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I have to post this to warn fellow repairers about what has happened to us!!
“Whilst I appreciate that there are very sucsessful and long standing SF agents out there, we have just been serverely ‘screwed’ by them!
Dec 07 – SF contact us because they were in the s*** in West Wales. We had a very nice man called Richard call out and vertualy beg us to cover the area on a 3Month trial. We agreed and instantly, work rocketed!
Jan 08 – No support, No backup, No assistance, I started to get concerned about the volumes as they were exeeding the ‘apparent average volumes’ by 3 times! After several calls to the nice richard, again, no help or backup was recieved. Appliances exchanged left right and center with NO notice to ourselves, NO part finding software for newer models, NO advice on spares returns, basically…… The phones have been switched over to you…… Good Luck! Goodbye! Invoices sent (Hand written as they wouldn’t accept our PC generated ones) and sit back and wait for payment……… 1 payment arrived…. £*** (yep, that’s 3 figures)! It were alot less than expected!
Feb 08 – Call volumes still increasing, contacted nice richard, aired my concerns and gave notice (30 Days as agreed) to stop working for them….. practically begged me to hang in there and help them out until he could find a new agent in the West Wales area….. Stupidly, I agreed. Again, NO backup, NO support just was sent an ‘ops manual’ to spend 3 weeks of my own time reading due to the size of it! More invoices sent, sit back and wait for bumper size payment due to the under payment of the previous month
March 08 – SF reject nearly all of our invoices due to amounts differing by pennies and silly little things like that…… I contact richard and explain my concern as by now, we had done over 150 U/G repairs and had hardly any Income! Nice richard says “I’ve got another 2 firms to cover the area so we’ll switch over soon”…… Richard, where’s our payment I ask him…. I’ll come down and go through everything with you. Sure enough he came down, sat the other side of my desk and told us what a shambles it was and were discusted that these invoices were rejected. After many apologies, he guaranteed us a ‘One off payment run if we amend them and get them in the following day’. Invoices sent…… sit back and wait for payment
Mid March – still no payment….. End of March – still no payment….Nice Richard no longer answers my calls….. or returns A/P msg’s that I leave him, so I get through to someone @ Distriparts who tells me that richard doesn’t have the authority to run a ‘one off’ payment and he shouldn’t have said that!
April 08 – Richard isn’t so nice now…. He is obviously ignoring us, over 20 msgs left for him, didnt return one! We have been told today that as we no longer do work for them, they are holding ALL OF OUR MONEY and withdrawn ALL OF OUR TERMS so are therefore doing a ‘Contra’ of all monies due to them even though the payments are not due…..
Message to SF – Thanks guys, you knock our door, ask for help, we give it and you treat us like that…… NICE ONE!!
Again, I understand that there are very happy SF agents out there, but I just wanted to warn any possible future agents of the experience that we have had with them! We have closed 224 U/G @ £31.59 per repair over an area that covers over 120sq miles between Dec and the end of Feb and have recieved less that £700 from them!
Communication is s***e, and I will happily never EVER deal with SF again!”Re: BEWARE OF SERVICE FORCE – For perspective new agents!
This post will stand as a true test toward all that UKW and the Whitegoods Trade Association stands for surely? By providing a rational and reasoned response to what after all has to be regarded by Washdoctor as a warning to others?
A means to work things out? Rationally, logically and giving voice to all aspects of any dispute in so doing?
Starting a thread slagging off SF may be the result but I’m ever hopeful intelligence will prevail here? 👿
Re: BEWARE OF SERVICE FORCE – For perspective new agents!
That is a horrendous story from washdoctor and a warning to everyone else who operates in this trade. Martin is correct about starting a hate SF thread but Washdoctor has my thanks for posting this terrrible exeperience here so that we can learn a valuable lesson.
My sincere comiserations to Washdoctor for this most unfortunate situation.
Re: BEWARE OF SERVICE FORCE – For perspective new agents!
Martin wrote:Starting a thread slagging off SF may be the result but I’m ever hopeful intelligence will prevail here? 👿
Whilst I have no desire to slag off Electrolux nor any to see it happen I can totally understand Adrian’s frustration and, it appear, effort to sort the matter out. However, if Electrolux like any other manufacturer decide to treat agents in this manner then not communicate then they should, IMO, expect some bad press.
I do not see that we should just skulk off meekly into the night as you seem to allude to.
I would also not expect that, if it were the case that Electrolux (or any other) had let a member of the TA down that they, unlike certain others, would sit in silence. Surely the first role of any TA, as I have said on many occasions, is to protect its members and if that means not being all cozy, cozy with whomever then so be it.
My opinion is that if Electrolux or whoever else doesn’t want bad press from the TA or UKW then they shouldn’t shaft the repairers. And, should that develop into them being slagged off then they only have one party to blame for that don’t they?
K.
Re: BEWARE OF SERVICE FORCE – For perspective new agents!
Martin wrote:This post will stand as a true test toward all that UKW and the Whitegoods Trade Association stands for surely? By providing a rational and reasoned response to what after all has to be regarded by Washdoctor as a warning to others?
A means to work things out? Rationally, logically and giving voice to all aspects of any dispute in so doing?
Starting a thread slagging off SF may be the result but I’m ever hopeful intelligence will prevail here? 👿
Can I just say for the record, that my intention for posting my experience with SF was simply for others to read and take on board incase they ever get approached by them. If someone else can refer back to this and make necassary steps to avoid this happening to them…. Great! Post justified!
I have not asked the WTA or UKW for any help or assistance to resolve this issue, although, if I did, I have the highest confidence that the Association would dive in and assist in the resolve of this situation.
Adrian.
Re: BEWARE OF SERVICE FORCE – For perspective new agents!
kwatt wrote:I do not see that we should just skulk off meekly into the night as you seem to allude to.
What is it that makes my comment toward rationallity be transcribed into “skulking off into the night?” I “allude” nothing of the sort!:rolls:
kwatt wrote:Surely the first role of any TA, as I have said on many occasions, is to protect its members and if that means not being all cozy, cozy with whomever then so be it.
Protecting members or wouldn’t that be more the role of a TA to represent members? By listening to both sides of any dispute and making a rational judgment toward the outcome either way?
kwatt wrote:My opinion is that if Electrolux or whoever else doesn’t want bad press from the TA or UKW then they shouldn’t shaft the repairers. And, should that develop into them being slagged off then they only have one party to blame for that don’t they?
You’ve made this point many times and in many threads, strong words indeed but so far hasn’t resulted in any improvement in the relationships between manufacturers and their agents.
“Slagging off” and calling names on a trade forum site such as this is counterproductive at best and generates un-cooperation at worst. I recall the recent ‘Redundancy’ thread where strong words were exchanged to a point where moderation took control and locked the thread. Emotions raised, points put both right and wrong no doubt, an unfortunate story laid bare for all to see. I was hoping that the same would not happen in this thread as the subject matter involves many companies throughout the UK who have a vested interest in their close involvement with Service Force/Electrolux.
That is what I actually allude to my friend. 😉
That’s not how I read your original post Martin. It makes a bit more sense expanded.
However, were I stung I doubt I would be too happy and would probably comment as I saw fit regardless of what you or others thought. Otherwise we’re back to where we were in 1999 so far as contract work is concerned.
But because one thread devolves into a total slagging match does not mean that others will and often times, as has been shown on many occasions, threads that are topical and perhaps on the face of it, unpleasant, can produce results. Results are what matter, not how you arrive at them for the most part.
K.
kwatt wrote:However, were I stung I doubt I would be too happy and would probably comment as I saw fit regardless of what you or others thought.
OK, to be perfectly up front here I have to say that whilst you have at last grasped what I have said about the ‘slagging off on UKW’. It is important for all to realise that in doing so is very (repeat) very counterproductive. 🙁
Within the ‘service community’ there are many who can offer advice and guidance before and likely as not, without the need to air ones views on UKW for all to see. A phone call here, and email there, can often get matters resolved at best or into perpective at least. Agencies are free to communicate between one another after all said and done.
A quiet word with someone in a similar position or (better still?) a direct contact with a Trade Association who could perhaps iron out certain ‘difficulties’ and (here’s where my keyword applies. 😉 ) mediate! 🙂
Mediation and moderation, something I hold dear to my heart, a passion for this our trade, if only others could see it? 😉
Mediation kinda doesn’t work when one party won’t even pick up the phone to sort things out. 😉
There shouldn’t be a call for it in the first place is basically my point and, when it arrives in here, usually, all other avenues have been exhausted.
K.
kwatt wrote:Mediation kinda doesn’t work when one party won’t even pick up the phone to sort things out. 😉
Oh come on Ken, to infer that Service Force cannot pick up the phone and sort things out is so much not true. “All other avenues exhausted” my left foot :rolls:
Can I ask that this thread be ‘locked’ and all future dealings done in private for the sake of our colleague Washdoctor and his association with Service Force and for the sake of his other vested interests…..please? 😀
Martin wrote:Can I ask that this thread be ‘locked’ and all future dealings done in private for the sake of our colleague Washdoctor and his association with Service Force and for the sake of his other vested interests…..please? 😀
No. Just because you have a problem with it?
washdoctor wrote:Nice Richard no longer answers my calls….. or returns A/P msg’s that I leave him, so I get through to someone @ Distriparts who tells me that richard doesn’t have the authority to run a ‘one off’ payment and he shouldn’t have said that!
April 08 – Richard isn’t so nice now…. He is obviously ignoring us, over 20 msgs left for him, didnt return one! We have been told today that as we no longer do work for them, they are holding ALL OF OUR MONEY and withdrawn ALL OF OUR TERMS so are therefore doing a ‘Contra’ of all monies due to them even though the payments are not due…..
What was unclear?
K.
Re: BEWARE OF SERVICE FORCE – For perspective new agents!
Sorry to add my ten penneth, but I thought that UKW was the one place we could air greivances and let off a bit of steam with other people who are in our trade. These are forums after all aren’t they?
TC
Re: BEWARE OF SERVICE FORCE – For perspective new agents!
cornwell40 wrote:Sorry to add my ten penneth,
10 pence eh? If you have a business that is worth 10’s of thousands of pounds, has several engineers in your employ, wives& children in tow. Deep lasting commitment, life on the line? Would you shout your mouth out on UKW just for the hell of it?:?
Ain’t going to do you no favours pal. Take that for what it’s worth and I will send you my 10 pence piece so as you’re not out of pocket if you like? 😉
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