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Re: B&Q Appliance Guide
B&Q wrote:These ratings and the summaries have been compiled after consultation with the manufacturers. They reflect our opinions and should not be considered fact.
A likely case of, never go ask a barber if you need a haircut or consult manufacturers on their products if ever there was…. 😆
Re: B&Q Appliance Guide
Perhaps someone would enlighten me as to why I have the B&Q logo flashing in my left hand side area?
Re: B&Q Appliance Guide
Dales-Electronic wrote:Perhaps someone would enlighten me as to why I have the B&Q logo flashing in my left hand side area?
We have to fund stuff somehow, may as well use B&Q’s cash as it’s the same colour as anyone else’s. It is a month’s trial though, we’ll see how it goes.
Advertising is always a “delicate” subject but I can tell you that Qualtex and Masterpart both try to help us all as much as poss, including sponsoring a couple of forums. I can also tell you that there’s more to come shortly.
It’s also not an exclusive club. 😉
K.
Re: B&Q Appliance Guide
Just glad i dont have a shop full of stock to sell anymore…wouldnt be to happy about that ad somehow.
Point taken.
Get Euronics or any independent who can advertise and I’ll happily talk to them as I’d far rather advertise them or the independents. Sadly, despite a couple of emails to Euronics about UKW they seem not to give a t**s.
Right now we’re having to advise customers that come here that we don’t sell appliances, as I said in a post last night and without national distribution or coverage to offer what do we do, just not help people? And, if you pay attention you’ll see that its B&Q in name only and there are other stores for names such as Boots and Sainsbury ran by the same company in Bolton, who are not a national chain.
But in the meantime, if there’s any alternatives I’d love to hear about them. And, if anyone has a viable alternative on how to fund costs just to maintain the site which now runs into thousands of pounds per annum, excluding our labour, I’d love to hear that as well.
I didn’t say I was happy about it, but I can see the need for it.
K.
kwatt wrote:And, if anyone has a viable alternative on how to fund costs just to maintain the site which now runs into thousands of pounds per annum, excluding our labour, I’d love to hear that as well.
There’s nothing wrong with takong big company’s money, for little adverts!
UKW isn’t a charity! We all gotta feed the monkey somehow! (or goat)
Goatboy wrote:
kwatt wrote:
And, if anyone has a viable alternative on how to fund costs just to maintain the site which now runs into thousands of pounds per annum, excluding our labour, I’d love to hear that as well.There’s nothing wrong with takong big company’s money, for little adverts!
UKW isn’t a charity! We all gotta feed the monkey somehow! (or goat)
True but it also tries to support the indie trade and that advert just tempts potential customers straight out of the site. One wonders if another company, who conflicts with users, here who may of been constantly slagged off here offerred enough money would they then get a banner regardless?
I am not criticising the site in general for selling out, but I have had enough experience of being used as a showroom for internet sales of appliances and this doesnt help. As I no longer retail I should really shut up. so I will on this subject and ask anyone here who does retail in any real size (Don Maybe?) how they feel about it.
Re: B&Q Appliance Guide
Here’s the thing about internet users…
They are simply out after one thing for the most part… the lowest possible price.
Service and good advice comes a poor second to that unless people are advised correctly to seek a proper retailer instead of someone operating from their back bedroom with no display facilities at all, or stock. This is down to the manufacturers to sort out IMO and they even let the big names, like some of the supermarkets, away with this.
The browngoods manufacturers have been trying to tackle this for some years now and they’re only just getting to grips with it using tactics like Sony, offering preferential terms and discounts to those that carry display stock. Of course the problem being that many people just won’tbuy without seeing what they are buying and I’m sure that you’ll find people walking into a local store, checking out what they want and then ordering it online from the cheapest place that Kelkoo or whatever throws up.
Even the big retailers are playing to the internet crowd with different online and in-store pricing policies which I’m quite sure the legality of will be tested at some stage. You have to think that it actually discriminates against those that do not have access to or the ability to use the internet.
Conversely there are just as many it would appear that check out things on the net, trying to find out all about the products and then go to a store to buy.
The world of retailing has changed dramatically and I’m afraid that there’s no going back now, we just have to cope with it and combat it as best we can. I’m also absolutely convinced that this has contributed massively to the downward spiralling of retail prices as all these retailers compete for the same business.
With ISE we have a way to claw back some of the sales with decent margin and protection of our own businesses to as much an extent as we can given it is not available (nor likely to be) through any of the sheds or the internet boys. Sadly other manufacturers have not seen fit to protect the traditional retailers (especially the independents) against the above threats in the way that weare trying to do for ourselves.
However this a whole other debate to the fact that there’s an advert or two on the site.
Simple fact is that to do what we want to do for the benefit of all in a quite a few areas we need funding to get it done. A few hundred quid or so for a forum sponsorship or whatever just doesn’t cut the mustard in terms of accomplishing anything serious. For example, Repairs@ alone should have cost us the best part of £10K never mind all the other things that we’ve managed to do. And that needs developement work as you yourself pointed out Mark and, I’m afraid, that work has to be paid for. If we use B&Q’s (or whoever’s) cash to pay for it and bring you a benefit where’s the issue?
I have always said and maintained that UKW and all that we want to deliver can be funded without using the repairer’s money and I stand by that statement. But you have to accept that we need to generate revenues from somewhere and this is one of the “somewhere’s”.
K.
Re: B&Q Appliance Guide
kwatt wrote:The world of retailing has changed dramatically and I’m afraid that there’s no going back now, we just have to cope with it and combat it as best we can. I’m also absolutely convinced that this has contributed massively to the downward spiralling of retail prices as all these retailers compete for the same business.
I couldn’t agree more, we’re in the 21st century after all and the world has changed dramatically. We must all accept that the Internet will always win from now on and rightly so. You simply have to jump aboard and go with the flow in order to gain from it, and even now us lowly independents can still do just that.
Browsing through B&Q’s site I find that they pretty well supply an extensive range of whitegoods. They deliver, install and dispose of the old appliances too (e.g Bosch WFO2867 = £371.99 total). Anyone not aversed to ‘Googling’ would find that info in seconds and without UKW’s help either. But if UKW get a slice of that action, so much the better.
It is abundantly clear that the ‘corner shoptraders’ are getting squeezed into submission by all this aggressive marketing. They will find it harder and harder to survive unless they can digress and increase their margins in some way. UKW in no small way has helped tremendously in that respect as I’m sure you realise.
The likes of B&Q can survive without UKW but could UKW survive without the likes of B&Q?…just a thought 😉
Re: B&Q Appliance Guide
B&Q wrote: We offer a connection service on selected freestanding appliances for just £15.00.
The delivery team will be unable to connect your new appliance if:
* The old machine is not disconnected.
* Any electrical/plumbing supplies needed fail the delivery team’s testing or are considered unsuitable.
* Any water supply needed cannot be isolated or is unsuitable.
* Any drainage/waste facilities needed are unsuitable.
* Mechanical adjustments are required to the appliance(s) to overcome such things as water pressure problems.
* Alterations to existing plumbing and electrical are required.We offer a disposal service on selected products for just £12.99.
So add £28 to all their prices, and If I refused to connect appliances under those conditions, I’d wouldn’t mind selling them at those prices too.
People realise they need to used an indepenent to get a good level of service. Customers have long memorie, and once burned, they remember forever.
Of course, the ISE will revolutionise everything 🙂
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