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My boss has been in this business for 30 years. I’ve been here for 8 years; I’m a puppy yes, but all I’ve ever heard is ‘doom + gloom’.
Every week it’s the same. A rep comes into the shop, and talks ‘doom + gloom’. The next rep comes in, ‘doom + gloom’.
We’re still here!
If u wanna talk doom + gloom, this is your thread.
My opinion?
If you don’t do sales, your screwed!
If you just fix Hotpoints, your screwed!
If you have too many over-heads, your screwed!
If you have too many staff, your screwed!Diversify or die people!
Things are tight, but there will always be a need for repairers, engineers, whatever we are called. We just need to seperate the men from the boys.
Now tell me why and where I’m wrong!
I don’t sell and I don’t fix Hotpoints unless under contract to do so, I don’t have many overheads and I don’t have too many staff.
So what are you saying?
There’s not a lot to be happy about in this industry as things stand, that’s been the case for many years as it’s not a rich industry, that’s why it’s all doom and gloom.
K.
Re: Doom + Gloom
Wow, it took 20 minutes for a reply.
I’m not saying anything, I’m just stirring the big pot of s### stew.
I think there are too many people in this industry right now, and it’s time for a cull; or maybe that’s been slowly happening for years.
On the Hotpoint, there’s guys around here that only fix Hotpoints. My point was, they’re screwed!
Re: Doom + Gloom
I don’t think it is time for a cull, that happened a while back to be honest. What we are seeing is an industry wide errosion, not only on staffing levels, but on prices as well which must worry the manufacturers as much as it does us. 20{e5d1b7155a01ef1f3b9c9968eaba33524ee81600d00d4be2b4d93ac2e58cec2d} of £200 is less that £20{e5d1b7155a01ef1f3b9c9968eaba33524ee81600d00d4be2b4d93ac2e58cec2d} of £400 and, unless you can shift twice as many at the lower price it’s simply not worth doing. But there’s other ways to make money on that. Also remember that due to the devluation of the product the customer is more liable to bin it as opposed to repairing it, hence I never understood many retailers that flog the cheap stuff, but then that’s a situation forced on the retailers by the sheds and, to an extent, forced on the manufacturers as well I should imagine.
What gets my goat (no offence), is that we are expected to meet the same SLA for a £200 washer as we are for a £500 washer or indeed for the same fee, now that is just plain stupid on our part.
But you’re right about those that only repair Hotpoint or Hoover, the days of being able to do that are long gone.
K.
Re: Doom + Gloom
kwatt wrote:What gets my goat (no offence)
None taken. I think erosion is alot better description.
I just want to offer a platform for people (including myself) to have a gud moan.
The all-salers are the people who are really screwed!
Re: Doom + Gloom
Goatboy wrote:I just want to offer a platform for people (including myself) to have a gud moan.
How nice of you to start this topic off, however throughout the entire UKW site we have reams and reams of the stuff in the same or a similar vein, just a different heading that’s all 😀
I don’t wish to encourage too many here in prophesying “Doom & Gloom” as I have heard it all before, we have heard it all before. What I will say to those that have certain ‘misgivings’ about the current trend the industry appears to be heading towards. Is to think DIVERSIFICATION by that I mean that if you think for example, Hotpoint (as so many seem to use them as such at the moment anyway) are going down the the pan. Don’t touch them! turn away and look at Zanussi, maybe even Bosch as a good source of income.
There will always be machines in this world, they will always fail at some point. The trick is realising the market and capitalising on its potential and in order to do that you need to stay in touch. Keep you ear to the ground all the while, stay close to UKW for vital day in day out info, otherwise you be left holding the baby….up the creek without a paddle and all that…. so you will 🙁
Finally, one more idiom to ponder on:- IF YOU CAN’T BEND WITH THE WIND, VERY SOON YOU’LL BREAK AND FALL 🙁
Martin
Re: Doom + Gloom
Thinking about it, I bet you’ve had this conversation ever since the forum first opened. It’s all engineers talk about in the real world. Unfortunatly I’m too busy (lazy) to read back through old threads.
I agree with anything you said there Martin. Especially, while there’s stuff to break, we’ll need someone to fix it, and everyone needs a good base, like ukwhitegoods.co.uk EVERYDAY. (and I like your stickers, very discreet).
Your last comment censured by Martin
Re: Doom + Gloom
Same s**t, different day.
Work smart, not hard.
Make every post a winning post
Do not take life too seriously. You will never get out of it alive.
Life is just one damned thing after another.
Life is like an onion: You peel it off one layer at a time, and sometimes you weep.
In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.
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