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Well, the scuttlebutt is that HMRC will not be chasing VAT payments, PAYE etc. Still needs paying but will not be as “harsh” as they usually are.
I guess it’ll help a number of people at least in the short term but I suspect it may be a band-aid on a bullet wound.
The big problem I see is not knowing what will happen when this will calm down and what the hell will happen over the next few weeks or months as it seems to alter by the day if not the hour.
Put it this way, I honestly do not see any good news in this for most any industry.
Restaurants/food, holiday companies, airlines, any kinda travel really, car industry, tech industries, entertainment and much more… they’re all affected and all suffering. And all will be looking for exactly what we’d all be looking for, a bit of support somehow. How much can be given when so many need is up in the air as is, how quickly it can happen if it will even happen.
The only people doing well (so far) are the supermarkets as people empty the shelves in blind panic.
I know that’s all hardly comforting but I’d hope at least of some use.
K.
If you really want to know look here.:( https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/?fbclid=IwAR2YbZ4wn2Kl40VEYGko56U2gbrbrPyGPE5DVFT4WRJy4Auioa2QACvLnXE
The other side of our business is static caravans we rent out in Cornwall its seasonal April to October & it’s been really hit hard all our bookings for April & may have cancelled, I’m so glad to have the appliance business to prop it up for now anyway :(.
If it helps anyone, and following on from today’s announcement from the government, I asked one of our local GP’s who happens also to be a customer what I should do given the nature of my job is to go into so many different homes and businesses with different age groups and what guidance they had been given as health workers.
They replied that it’s a really tough one – as a GP surgery they are seeing urgent cases only and dealing with all that they can via phone and that they are certainly taking this virus very seriously. You won’t get a test unless you end up really ill in hospital (they aren’t even testing feverish GPs/nurses)
They went on to say that they think I should do exactly like they are doing at the moment and ask every person who I am going to go and see whether or not they feel feverish or have a persistent cough and if they do then I definitely shouldn’t go into their house. I should then hand wash properly after going into anyones house no matter how well they are.
Sensible advice I think. I keep soap in the van anyway but a small bowl and a 5 litre bottle of water has now gone in! I’ll probably ask if they are self isolating at the initial phone call too.
Well repair tech has issued a technical bulletin
note to engineer hand sanitize your hands before entering customers house, stay at least 2 metres away from customers at all times when repair is finished use anti bacterial spray to wipe all surfaces you have touched and then hand sanitize before you leave and dont worry about getting customers to sign- Some great advice from everyone. We need to also declare our own health situation to reassure customers( obviously we would not attend if unwell). Also I ask that appliances are empty if possible before I go out(as you know they aren’t sometimes) keep gloves on until you are all packed up and paid. Sanitizer is important at all times. Was lucky was at a vet customer who makes their own and he gave me a good size bottle. Hopefully social distancing should keep the over the shoulder brigade away from us at the moment.
The problem here is the speed things are changing coupled with the complete uncertainty around the.. well, everything.
There are no straight answers I’m afraid. Reading tons of stuff, listening to people that should know, watching the news and so on I’m no clearer on where all this will land than when I started.
Which kinda gives a problem when people ask what they should or shouldn’t be doing. As I did mention to the WTA peeps when it came up.
I am fairly convinced that by week’s end schools will be closed.
Either with that or not long after it more Draconian measures will be put into force, travel bans and so on that, we’ve seen elsewhere. They may wait till the new COVID Bill is passed, may try to enact most or all of it before that gets ascension but given the givens and looking at what’s going on I don’t see it going any other way now.
This s**t is being staged. I suspect with good reason and a good degree of logical, rational and scientific insight backing what’s being done and when. You may agree or not, it may be right or not but, it is what it is, we just all need to deal with it. Time and hindsight will sort out the rights and wrongs of policy.
If non-essential travel is banned it then comes down to whether or not appliance services are seen as being essential or not or if it qualifies in the “impossible to work from home” bracket. If it doesn’t fall into either camp then all repairers have a very large and very immediate problem. To them.
In the grand scheme, it’s little more than a blip. If it even registers as a blip given the scale of things.
I know, again, not exactly positive and I truly am sorry for no upside here. But, those that know me will also know well enough that if you want smoke blown into an orifice to make you feel better, I ain’t the guy to ask for that. If you want cold hard facts and truth, I’m your man.
K.
On the VAT/PAYE thing, what we’ve managed to fathom thus far and, it may well be wrong as info is hard to come by but from all we can see…
If you can’t pay on time you will have to call HMRC and you will be grilled.
If they think you’re good for it the payment will be demanded immediately.
If they think you’re not good for it, payment will be demanded immediately and if you can’t pay the bailiffs are on the way.
Or you can have a payment plan.
Guessing here, if you can’t meet that obligation, the bailiffs are on the way.
Or of course, you can take advantage of the billions in loans that may well be available with “very attractive terms” and pay that back, if you can. If you can’t, the bailiffs are on the way.
There may be grants available to some but, as yet, little clarity on this. But won’t be much good if it’s not timely for many I expect.
Bottom line, the way I see it is, you’re pretty much on your own despite the political rhetoric that makes for good soundbites.
K.
Obviously this is fluid and I along with the WTA guys (probably more on here) are watching this stuff like hawks.
But, this may help some: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-employers-and-businesses-about-covid-19/covid-19-support-for-businesses
I suspect there will be more for self-employed people early this week. We hope.
In other news…
https://www.ukwhitegoods.co.uk/appliance-industry-news/4412-delivery-difficulties
Warnings over deliveries of new product and spares being “challenging” are being mooted by a number of sources. Getting replacement product will be an issue as a few people have told me that as production slows replacements will become a problem, even in warranty.
Key Worker Stuff
Unclear.
It would appear that this is being left deliberately vague, personally I suspect for a reason or several.
My take on what I’m reading and hearing is that, so long as the proper precautions are taken (sanitary/distancing etc) then any in-home repair can take place although I would presume that a cooker hood or dishwasher (for example) would not be considered “essential”. Basically apply some common sense.
But I would say to all, it’d be a bit rough to deny people a fridge or cooker when they’re trapped in their own homes. So please think about coupling common sense and decency with some compassion and I know, it’s crap but, it is what it is.
Please also keep in mind for many of you, your clients are in the sh1t just as much as we all are and, I include myself in that.
Thankfully most suppliers have been very understanding (thus far) of what the score is. I thank them all for that and I have, to those I’ve spoken to, made clear that many of you will struggle in the coming weeks. Some probably very badly. Personally, I can’t make that any better I’m afraid.
Keep in mind, your suppliers and client base is likely to be struggling just as much. Again, compassion and common sense without confrontation as that gets nobody anywhere.
I can’t sugar coat it, its gonna be a rough time for all.
I can tell you, for WTA members, there are discussions on ways to help members as much as possible. The peeps there are not just sitting about ignoring this at all but, there’s only so much can be done and they’re figuring it out as much as anyone is.
Many of us here have survived mountains of crap over the years, I just hope that all come through this as unscathed as possible.
Oh and if anyone’s got any bog roll…
K.
hi, I am debating the pros and cons of going out to work or not. government advising people not to go out, customers asking me to go out, people with no
working washing machines or ovens etc, possibility of catching and spreading virus. Has anyone taken the decision to stay at home or carry on as normalsuppose its up to the individual and the health of their immediate family, Add to this the local situation
in merseyside its not too bad yet so its carry on as normal but if i was in london i would think differently
could get worse here as talking to a m8 who works on the irish ferries who said 2 of their engineers got it after a liverpool football match with madrid on 11/3
Dave
I am just carrying on as normal apart from taking all the recommended precautions etc
Just make sure you wash hands and wipe everything down, keep about 6 feet from the customer as much as possible.
For now its all BACS payments (No issues yet ) and fingers crossed spares keep coming for now
But it’s still a bit of a worry being self employed so no money if work stopsI’ve suspended bookings for the next few months. Not an easy decision, but with a wife working for the health service, 3 kids just home from school/uni and a health condition myself, I don’t want to take any risks.
I noticed a few customers this last week seemingly trying to suppress a cough, in most cases no doubt just a regular cold, but I am sure there are those with a cavalier attitude who would do anything to get their machine fixed, infected with the virus or not.
It’s worth looking at the announcements from some of the national companies like British Gas, BSH and Miele. They are setting out very strict ground rules on the questions they will ask customers, prioritisation of customer and appliance types, social distancing on site and hand washing facilities. These are the kind of measures all of us should look to adopt, and if necessary review on a daily basis.
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