Couple of daft questions

[triple-bee]

Hello, probably been covered many times but as i,m a fat lazy bastard who can,t be arsed looking around, was wondering who where the best (not the cheapest) for

banking

mobile phones

car/bike/house insurance

a good sat nav

where to buy a car

furniture

phone/tv/broadband providers

gas/ electricity suppliers

i will think of more as we get a bit nearer but thanks in advance for any info on this lot

cheers Neil

PS. any one that saves me money gets beer :niceone:

[BMWST?]

might help if you tell us where you intend to put down yer roots....might save you a ferry trip

[Headbanger]

Due to the size of our market all the providers are expensive and provide shit service. It doesn't really matter who you go for to provide your Mobile phone, internet, house phone, gas, electricity, TV.

likewise the banks will rape you and leave you naked and distressed in a ditch.

[p.dath]

Hello, probably been covered many times but as i,m a fat lazy bastard who can,t be arsed looking around, was wondering who where the best (not the cheapest) for

banking

mobile phones

car/bike/house insurance

a good sat nav

where to buy a car

furniture

phone/tv/broadband providers

gas/ electricity suppliers

i will think of more as we get a bit nearer but thanks in advance for any info on this lot

cheers Neil

PS. any one that saves me money gets beer :niceone:

This will all be personal preference, but my preferences are:
Banking: National Bank (avoid ANZ, even though they own National Bank). Also avoid BNZ (tend to make lots of mistakes, and have been bailed out once by the Government 20 years ago or so).
Mobile Phone: Hands down, Vodafone. Avoid Telecom or the new player 2 Degrees.
Sat Nav: Tom Tom is easier to use initially, NavMan better once you have learned the interface. I'd go straight to the Nav Man.
Buy a car: From a dealer to begin with. Gets you a minimum of a 3 month warranty by law, and some legal protection.

And before anyone climbs on the bandwagon, I did say this was personal opinion.

[vifferman]

banking
KiwiBank
mobile phones
Vodafone - but there is a new player about to launch soon.
car/bike/house insurance
House/Contents Insurance - AMI; KiwiBike for bike
a good sat nav
TomTom - prices are the same everywhere, but TradeMe is worth a look
where to buy a car
See Frosty (member on here)
furniture
Big Save Furntiure chick or Trade Me if you've got the time
phone/tv/broadband providers
TV is either free or Sky; Phone and broadband probably Telstra Clear
gas/ electricity suppliers
Much of a muchness
[/QUOTE]

[Weeruthie]

Hey
I just moved over here last year from Scotland and to be honest it's all been really easy..... There is nowhere near as much paperwork and crap as you get back in the UK and the vast majority of people I've come across are genuinly keen to help.... As said before there isn't as much variety and a lack of competition but I just picked companies at random when I got here and have had no real issues at all..... Good luck

[cowboyz]

banking
No contest. Westpac just give away money! I bank with national though.

mobile phones

They are all average but where I live Vodophones coverage is very very average with a heap of blind spots. I am with telstraclear who use telecom network and they are average but the phone does what I need it to do.

car/bike/house insurance

kiwibiek is strongly recommened for bike. shop around for everything else. We have everything lumped with AMI and again, average but there is no better options.

a good sat nav

The country is not big enough to require a GPS.

where to buy a car

As above. A licenced dealer will give you some comeback. However, cheap run arounds have never been so cheap.

furniture

Buy your beer by the crate and that will soon be sorted.

phone/tv/broadband providers

They are all the same. I refuse to pay for TV that I never watch. Sky is over rated and you need a degree to work out their pricing plans and channels.

[Edbear]

Depending on personal experiences, some have had good and bad with most providers.

Personally;

Bank? Westpac or Kiwibank though ASB is good too.

Telco? Orcon did real well for my son-in-law, I'm with Telstra Clear for home, Broadband and Mobile and am very happy. Especially with their inbuilt anti-spam/virus software, second to none!

Ins? For bikes - Kiwibike, Classic, (over 30?), or get hold of Jetboy on KB he's with John Baker Ins. and did me a great deal on the bike.

For everything else I've gone with Tower after a lifetime with State. State have just priced themselves out of the park and after checking with a broker, went to Tower direct and they gave me a very good deal.

Buy a car? No contest around this site, call Frosty! If you know what you're doing, you could try TradeMe.

SatNav? Our Uniden is good but Navman and Garmin are good too. As said, though, NZ is pretty easy to find you way around.

TV is free to air but I'd also recommend Freeview which is in competition to Sky and I refuse to get Sky because of the expense and lack of personal choice in packages, making it dearer than it could be.

Just my 2c...
Furniture? We're in a recession, play hardball with just about anyone...

[YellowDog]

www.move2nz.com is where UK people go to discover what is what and learn from othe experience of others whom have already done the same.

[NighthawkNZ]

Hello, probably been covered many times but as i,m a fat lazy bastard who can,t be arsed looking around, was wondering who where the best (not the cheapest) for



Im to lazy to answer...

[varminter]

Westpac is great for a loan but you may have to do a runner and live in Hong Kong. Kiwibank seems to have the lowest charges...none for me anyway. Cars, get it checked whatever the slimeball salesman says. Satnav well we only have the one road:eek:

[triple-bee]

Now this is one of the many reasons i can,t wait to move over, Christchurch for the geezer that asked

If i had asked on a UK site non of the lazy idle fekless morons would have given an answer and on here i get 10, all different ones but still a good result

thank u everybody, beer on me when i get there, August we think

Neil

[Mikkel]

Good luck. Coming from Europe you're bound to find umpteen different issues with each service that is questionable...

No matter, at the end of the day you'll be better off down here than anywhere else. (Provided you have a desire to enjoy life in the first place ;) )

[Jantar]

banking Kiwibank, TSB or SBS are all New Zealand owned, so don't rape their customers quite as badly.

mobile phones Vodophone. They are still expensive by world standards, but have pretty good coverage and are slightly more customer focussed than Telescum.

car/bike/house insurance AMI for general insurance. John Baker for bike insurance, and contactable through Jetboy on this site.

a good sat nav Any Garmin with the locally produced (and free) maps.

where to buy a car There is so much choice in Christchurch that you'll soon find one without any difficulty.

furniture Big Save, Furniture Court, etc are all good.

phone Vodophone, Telstra/clear

tv The main channels are free to air. Sky is the only suscribed provider, but bloody expensive.

broadband providers Ihug, Telstr/Clear

gas/ electricity suppliers I should recommend Contact Energy as that is who I work for. But Meridian is also a good provider. Stay clear of Trustpower. Genesis is currently making a move in the South Island and may be cheapest in the short term.

[Grant`]

As to the banks, It does come down to where you live as some banks don't have as much presence in certain areas on the country.

Saying a bank makes a lot of a mistakes, is normally just the branch in question, no one is perfect and everyone is prone to mistakes at somestage.

Kiwibank can seem a lot cheaper but that doesn't actually make them a better bank, I work for BNZ and if you actually check out what your looking for its not overall a bad bank especially if you are looking at getting into the mortgage sector, But National, Westpac, BNZ, ASB, or even ANZ are all good in there own ways, they do have fees for varying services you just have to work out which one is the most convenient for you once you arrive as Locale can be sometimes as bigger issue as the $10 a month you maybe charged for an account.

[BMWST?]

bank bnz
phone/mobile/tv(incl basic sky satelitte tv)/broadband ,Telecom(with a teenager 2000 texts for $10 is a good deal)
Insurance car bike/house/contents, Vero
Sat nav, get a car that already has it

[sil3nt]

Internet i would definitely go Telstra.

As for power/gas there is a website to help with that http://www.powerswitch.org.nz/Default.asp?bhcp=1

[Patch]

stay there - don't move at all, you'll wish that you did just that once you get here or why not be like everybody else and move to that big fookn island called Australia, you'll be glad you did especially if you like sheep.

[klingon]

I would strongly reccommend joining Consumer for independent, excellent advice on all the things you have mentioned. It costs something like $70 a year to be a member. Each year I easily save that much money by making informed choices based on their research and articles.

With you making a lot of big purchasing decisions, you will get the investment back many times over.

www.consumer.org.nz





I'll have that beer now, thanks. :apint:

[owner]

Just get ya lazy butt over here ya daft coont! Chch is OK because I'm there www.trademe.co.nz has everything else you will need

[triple-bee]

you should have said u where there i would have been out months ago :whistle:

[p.dath]

I would strongly reccommend joining Consumer for independent, excellent advice on all the things you have mentioned. It costs something like $70 a year to be a member. Each year I easily save that much money by making informed choices based on their research and articles.

With you making a lot of big purchasing decisions, you will get the investment back many times over.

www.consumer.org.nz





I'll have that beer now, thanks. :apint:


I used to subscribe to consumer, but stopped and formed the opposite opinion to you. I found their advice was often poorly founded or not well researched. Now I just use Google. If something is crap then you'll find lots of complaints.

[klingon]

I used to subscribe to consumer, but stopped and formed the opposite opinion to you. I found their advice was often poorly founded or not well researched. Now I just use Google. If something is crap then you'll find lots of complaints.

hmm... interesting to hear different people's experiences. I find the vast majority of the advice given by Consumer to be sensible and valuable, and I often print their reports and pass them on to friends (I subscribe to the online version rather than the hard-copy magazine).

One case in point is some friends who have a small baby and were going to buy a heater. They were on the verge of buying an unflued LPG gas heater, but a quick look at Consumer showed that not only were they expensive to run, but there were health and safety issues especially for babies. Consumer had a very useful article comparing different heating options including purchase price and running costs. I was really pleased to be able to pass it on to my friends.

On the few occasions when I disagree with Consumer's findings I make sure I go onto their feedback forums and tell them so.

[Mschvs]

:woohoo:
Hello, probably been covered many times but as i,m a fat lazy bastard who can,t be arsed looking around, was wondering who where the best (not the cheapest) for

banking

mobile phones

car/bike/house insurance

a good sat nav

where to buy a car

furniture

phone/tv/broadband providers

gas/ electricity suppliers

i will think of more as we get a bit nearer but thanks in advance for any info on this lot

cheers Neil

PS. any one that saves me money gets beer :niceone:

BANKING - Westpac
MOBILE PHONES - Vodafone - but always stick with something simple. The more 'features' your phone has, the more likely it is to systematically break down (try stick with the necessities is what I am getting at. I worked at Vodafone for 3 years)
CAR/BIKE/HOUSE INSURANCE - Personally I think having a seperate 'Bike Oriented' bike insurer is better then going through your bank. But the other two, go with who you bank with ... saves on more paperwork and phone numbers, and if you keep it all in one place they usually give you a better deal.
GOOD SAT NAV - Haven't got one, but always heard good things about NAVMAN, and best place and price to find one is online
BUYING A CAR - depends what you want. I say shop around, there's never particularly ONE GOOD PLACE. However, Greenlane Car Fair on Sundays I think is great!
FURNITURE - Stay away from Big Save, their stuff falls to bits... otherwise pick the store with the best interest free terms. Unless your paying by cash of course. And bargain with them (particularly Harvey Norman) even if it's on special and however you are paying. Their prices are a little/lot jacked up!PHONE/TV/BROADBAND - If you go with Vodafone for your mobile, go with them for home phone and broadband. Never had any troubles, and good deals.
GAS/ELECTRICITY SUPPLIERS - my advice is go with the ones who use alternative power, rather then coal. Sounds all 'GREENY' and slightly is, but they all rip you off, and coal won't last forever, so back those who are researching alternative power sources.

I hope this actually helps!

If you actually have the time to read through everyones suggestions that is!!

[triple-bee]

i did and they all helped, vodaphone seems to be the way to go on the phone, actually went into a kiwibank when i was there and the girl was really freindly so they may get my bussines on the strenth of that, looks like a dealer for the car i want a diesel 4x4 auto and she is having a new one from a dealer she knows what she wants and iv,e been informed it,s non negotiable :(

for everything else it,s trademe, thanku boys/girls

Neil

[lv929]

i did and they all helped, vodaphone seems to be the way to go on the phone, actually went into a kiwibank when i was there and the girl was really freindly so they may get my bussines on the strenth of that, looks like a dealer for the car i want a diesel 4x4 auto and she is having a new one from a dealer she knows what she wants and iv,e been informed it,s non negotiable :(

for everything else it,s trademe, thanku boys/girls

Neil


Only after I've saved up for years and years and years :lol:


Thankyou to everyone for this, we belong to an immigration forum too but somehow you lot just seem much more helpful :hug:


Obviously it's a biker thing :banana:

[martybabe]

Hey
I just moved over here last year from Scotland and to be honest it's all been really easy..... There is nowhere near as much paperwork and crap as you get back in the UK and the vast majority of people I've come across are genuinly keen to help.... As said before there isn't as much variety and a lack of competition but I just picked companies at random when I got here and have had no real issues at all..... Good luck

The lady's not wrong, a lot of kiwi sales peeps are so laid back it's a wonder they don't topple over but that's way better than the pushy arrogant arseholes Brits have to deal with every day, more still, if you genuinely want something sorting they will usually do their best for you. Confusing but very refreshing and it makes dealing with crappy stuff like banking and insurance almost a pleasure.Easy as mate

It's all real easy to do even for a lazy bastard, immigration is the only place that seems to make life difficult where it really doesn't need to be.

Banks: look for one that issues debit cards like Westpac, you may well be doing a lot of shopping on line, in can be a nightmare trying to track down stuff to buy in NZ, they simply don't cater for 65 million people like the uk.

Basic every day stuff is OK to get but if you need a whimwham for a wowser you're gonna have to buy online and you will need a debit or credit card for that and not all banks issue them.

Good luck, it's a great place that moves at a great pace.

[crazyhorse]

Hello, probably been covered many times but as i,m a fat lazy bastard who can,t be arsed looking around, was wondering who where the best (not the cheapest) for

banking

mobile phones

car/bike/house insurance

a good sat nav

where to buy a car

furniture

phone/tv/broadband providers

gas/ electricity suppliers

i will think of more as we get a bit nearer but thanks in advance for any info on this lot

cheers Neil

PS. any one that saves me money gets beer :niceone:

National Bank is great (I despise Westpac)
Mobile phones - Telecom (but where one might give you coverage, the other won't)
AMI are good for insurances - but not for bikes - try Classic Cover (they have a website)
I agree, buy a car through a car yard - you have come back
Furniture - new? - Bigsave. Otherwise, plenty of second hand places - try trademe
Energy online is the cheapest Power provider - if in Hawkes Bay anyway
Broadband - there are heaps of cheap deals - I'm with Xnet - they're great. Phone with telecom

Happy relocating to NZ

[SARGE]

BNZ seems to have better rates for ForEx if you have funds in the UK

i bring a few bucks a month over from the States every month and try and make sure its through a BNZ..

i bank with Westpac though


GPS .. i use a TomTom Go720.. i use it daily.. can put expanded memory in it and broadcast MP3 through the FM in my truck (radio stations here suck) and handsfree bluetooth for the phone


check www.pricespy.co.nz for the best deal

[Dooly]

Hello, probably been covered many times but as i,m a fat lazy bastard who can,t be arsed looking around, was wondering who where the best (not the cheapest) for

furniture



Big Save.
Ask for the mad blonde chick.
If you buy a decent amount of furniture, she'll take yer out the back and give you a test ride on their Super Kings.:buggerd::lol:

[Hypobru]

Good on you scooter boy. you're gunna luv it when you get here. SI roads are great. There's f all difference in price for a lot of that stuff, once you get moved in you'll get a small forest of advertising through the mail so you'll have no worries finding the best deals on everything.

[Gangle]

Resurrecting an oldish thread but.......

my wife and I just moved to Christchurch permanently a week and a half ago from Ireland, been doing a hell of a lot of research into most of these things because we just started renting a house and needed to!

Bank: Kiwibank, freeup account for day to day which is primarily an internet account, no charges, visa debit card. They have a savings account with decent rates which is accessible too, cant remember the name right now.

Mobile Phone: 2degrees, hands down, a fraction of the price of all the other robbing fuckers! Just look at the rates! especially if you are going to be calling/texting back home!

Internet/home phone: Telecom, not much between the companies, but needed to have a land line to get broadband, so the two coupled together were better with telecom.

TV: Sky, aint much competition though!

Electricity: Contact energy, again not much competition but hopefully the market will be shaken up soon.

Car: well if you know cars go for private sellers cos they're cheaper, if not go for dealers, same as anywhere. And same as anywhere beware of dodgy fuckers, thankfully theres not as many here in NZ:cool:


As with everything these are all down to what suits us and our lifestyle, but as immigrants these were the best for us.

Now who's got a bike for me.......

[klingon]

...
same as anywhere beware of dodgy fuckers, thankfully theres not as many here in NZ:cool:
...

LOL we've really got you brainwashed haven't we! Can't wait to see the look on your face when you realise all Kiwis are dodgy and we've been taking you for a ride. :blink:

Oh, and welcome to New Zealand. :D

[Gangle]

LOL we've really got you brainwashed haven't we! Can't wait to see the look on your face when you realise all Kiwis are dodgy and we've been taking you for a ride. :blink:

Oh, and welcome to New Zealand. :D

Can't wait to see the look on our face eh?

Believe me mate, if you guys were as much as cunts as you are making out, we wouldn't be here. Got a lot more confidence in you countrymen than you do, and its through experience and education, not through idealism, like a lot of travelers.

If you cant wait to see our face when we're fucked over, well I advise you to fuck right off and don't be lookin' over this way!!!

:spanking:

[triple-bee]

Cheers fella we leave next wed get there on fri Give us a day or 2 the we will go out on the pish if u fancy it :Punk: