John Ilhan

John Ilhan will be fondly remembered by all those who knew him.

His priority was always to look after the customer and he did that with enthusiasm and drive that amazed people. He touched the lives of hundreds of thousands of people who were either customers of Crazy John's or benefitted from his generous charitable donations. A better idea of what drove John can be understood from his background.

John Ilhan grew up in the tight knit community around Broadmeadows in northern Melbourne where strong family values instilled in him the importance of hard work and a desire to achieve. His parents worked shifts at the local Ford factory and he saw up-close the sacrifices they made as a family.

From an early age he developed a strong love of soccer and he always remained sports crazy. As a teenager he would walk more than one hour to attend soccer training a few times a week and was not deterred by others being taller or stronger. Instead he worked hard on other aspects of his game and eventually rose up to play in the National Soccer League as it was then. It proved to John, early in life, what could be accomplished with determination and perseverance.

John began his career in his early 20s at Strathfield Car Radios and as a young man soon rose to become one of that company's top national salesmen. He had a simple yet effective business philosophy that earned him immediate and ongoing success - give the customer great service and they will be loyal in return. John was a salesman at heart, but someone who also had a natural empathy for what customers wanted. John soon realised that he could offer customers more if he created his own retail outlet. Consequently, Mobileworld was established in 1991 with its first store opening in the northern Melbourne suburb of Brunswick. John's innovative approach to business brought about the name change to Crazy John's shortly after.

John brought to the mobile phone market innovations never before seen. He understood that customers wanted great deals and good service. Crazy John's was the first to introduce $1 phones, 'buy one, get one free' and 'cash back' incentives to customers. These initiatives revolutionised retailing in mobile phone industry and competitors were forced to follow suit, significantly reducing the cost of mobile phones and therefore making communication more affordable to all Australians.

Throughout his life John was a strong believer in corporate and social responsibility. From it's beginning, Crazy John's has been a proud supporter of many charities across Australia and particularly one that was very close to home for John, the Ilhan Food Allergy Foundation. He was also a member of the NAB's Community Advisory Council and contributed to other areas of the public debate as a member of the Premier's Business Advisory Council in Victoria.

In May 2006 at the Future Summit, John was named as one of fifty Future Leaders of Australia. The Summit, an initiative of the Australian Davos Connection, recognises leaders who have the creativity and insight to pursue innovative and far-sighted projects and have demonstrated a commitment to creating a better future for Australia.

John can never be replaced, but his legacy will live on. The team at Crazy John's will carry on John's vision. That's the way he would want it.

Expect to see more of the innovation and great deals that have set Crazy John's apart from the competition. The value of focusing on customer service is deeply embedded in Crazy John's, thanks to John.

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Important information:

All offers subject to change, available whilst stocks last, and cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer. All images used for illustration purposes only.
1)
Network Locking Prepaid devices are locked to the Crazy John's network, a $70 fee applies if network locking is removed within the first 6 months from activation date. Exceptions: LG KF700 attracts $200 fee within first 12 months, BlackBerry 8520 attracts $120 fee within first 6 months. Postpaid devices are locked to the Vodafone or Crazy John's Network, charges may apply to unlock, check box for details.
2)
Credit Expiry Prepaid Cap - 30 day credit expiry applies, use your credit on standard talk, text and more, some services excluded. Postpaid Cap - 1 month credit expiry applies, Crazy John's fair use policy applies, the amount of credit available on certain call types is restricted.
3)
Crazy Caps Available to approved customers who connect to the $19/$29/$49/$69/$99 Crazy John’s Cap for 12 or 24 months. Minimum monthly commitment is $19/$29/$49/$69/$99 respectively. The minimum cost to the customer on the $19/$29/$49/$69/$99 plan over 24 months is $456/$696/$1176/$1656/$2376 and over 12 months is $228/$348/$588/$828/$1188, plus any additional usage above the included value, and any handset repayments (if applicable). Early Exit Fee of $9.50/$14.50/$24.50/$34.50/$49.50 respectively x months left on contract applies, plus any remaining handset repayments (if applicable).
4)
CrazyTalk Bonus text & talk time from Crazy John's to Crazy John's mobile services within Australia 24/7. Commercial usage not permitted. Prepaid services require an active credit balance (minimum $0.01) to use CrazyTalk. For customers who connected prior to 24 November 2009, Unlimited CrazyTalk may be changed or withdrawn by Crazy John's at any time in its sole discretion.
5)
Freebies Limited time offer only to approved customers on selected plans. Deals Direct Via online redemption only, not transferable, exchangeable or redeemable for cash. Nokia Music Purchase of a Nokia “Comes with Music” handset allows download of unlimited songs from Nokia Music Store for 12 months (service term), you can keep all the music you downloaded, no ongoing subscription fee.
6)
RRP Refers to the suppliers Recommended Retail Price for Australian retailers.
7)
Vodafone Caps Approved customers only. Minimum monthly spends respectively: $29, $49, $59, $79, $99, $114 & $129; minimum total costs over 24 months respectively: $696, $1176, $1416, $1896, $2376, $2736 & $3096; Early Exit Fees respectively: $29, $49, $59, $79, $99, $114 & $129 x months left on the contract – these costs exclude additional or excluded call and service costs (if applicable). Vodafone live! downloads and some services excluded. Vodafone Pty Limited ABN 76 062 954 554.
8)
Mobile Broadband available in Vodafone 3G Broadband coverage areas, will operate at slower speeds outside these areas, check our coverage before purchase. Prepaid one-time bonus credit of 100MB applied upon activation with 30 day credit expiry. 15 day credit expiry applies to $10 recharge, 30 days for $19/$29/$49, 180 days for $79, 365 days for $129/$149. Recharge before credit expires and accumulate unused data, maximum NEW balance after recharge is 15GB. Data usage charged in 1MB increments. This service is only available for data. Postpaid available to approved customers who connect to the $15/$29/$49 Crazy Mobile Broadband plans for 12 months. Minimum monthly commitment is $15/$29/$49. Minimum cost over 12 months is $180/$348/$588 plus any additional usage above included data credit. Early exit fee of $15/$29/$49 x months left of 12 month contract applies if not connected for 12 months. 1 month credit expiry applies. Crazy John's fair use policy applies. Some services excluded.
9)
BlackBerry Unlimited BlackBerry® email & internet applies to data usage within Australia. © 2009 BlackBerry®, RIM®, Research In Motion®, SureType®, SurePress™ and related trademarks, names and logos are the property of Research In Motion Limited and are registered and/or used in the U.S. and countries around the world. Postpaid Available to approved customers who connect to the $39/$49/$69/$89 Crazy BlackBerry Cap plans for 24 months. Minimum monthly commitment is $39/$49/$69/$89 respectively. The minimum cost to the customer on the $39/$49/$69/$89 plans over 24 months is $936/$1176/$1656/$2136 plus any additional usage above the included value and any handset repayments (if applicable). Early Exit Fee of $39/$49/$69/89 respectively x months left on contract (including month of termination) applies plus any remaining handset repayments (if applicable). Prepaid Crazy Prepaid BlackBerry is available to new customers who activate the BlackBerry curve 8520 & connect to the Crazy Prepaid Cap. Cap only offer available. Unlimited offer includes POP3 email & data usage through the BlackBerry Browser and/or BlackBerry internet browser. Includes browsing via the BlackBerry Browser which uses the BlackBerry APN. Customers must have an active credit of $0.01 or more to use unlimited offer. Crazy John’s fair use policy applies. Limit 1 per customer (except S.A). MMS and WAP browsing not supported for this handset offer.
10)
Rollover Credit Rollover your unused credit on Crazy CAPS (up to $1000 Standard talk, text & more and $1000 Crazy Talk) when you recharge with another Crazy CAP prior to the credit expiry date.
Full T&C's Click here for full terms and conditions on all Crazy John's services or click here for full terms and conditions on all Vodafone services. © 2009 Mobileworld Operating Pty Ltd ABN 49 090 451 433 (trading as Crazy John’s).