Big name tech retailers fail to win customer support in Consumer survey

New Zealand's big name electronics stores have been slammed in a new Consumer NZ survey, with only 40% of some store's customers saying they would recommend them.

The 2015 Retailer Satisfaction survey received data for almost 17,000 purchases made during the past year in the home appliances and technology category. The information was provided by nearly 10,000 Consumer New Zealand members.

Members were asked how likely they were to recommend a store, with that figure then used to rank them. Members were also asked to rate stores on performance, including product range and customer service.

Consumer NZ says 100% Appliances, Mighty Ape and Heathcote Appliances had the most satisfied customers.

100% Appliances and Heathcote Appliances also rated above average for point of sale and after-sale services, Consumer says, while customers of online retailer Mighty Ape particularly liked its delivery speed and ordering process.

"However, big box retailers such as JB Hi-FI, Noel Leeming and Harvey Norman competing in the same space did not fare as well," Consumer says. "Just over 40% of their customers would recommend them.

The survey comes just days after a Canstar Blue survey gave a generally favourable review to most Kiwi electronics retailers.

The Canstar Blue survey saw PB Tech topping the list, with five stars in five of six categories. 100% Appliances scored four stars across five categories and one five-star rating – for store layout, with Noel Leeming and Harvey Norman gaining four stars out of five across all six categories. JB Hi-Fi garnered four stars in all bar the point of sale service category, where it only managed three stars.

The Consumer survey also showed customers liked bricks and mortar when it came to items costing more than $100. The average proportion of online purchases reported only got above 10 percent for home appliance and technology products.