem with customer service - mainly just other customers! It’s called deodorant people 😏

    Fully support an “express” queue - I always have a list (and the alternatives!) at hand - do your research first! Looking forward to the new website, but don’t get rid of parts.pdf - since I got to AU from the UK (11 years ago) it’s become a tradition 😀

    • beetran on 20/11/2017 - 10:33

      Thank you for your kind words. We will definitely get better in time :)

  • berniemansell on 18/11/2017 - 19:00
    +10

    I have a question!
    A few years ago I had a faulty motherboard That I bought from the Cheltenham store in Melbourne. I sent it back to the store via post as I had moved interstate. After a couple of months I received a phone call asking when I was going to pick it up. I was told they could not afford to send it back to me and I had to pick it up myself. After asking a friend to pick it and post it back to me at my expense, I received it in the same box un-opened since I first sent it off. I had been on the phone with the store a number of times explaining to them it was still under manufacture warranty, All they had to do was send the motherboard back to the company for a RMA. I was shocked to find that the months I went without a computer my motherboard was just sitting on a self taking up space at the cheltenham office, & it was starting to get in the road for them so I had to pick it up. The motherboard had not been looked at or repaired & I was out of pocket for your company not doing it's job. After many attempts of trying to get it fixed I was repeatedly hung up on & abused. Then after messaging MSY on facebook I was blocked from the facebook site. I was once a loyal customer at that store spending thousands of dollars on hardware only to be treated like horse shit. What are you going to do to help the customers MSY has ripped off in the past. I haven't even had an apology, Nor will my business spend a sent in your store again.

    • beetran on 20/11/2017 - 10:43
      +1

      Really sorry about this issue. It is so strange to me :

      1>Even if you move interstate, you can still drop it off at any MSY store and we can organize the warranty internally for you

      2>If you post the item back for warranty, they should be able to ship it back to you

      3>Please send me an email to [email protected] with your RA number and I can look into this issue for you.

      Thank you

      • berniemansell on 20/11/2017 - 14:26

        No I through the motherboard away, And will no longer be doing any business of any kind with MSY. I will keep on advising people also to follow my lead as your company is nothing but a joke.

  • [Deactivated] on 18/11/2017 - 19:11

    Recent experience was crap…
    Asked if they had any stock and even pointed to the item on the product list. Barely even tried finding it and the online stock level still was marked as oos…

    • beetran on 20/11/2017 - 10:45
      +1

      Hi Brodenlt,

      Really sorry about the stock issue. Most of the time, they can orgaznie the stock transfer from other stores for you at zero cost unless it is clearance items.

      For Deal Of The Day sale, we can even do free shipping to you if you come to the store and your items are out of stock as well

  • mezje on 18/11/2017 - 19:24
    +1

    Seems like you guys have severe under staffing issues meaning at the branch level, phones, calls and e-mails are never answered. Is there a plan to fix this?

    Perhaps a sales incentive program isn't the right way to go about it as has already been mentioned, the core reason why phone calls and e-mails etc are ignored is because they are potential sales, not guaranteed ones like the person in store with cash.

    • CalmLemons on 19/11/2017 - 20:41
      +1

      I'm just going to copy what I said above

      There are long lines because people ask for too much advice. If you want more people serving, this means a higher price. Very simple maths.

      There are three elements that businesses can target, Price, Service, Quality.
      MSY do Price and Quality (as a retailer this is the onus on the manufacturer).
      There is only one company in the world that can achieve all 3 and that is Uber.

      And in addition:

      Normally businesses like MSY would try to keep running by setting their wages around 10% of turnover or less preferably. Having more people doesn't equate to a proportional increase in sales as often there could be no customers and thus wasted money. Those who want to shop there will be willing to wait.

      Everything is available on their website including stock level. Just e-mail if really required.

      Any business owner on these forums here will agree. Service is important - but MSY doesn't follow that model. It is also hard to find retail staff who are proficient in IT who also have necessary social/EQ skills.

      If people aren't happy with the service, there are 4-6 other major PC shops around that charge more than MSY and constantly bombard in their advertising about their service, e.g. centrecom.

      For those who wish to save some more money, there is MSY.

      • mezje on 19/11/2017 - 22:06

        I do not disagree and I certainly shop at MSY knowing exactly what I want and am not looking for nor am I expecting any service.

        OP mentions a few times int his thread they want to improve though and become more friendly to less tech-literate people, how are they going to do this with the abysmal service they have now?

        Sales incentive was my main point, completely wrong way to go about making service better imo.

    • beetran on 20/11/2017 - 10:50

      Hi mezje,

      Thank you for your feedback. We have made some significant changes to our internal system and the improvement for phone call, stock level, emails will be in effect really early next year.

      For the under staffing issue, since we will be centralizing all the ordering system in one place, you can place an order online and pick up same day or next day without any issue at all

  • berniemansell on 18/11/2017 - 20:17

    Will you be changing the slogan "The name you can trust" since it is false advertising?

    • matt-ozb on 19/11/2017 - 23:03
      +1

      I've never had a problem at MSY. Great business. I trust MSY to always have competitive prices (I don't even bother checking these days).

  • pinchies on 18/11/2017 - 23:01

    Hi - long time MSY customer here. Is there any plan for a store in N.E melb suburbs? CPL have a new store in Preston, but there is not many other stores here, except a CentreCom that is always out of stock.

    • beetran on 20/11/2017 - 10:51
      +1

      We are expanding more and more stores. Can't tell you the exact road map unfortunately :(

  • clarenix0813 on 18/11/2017 - 23:04
    +1

    Where do all your Stocks Go?

    • beetran on 20/11/2017 - 10:51
      +2

      Customers bought them all

  • Dreamcast on 19/11/2017 - 00:02
    +3

    Why don't you stock the Voodoo 2 gfx card?

    • beetran on 20/11/2017 - 10:52
      +2

      The demand for us is not there yet

      • Dreamcast on 20/11/2017 - 11:22

        Haha, I was trolling. It came out in 1998 :p

  • [Deactivated] on 19/11/2017 - 00:19

    Yea hate the no stocks levels in store. At least make the stock check easier please

    • beetran on 20/11/2017 - 10:52

      Thank you for your feedback. Working on it. ETA Feb-18 please

  • siuol on 19/11/2017 - 00:35
    +1

    When my family and friends asked me if MSY is the place to get computer stuff I always share my stories and let them decided on their own:

    Still remember there was once I walked into the Ultimo store 20 mins before their advertised closing time of the day. There were only 2 people there waiting to be served and the guy literally and physically pushed me out of the store saying they were closing and the advertised time was not right.

    Also, the Kingsford 40-odd years old storekeeper is worse than useless as 5 out of 5 times I went there to buy accessories he just throwing boxes here and there for 1 min then saying he couldn't find it and tell me to go to Ultimo. Note the the website said the items are in stock.

    I do hope that MSY will not let this sort of ridiculous behaviours happening in the future.

    • beetran on 20/11/2017 - 10:55
      +3

      Hi siuol,

      Thank you for your feedback.

      We are working on the massive internal clean-up/training for staffs. Only the good guys can survive.

  • petry on 19/11/2017 - 01:42

    the operations manager has gone silent - might as well close this false thread.

    • payton on 19/11/2017 - 15:11
      -1

      the thread is serviced the same way they do their stores

      • nocure on 19/11/2017 - 15:15
        +2

        It is Sunday FFS, give him a break…

        • petry on 19/11/2017 - 15:35

          Packed up Saturday - when warrantys are mentioned msy go silent.
          And the ACCC are just as bad letting them ban people forever for objecting to MSy routinely breaching oz trading laws.

          Some MSY stores will never do anything about warranty till it goes to court - then they ban people forever. That's just shit, tolerated by the trash at the ACCC.

        • CalmLemons on 19/11/2017 - 20:43

          @petry:

          lol did you get banned from MSY? That must have taken some effort - asians are normally pretty passive and non-confrontational.

          But news flash, as a private business, they can refuse service without reason.

          Normally at work we only ban people when they have either stolen or verbally abused staff.

        • petry on 20/11/2017 - 00:17

          Lots of people banned by msy for complaining about warranty breaches - that's unconscionable conduct.

          You carry on putting forward crap to justify banning people for their skin color, their hair or cuz you think its funny.

    • matt-ozb on 19/11/2017 - 23:04

      Maybe it's Sunday and he only works 6 days per week?

    • ronnknee on 20/11/2017 - 10:35

      Relax mate, it's the weekend.

    • beetran on 20/11/2017 - 11:05
      +2

      Okay, let me take off the MSY shirt and we can discuss.

      To be honest, we have made lots and lots of efforts to make the wanrranty process go painlessly.

      Even with people bought the wrong item in the first place, tried it, came back after few days and try to change another item, we can still help them out (to a certain limit).

      If you have issue with ANYTHING in the future, please send me an email to [email protected], I'll check this email everyday carefully and look into case by case.

      Thank you

  • RobVH on 19/11/2017 - 08:08

    What happened to the other three quarter offices at MSY?

  • Dhandoftime on 19/11/2017 - 09:22
    -3

    Are you Vietnamese?

  • [Deactivated] on 19/11/2017 - 09:26
    +1

    Had nothing but great service at the MSY Malvern branch, including returns, where they called me back to come and get a replacement switch.

    • beetran on 20/11/2017 - 11:05
      +1

      Thank you for your kind words :)

  • chronophysicist on 19/11/2017 - 10:42
    +1

    any interest in accepting cryptocurrency?

    • beetran on 20/11/2017 - 11:06

      Not in the plan at this stage unfortunately.

  • logictom on 19/11/2017 - 11:45
    +4

    Last time I purchased from MSY (Ultimo) I bought a router, went in asked for the item, they open it up to check the serial number (Why??), but I notice that it wasn't sealed - not an issue just thought it was odd, pay my money and walk out.
    Went and sat down whilst waiting for someone, opened the box and the unit was clearly used - it had paint on it, like someone had done some painting nearby and a flicked paint onto it, it also had a number of scratches - went straight back into the store and explained - the guy just shrugged his shoulders and said I could have another one - this time I checked and it was ok but selling a second hand/returns unit as brand new with no explanation isn't acceptable - MSY, never again.

    • CalmLemons on 19/11/2017 - 20:44
      +1

      Probably a return from that guy who wanted a refund under the ACL lol.

    • beetran on 20/11/2017 - 11:28

      Hi logictom,

      Really sorry for the issue. A few things below :

      1>Some items do not come with seal boxes from factory.

      2>If items are clearly used before, staffs have to check first before selling to customers. These items are normally return stocks and they should be sent back to our warehouse instead of leaving in the stores

      Thank you

    • matt-ozb on 20/11/2017 - 23:27

      I think you could chill a bit .. obviously it wouldn't be company policy to sell returned & damaged goods.

      You wouldn't use MSY again after that one bad experience? really?

      • logictom on 24/11/2017 - 22:09

        Perfectly chill, I checked the replacement, was all good so went on my way.
        I understand it isn't policy - if it were then they would be clearly labelled. I've no issue buying returned goods if they're labelled and priced appropriately.
        My issue is with their lack of care when I brought it to their attention. Why support a business that doesn't care about their customers? There are plenty of alternatives with a better customer experience so there's no need to shop at MSY.

  • likang-c on 19/11/2017 - 11:58
    +1

    I love computers

  • Plug on 19/11/2017 - 14:11

    Duplicate. Sorry.

  • Hayo on 19/11/2017 - 14:28

    How's Andrew?

  • Raeservoir on 19/11/2017 - 14:51

    Hi, does MSY offer part time positions? I was looking at a tech-related casual job over this summer if possible. (Would prefer Ultimo for convenience.)

    • beetran on 20/11/2017 - 11:29
      +2

      send me your resume and I will forward to the NSW state manager for you. My email is [email protected]

  • suchan on 19/11/2017 - 17:23

    Hi,

    How do you select what items to sell / stock? I find it interesting that there are plenty of items that could use good bargains but you never sell on your website and that's why I rarely buy from you anymore even though I used to swear by MSY, e.g. the Bose headphones, Sony headphones, etc

    • beetran on 20/11/2017 - 11:30
      +1

      It is a bit complicated based on MOQ/targeted pricing etc.

  • Godric on 19/11/2017 - 22:04

    I truly hope that people will replace 'msy' when thinking to 'i need to buy pc parts' with Amazon when it's launched in Aus.

  • matt-ozb on 19/11/2017 - 23:00
    +1

    I have been a happy MSY customer for many years. Thanks for the great work MSY. Never had a problem .. except for excessive upgrades :)

    But .. can you start stocking Chromebooks please.

    • beetran on 20/11/2017 - 11:31
      +1

      Thank you for your kind words :)

      • matt-ozb on 20/11/2017 - 22:26

        What are the chances to stock some Chromebooks?

        Asus C302CA
        Samsung Pro & Plus
        Acer are doing some great Chromebooks too.

  • T1OOO on 19/11/2017 - 23:36
    +2

    Why do you still charge 2% for cc payments ? This is way above your costs especially on a complete system order.

    • beetran on 20/11/2017 - 11:31
      +1

      I am pushing internally now to get rid of that surcharge …

      • T1OOO on 20/11/2017 - 13:17
        +1

        But don’t you see this as a prime example of why people hate msy?

        Laws got brought in to protect consumers. So it’s illegal what you are doing. It’s not only until legal action is started and you procecuted and fined that you will comply with basic laws.

        I mean it’s black and white now. And your in breach of the law. This is one example. But if a massive fine on your front page want enough to get you to change ur ways I don’t know what is. You must really have some greedy scummy People at the top of your company.

        • T1OOO on 20/11/2017 - 13:58

          I really hope the same happens to you gusy, https://www.smartcompany.com.au/finance/naomi-simsons-red-ba…

        • netsurfer on 20/11/2017 - 17:55
          +1

          I found the MSY staff generally warn customers about the surcharge. You can pay with efpos.
          There are other companies charging credit card surcharge.

          If I used PayPal here device to charge a credit card, I need to pay 1.95% transaction fee.

        • T1OOO on 20/11/2017 - 18:31

          @netsurfer:

          The law is clear.

          Ur excuse is like saying I can punch you in the face as long as I firsts come up to you and tell you before I do it.

        • netsurfer on 20/11/2017 - 20:24

          @T1OOO: How about Qantas? How about ATO? ATO applies credit card surcharge. Complain that first. I'd like to see ACCC have a go at ATO.

          Local councils do that too, so is the state revenue office. Government organisations are not able to waive these fees.

          You need to be reasonable. If a person purchased a full computer with top parts, the credit card transaction fee MSY needs to pay isn't a small amount. Asking MSY to waive the credit card fee will simply result in the fee being embedded into the price (which means people willing to pay efpos and cash will be worse off). The credit card reward points are not worth the price increase.

        • matt-ozb on 20/11/2017 - 22:23
          -1

          @netsurfer:

          Not much point trying some basic logic .. people would rather pay higher prices and have no credit card fees.

          Bit like warranties .. everyone would rather endless no questions asked warranties and just have the cost built into the price.

        • maurice on 24/11/2017 - 14:23

          @netsurfer, @matt-ozb: A small surcharge that covers their cost is fine.
          A large surcharge, or a blanket one for all types of credit cards - that does not match their processing costs - is not.

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