Oz entrepreneur challenges “dodgy” high street

Ruslan Kogan, the founder of Australian electricals retailer Kogan, is taking on the likes of Currys and John Lewis over what he calls their “cable con”.

He says that shoppers are currently being tricked by high street retailers into thinking they need to buy an expensive cable to get the most out of their new high definition TV.

“When you buy a TV from John Lewis, Currys, or countless other high street stores, you will be offered hideously expensive accessories such as HDMI cables,” says Ruslan Kogan. A quick search online shows he may have a point.

“These cables are sold with absolutely ridiculous markups, many multiples of the actual cost of the items. What they conveniently forget to tell you is that there’s no difference in picture quality between a £4 HDMI cable and one more than 20 times its price. It’s a digital cable – you either get a picture or you don’t.”

In a bid to end this “dodgy practice”, and to bring cable prices down to their proper levels, Kogan is now offering free HDMI cables to anyone who buys a TV at Currys or John Lewis from July 1, 2011 onwards. Kogan will even pay for the shipping.

“We think it’s extremely unfair for someone who shells out their heard-earned money on a new TV to be shafted on cables and accessories because of a deliberate misinformation campaign by the big retailers,” Kogan adds.

What do you think of Kogan’s campaign? Are retailers ever right to mark-up their prices? Or should products be offered at fairer prices, at all times?

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