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Would you buy a new TV from this bloke?

The government is going to issue little badges to retailers so we know who it's safe to buy our telly from.

salesHeads up new TV set buyers. Does the salesperson you’re talking to have a little badge on their jacket that says they’re trained for the job? Otherwise maybe they should be wearing L-Plates.

In the nightmare that is the Digital Switch (beginning in Mildura in the first half of 2010), the government is going to issue ID badges to electronic retailers so we can see which ones are up to speed on all the fine detail. They’ll even have to pass training before they get the badges.

The badge will include the digital switchover logo, the adviser’s name and expiry date of the training. Obviously a lot more aesthetic than standing under a big green arrow with the words “I Know What I’m Talkin’ About Give Me Your Commission.”

The scheme was launched by the Executive Director of the Government’s Digital Switchover Taskforce, Andy Townend, in Mildura today.

“For the vast majority of people, switching to digital television will be a relatively straightforward exercise,” he said.

“We know people will have a range of questions about how to get ready and in a lot of cases, electronics retailers are in the best and most reliable position to answer.

“It is therefore important that retail staff employed by retailers who participate in the Government’s Quality Assurance Scheme become ‘digital advisers.”

“Advisers will be assessed every 12 months so that the Taskforce can be assured that the information is up-to-date. The Taskforce will contact these advisers and their stores directly to pass on the latest information about their switchover area.”

Got that?

Participating stores will be listed at www.digitalready.gov.au

Manwhile antenna installers are not getting off scot free either. They will have to register online if they want their skills assessed by the Antenna Installer Endorsement Scheme.

Source: dbcde.gov.au

17 Responses

  1. I will stick to Tv tonight for my info. Somehow having a 15 year old with a badge telling me which telly to buy doesnt cut it for me. David will you need to be wearing your badge when moderating comment from now on?

  2. Don’t buy from Dick Smith online.I had nothing but run around trying to have my tv delivered.”I can’t help you”,”You have to call this person”,no answers for 2 weeks trying to find out just where my tv had gone.Yes i eventually go it,but the drama was not worth the savings.

  3. Too little far too late… As usual. If the government was serious, why are they still allowing TVs and recorders with analogue tuners to be sold in this country? Shouldn’t that have been knocked on the head some considerable time ago?

  4. And then there are the stores telling people they need a $120 HDMI cable when a $20 on will do exactly the same job. There’s plenty of that happening to unsuspecting buyers.

    So a bit of training isn’t a bad thing IMHO.

  5. I’ve also heard sales people in a certain electronics retail chain tell some wild tales to potential customers looking at digital TV. Of course, it wasn’t helped by Freeview and their “15 channels” campaign last Summer that was certainly misleading.

  6. Overlegislation. Next thing there’ll be qualifications to sell Bagless Vacuum Cleaners and Automatic Coffee Machines.

    Amazing how the small less significant stuff is heavily scrutinised but the stuff which is critical, like education and health, isn’t given this kind of importance.

    Anyhow, don’t be afraid to ask questions when you’re buying any sort of appliances from a franchise retailer. They’re earning their commission selling you that appliance (that’s why they escort you to the registers). Take an hour of their time if you have to, and if they don’t know what they’re talking about go elsewhere. Empower yourself and be aware of what you’re buying.

  7. actually i dont mind this…. the amount of people out there charging over $200 just to take a LCD or plasma out of the box and scan the channel;s is amazing…and then telling people you need to spend $$$ on new antenna systems that may or may not need it…plus the boofheads in store not knowing their product and we in the TV station getting stopped and asked a question when its not our job to do so…so i can see the reasons and the merit behind this idea… but how it will be put into practise could be intertesting

  8. I had to intervene once at a JB store when a customer almost bought a digital set top box because it appeared to have 30 channels after they saw the channel listing which included 7,70,71,72,73,74, etc… Surely a fact sheet even that the stores have to have on display would help. Like Bindi, I agree having digital yourself should be a requirement as that is the best way to learn.

  9. i was in david jones maybe 2 months ago and i heard a customer ask a sales person why they should get HD instead of SD and the sales person started talking about the channels that you could only see with a HD reciever, including 10HD, they had no idea that the channel hasn’t existed since the start of the year. i think it should also be a requirement that these sales people actually have a digital tv or stb in their homes, just using digital teaches you pretty much all you need to know to sell it and it would stop misinformation like this getting around.

  10. The “Antenna Installer Endorsement Scheme”? If it as successful as the current Government funded install of ceiling insulation where some dodgy operators are doing a poor job, then it will be a flop.

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