For those in Perth always looking for a better, faster, cheaper way

Friday, March 22, 2013

Buyer Beware TV Program Hits ABC

If you see something particularly dodgy about a product, A Current Affair and Today Tonight are no longer your only options to name and shame. Choice Australia has teamed up with the mischievous The Chasers team to produce a new TV show on ABC called The Checkout. Best known for their public nuisance program The Chasers War on Everything, the boys have put their creativity to good use, helping the average Australian understand the underbelly of the corporate world. It is a must watch for every gullible consumer looking to buy a car, a printer, an iphone or a health insurance contract.

In their first episode aired last night, their parody on the Apple ads highlighted a survey that found 11% of Apple users had a smashed screen and that it costs about $179 to repair, and that a broken screen is not included in your warranty. 


They also highlighted the continuing tendency towards "buy now pay forever" products such as printers, cars, hand sanitisers, Nespresso machines. What seems to be cheap today may cost you a fortune in ongoing costs such as compulsory services, replacement cartridges and Nespresso coffee pods.

Keep an eye out for this show every Thursday night at 8pm and if you missed any episodes, we are happy to point you to their website as we hate seeing people get ripped off.

The Checkout on ABC Thursday nights 8pm

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Best Advice from the Best in the World

LinkedIn recently asked top CEOs in the world what the best advice they have ever received in their life was and the answers will help you think about how you are approaching life. There's actually 70+ people but here are a few. The rest can be found here.


Richard Branson
Founder of Virgin Group
"The best advice I ever received? Simple: Have no regrets. Who gave me the advice? Mum’s the word."
Jeff Weiner
CEO of LinkedIn Group
"As a child, I can't recall a day that went by without my dad telling me I could do anything I set my mind to. He said it so often, I stopped hearing it ... It wasn't until decades later that I fully appreciated the importance of those words and the impact they had on me."
Jim Clifton
CEO of Gallup
"The best advice I ever received came from my dad, Don Clifton. It was actually a piece of simple, yet profound wisdom that has shaped my life. 'Your weaknesses will never develop', he told me, 'while your strengths will develop infinitely'."
T. Boone Pickens
Chairman of BP Capital Management
"If I had to single out one piece of advice that’s guided me through life, most likely it would be from my grandmother, Nellie Molonson. She always made a point of making sure I understood that on the road to success, there’s no point in blaming others when you fail."
Martha Stewart
Founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia
"The best advice I’ve ever received was from my father when I was 12 years old and willing to listen. He told me that with my personal characteristics, I could, if I set my mind to it, do anything I chose."
Jim Kim
President at the World Bank
"I received some great advice from Marshall Goldsmith, one of the preeminent authorities in the field of leadership. He told me this: 'If you want to be an effective leader, listen to and accept with humility the feedback that comes from your team'."
Spencer Rascoff
CEO of Zillow
"The best advice I have ever gotten was to always hire people who are even better than you. You have to try to be comfortable enough with your own position that you hire people beneath you who are extraordinary."
Brad Smith
President and CEO at Intuit
"I was finishing college and facing a 'make or break' decision. I was agonising between two job offers I had received, and was fearful that I would make the wrong choice, propelling me down a doomed career path forever more. My dad sat me down to give me a few pointers about choosing the best course.
"He advised me that choosing the right job was not a sudden lightning bolt of realisation, nor was it for most of us something we knew we wanted to do since we were kids (oh, how I envied those kids). Rather, it was a process of trial and error – a voyage of discovery."

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Get Free Farmers Union Iced Coffee

Farmers Union Iced Coffee is from South Australia and is looking to push more into other states. They are running a promotion which allows you to get a free iced coffee at  your local participating BP Petrol station. Head over to www.shoutafuic.com and choose to shout a friend a free iced coffee. If you are one of the first 5,000 people to shout a friend, you also will receive a free iced coffee voucher. This voucher is sent to your mobile phone which you show to a BP petrol station nearby. It doesn't matter that you are from Perth, and you can shout a friend once a day.


Indoor Google Maps Comes to Melbourne, Sydney

You'll soon be bumping into people walking around a shopping centre near you as they try to work their way around with indoor Google Maps which is rolling out in Australia starting with Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide Airport. Google Maps now gives you the layout of shopping centres, airports, train stations, sporting venues, museums and who knows what's next?

So if you find yourself in one of these places below, turn on Google Maps and tell us how it was like!




    Airports

  • Adelaide Airport
  • Sydney Airport
  • Melbourne Airport
  • Transit stations

  • Flinders Street Station
  • Southern Cross Station
  • Parramatta Train Station
  • North Sydney Train Station
  • Bondi Junction Train Station
  • Central Train Station
  • Chatswood Train Station
  • Circular Quay Train Station
  • Wynyard Train Station
  • Town Hall Train Station
  • Sports venues

  • Hisense Arena
  • Rod Laver Arena
  • AAMI Park
  • Allphones Arena
  • ANZ Stadium
  • Etihad Stadium Melbourne
  • Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre
  • Museums

  • The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia
  • National Gallery of Victoria – International
  • National Gallery of Australia
  • Museum of Contemporary Art Australia
  • Art Gallery of New South Wales
  • Sydney Opera House
  • Casinos

  • Crown Melbourne
  • Retail

  • IKEA Homebush
  • IKEA Logan
  • IKEA Springvale
  • IKEA Tempe
  • Convention centres

  • Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre
  • Shopping Centres

  • Albany Brooks Garden Shopping Centre
  • Albury Centre
  • Albury Shopping Centre
  • Altone Park Marketplace
  • Belmont Shopping Centre
  • Brandon Park Shopping Centre
  • Burnie Centre
  • Canberra Centre
  • Carlingford Court
  • Castle Towers Shopping Centre
  • Casuarina Square
  • Centro Armidale
  • Centro Arndale
  • Centro Bankstown
  • Centro Box Hill South
  • Centro Colonnades
  • Centro Cranbourne
  • Centro Dianella
  • Centro Flinders
  • Centro Keilor Shopping Centre
  • Centro Somerville Shopping Center
  • Centro Whitehorse
  • Centro Whitsunday Shopping Centre
  • Charlestown Square
  • Chifley Plaza
  • Dandenong Plaza
  • Eastland Shopping Centre
  • Emerald Market Plaza
  • Emerald Village
  • Forestway Shopping Centre
  • Galleria Centre
  • Glenorchy Centre
  • Grand Central Shopping Centre
  • Gympie Shopping Centre
  • Halls Head Centre
  • Harbourside Sydney
  • Highpoint Shopping Centre
  • Hyperdome Brisbane
  • Kalamunda Centre
  • Karratha Shopping Centre
  • Kiama Centre
  • Kurralta Centre
  • Lavington Shopping Centre
  • Lennox Shopping Centre
  • Lutwyche Shopping Centre
  • Maddington Shopping Centre
  • Maitland Hunter Mall
  • Mandurah Shopping Centre
  • Meadow Mews Centre
  • Melbourne Central Shopping Centre
  • Melville Plaza
  • Mildura Centre
  • Mornington Shopping Centre
  • Mount Gambier Centre
  • Nepean Shopping Centre
  • Noosa Civic Shopping Centre
  • Norton Plaza
  • Oakleigh Centre
  • Oxenford Centre
  • Pinelands Shopping Centre
  • Port Pirie Centre
  • Queen Victoria Building
  • Raymond Terrace Shopping Centre
  • Robina Town Centre
  • Roselands Centre
  • Rouse Hill Town Centre
  • Seven Hills Centre
  • Springwood Shopping Centre
  • Stirlings Centre
  • Stockland Aitkenvale
  • Stockland Baldivis
  • Stockland Balgowlah
  • Stockland Bathurst
  • Stocklo Stockland Benowa Gardens
  • Stockland Bull Creek
  • Stockland Burleigh
  • Stockland Cairns
  • Stockland Caloundra Shopping Centre
  • Stockland Corrimal
  • Stockland Forster
  • Stockland Gladstone Shopping Centre
  • Stockland Green Hills
  • Stockland Highlands
  • Stockland Jesmond
  • Stockland Jimboomba
  • Stockland Merrylands
  • Stockland North Shore
  • Stockland Nowra
  • Stockland The Pines
  • Stockland Point Cook
  • Stockland Riverton
  • Stockland Rockhampton
  • Stockland Shellharbour
  • Stockland Tooronga
  • Stockland Traralgon Shopping Centre
  • Stockland Wallsend Shopping Centre
  • Stockland Wetherill Park
  • Sunshine Marketplace
  • Surfers Paradise Centre
  • Taigum Centre
  • The Galeries (Sydney)
  • The Gateway Centre
  • The Glen Centre
  • The Strand Arcade
  • Toombal Centre
  • Toormina Shopping Centre
  • Tweed Shopping Centre
  • Victoria Gardens Shopping Centre
  • Victoria Park Shopping Centre
  • Warnbro Shopping Centre
  • Warriewood Shopping Centre
  • Warrnambool Shopping Centre
  • Warwick Shopping Centre
  • Watergardens Town Centre Shopping Centre
  • West Side Broken Hill Centre
  • Westfield Airport West
  • Westfield Bondi Junction
  • Westfield Burwood
  • Westfield Carindale
  • Westfield Chatswood
  • Westfield Chermside
  • Westfield Doncaster
  • Westfield Eastgardens Shopping Centre
  • Westfield Figtree
  • Westfield Fountain Gate
  • Westfield Garden City
  • Westfield Geelong
  • Westfield Helensvale
  • Westfield Hornsby
  • Westfield Hurstville Shopping Centre
  • Westfield Innaloo
  • Westfield Kotara
  • Westfield Liverpool
  • Westfield Marion
  • Westfield Miranda
  • Westfield Mt Druitt
  • Westfield North Lakes
  • Westfield North Rocks
  • Westfield Parramatta
  • Westfield Penrith Shopping Centre
  • Westfield Plenty Valley Shopping Centre
  • Westfield Southland
  • Westfield Strathpine
  • Westfield Sydney
  • Westfield Tea Tree Plaza Shopping Centre
  • Westfield Tuggerah
  • Westfield Warrawong
  • Westfield Warringah Mall
  • Westfield West Lakes
  • Westfield Whitford
  • Westpoint Shopping Center
  • Wodonga Shopping Centre
  • Woodcroft Shopping Centre
  • Woodgrove Shopping Centre – Main Mall
  • World Square Shopping Centre

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Perth Best Online Neighbourhood Watch on Facebook

Well, we don't live in a world of superheroes but quite often the best help one can get is a community that is willing to help each other out. Facebook has one of the highest adoption rates in Australia that most parts of the world and that has led to some interesting ways Australians build community over the internet.  Recently, we started a page on Facebook as well.

With the recent axing of Neighbourhood Watch, Perth has come up with a crime fighting nemesis using Facebook to tackle crime. Perth WA Crime Reports is a Facebook group that encourages people to share information about crimes that have happened in their area such as break ins, road rage, assaults and suspicious activity. This has resulted in some crimes being solved such as stolen vehicles being spotted in another part of the city, or people recognising offenders in CCTV footage that is posted.

There are over 65,000 people watching the page from around Perth and the world and tonight, the page is going to be featured on mainstream media for the first time. Channel 9 will be doing a story on the page at 6pm and not to be outdone, Channel 7 Today Tonight will also be running a story about it. If you are not on Perth WA Crime Reports, head over to Facebook and sign up.

There are other pages always starting on Facebook to combat crime. We also created a Perth Crime Map on Google Maps which allows people to plot criminal incidents on a map of Perth.

Remember with all of these, the first resort should always be to call WA Police

  • 000 - for life threatening emergencies
  • 131 444 - for police to attend immediately
  • 1800 333 000 - for information relating to a crime that you would like to report.
If you came across this post following the reports on channel 7 and 9 let us know what you think in the comments below. See you on Perth WA Crime Reports!