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Hello friends 😀 Have you missed me
I only seem to come onto the site when I have whinge :rolls:
Latest whinge is about Connect and Espares and their videos and I need every ones help.
I noticed that workloads seem to be on the decline with a lot of people, as with me, over 8{e5d1b7155a01ef1f3b9c9968eaba33524ee81600d00d4be2b4d93ac2e58cec2d} down on previous years.
One of the reasons that has come to light for the downturn is the good old Net. where customers can GOOgle a fault and get several ways to fix their machines, mainly from half baked idiots on some of the forums. Even our own UKWG is guilty of this, please don’t bite my head off as I am not going to get involved with this side of the argument 😉Sadly we now have wholesalers showing joe public how to “fix it” with comprehensive video namely EPARES and CONNECT.
This week I raised a complaint with Connect and asked, “Do they want to sell to the trade or Joe public”.
I have been loosing work and sales of parts which I hold large stocks of, all bought from either MP or Connect. IMHO Connect cannot have any loyalty to the trade and are more concerned with just sales, to who ever.
I have no grudge with EPARES or anyone else selling spares, my argument is with these videos. It is morally wrong for Connect not to remove the videos from the Espares site, this can only help the trade. Connect were/are primarily a trade supplier.What I ask of everyone who deals with Connect is to raise the same complaint about the videos and ask them to play ball with the trade. If enough of us do it we may have an effect. PLEASE do it if you share the same concerns.
My other alternative is to move all my business elsewhere
Malt
Re: Espares videos DIY
It all started years ago in the UK by apart4u.
The Yanks were already at it.
Then eSpares got on it.
Now CDSL own eSpares but, before that happened as far as I know, they also started with the video thing.
They use it as an SEO tool primarily not especially to show people how to do things, the videos (if you watch many) are very generic and don’t actually offer little more than has been available since the dawn of time in the Haynes manual then on through web info etc.
The fact is, repay work has dropped as the budget end of the market has expanded leading to a downturn in out of warranty repairs. Many people just bin them and buy another.
Then you have the massive proliferation of extended warranty plans and maintenance contracts, for which you can thank numerous manufacturers, warranty companies, British Gas and punters for being stupid enough to think it’s a good deal.
K.
Re: Espares videos DIY
True, but I still think Connect need a kick up the..
They are definitly part of the problem, if we go down then it’s not going to help them. They must sell more to the trade than the public (at present, if they loose that then they are knackered.
Re: Espares videos DIY
It’s not just Connect, it’s the industry in general, which seems hell bent on trying to destroy itself at times.
My outlook remains reasonably positive but with caveats.
I came across this while I was updating and whatnot over the weekend and it is very relevant to the discussion and, more of a problem for the likes of CDSL as well as many, many others…
http://www.ukwhitegoods.co.uk/help/abou … apsed.html
The danger that they face isn’t now, it’s a few years down the road. The trouble is, if a lot of people don’t address some of the issues now, it will be too late and they will face increased costs in the longer term.
So, bite the bullet now or, pay the piper later for putting short term profit in front of long term stability?
Think about it after you read it, it’s not all bad news.
It’s a new world with the proliferation of the internet and, there’s no going backwards. My view is, adapt and survive and use the changes to your advantage where you can. Moaning about it serves little purpose IMO and won’t change much of anything IME.
K.
Espares videos DIY
To be honest, I the guilty one have used the video for training purposes. Let’s say if I am tackling a job that I am unsure, the video gives me an insight and boost my confidence. Basically it is a victim of it own success. And we felt the effect of it.
Re: Espares videos DIY
Mal…………….the GOOD NEWS is that the vast majority of appliance owners don’t even own a screwdriver much less know how to use it. That there’s more folks own dishwashers now than just 2 years ago. More new builds have integrated appliances fitted as more and more folks cannot afford to get on the housing ladder. Instead they opt to rent properties with appliances included in the tenancy agreement therefore more landlords wanting more work done.
As for the Internet, that now gives you THE perfect platform to sell your services to ALL OF THE ABOVE..!! 😀
Espares videos DIY
I have raised this point with reps every time they phone to ” see if everything is ok” the problem is there site is so easy to navigate and search for parts, plus there stock range is a lot larger than the likes of MP and Qualtex. They need to catch up with there sites and stock range IMO.
I do still get a lot of calls where husband has started repair but got stuck. So we go out to save the day.
Sent from Steves
iPhone using TapatalkRe: Espares videos DIY
Martin wrote:Mal…………….the GOOD NEWS is that the vast majority of appliance owners don’t even own a screwdriver much less know how to use it. That there’s more folks own dishwashers now than just 2 years ago. More new builds have integrated appliances fitted as more and more folks cannot afford to get on the housing ladder. Instead they opt to rent properties with appliances included in the tenancy agreement therefore more landlords wanting more work done.
As for the Internet, that now gives you THE perfect platform to sell your services to ALL OF THE ABOVE..!! 😀
Hi Martin…..The average punter may not own a screwdriver, but they know someone who does and after seeing the video are willing to have a go.
A good majority of my work is through letting agents, but even that is slow compared to other years, it seems that landlords are willing to chuck out and re-install another piece of crap instead of having them fixed.Look at the figures, average income from a let £6-8000 per anum. Crap built in dw£250 and set against income for tax, cheap cooker or oven £60- £150 no brainer really.
So in my opinion I/we need to make sure of any chace of making a living, even though it’s less in real terms than a few years ago. If Connects videos are having an effect on income then it needs pointing out to them before they completly bollox it up ,does it not?.
Luckily I am at that end of my career where it does not matter to much to me as I have seen the good years BUT the next generation need all the help they can get. If we dont do something about it then what? One day I will be old and decrepit( fit your own comment here) and cant fix my own, so whos going to look after us? that goes for pensions as well but thats another argument :offtopic:Re: Espares videos DIY
maltheviking wrote:If Connects videos are having an effect on income then it needs pointing out to them before they completly bollox it up ,does it not?.
I hear where you’re coming from Mal on this but Espares/BuySpares/YouTube videos are oh so very basic. They are full of errors and omisions it is so laughable. They merely incite the incapable into doing the impossible.
YouTube incidentally is full of DIYers fix tips videos for every conceivable appliance, car, boat, motorbike, you name it!
maltheviking wrote:Luckily I am at that end of my career where it does not matter to much to me as I have seen the good years BUT the next generation need all the help they can get.
Well lets hope UKW can hang on in there and its trade members continue their sterling work giving help and advice to the new incumbents.
maltheviking wrote:If we dont do something about it then what? One day I will be old and decrepit( fit your own comment here) and cant fix my own, so whos going to look after us? that goes for pensions as well but thats another argument :offtopic:
Try to cling on tight to the wreckage for somewhere just over the horizon is David Cameron’s life raft floating in your direction.
Pssst!….check your inbox any time soon Mal! 😀 8)
Re: Espares videos DIY
maltheviking wrote:
I noticed that workloads seem to be on the decline with a lot of people, as with me, over 8{e5d1b7155a01ef1f3b9c9968eaba33524ee81600d00d4be2b4d93ac2e58cec2d} down on previous years.Malt
I’d kill to have such a small drop in work compared to years gone by TBH ! I’m running with a typical 50{e5d1b7155a01ef1f3b9c9968eaba33524ee81600d00d4be2b4d93ac2e58cec2d} loss of work in an average week 🙁It really is just for pocket money these days, gawd help us if her indoors gets paid off 😯
Agree with your main point though. connect and their ilk have a damn cheek undermining their core business clients in this way.
Have they not heard about looking after the goose producing the golden eggs? :rolls:
Re: Espares videos DIY
Martin wrote:Well lets hope UKW can hang on in there and its trade members continue their sterling work giving help and advice to the new incumbents.
Doing our best. But, like most, trading conditions are tough ATM and have been for a while now.
Not helped by various spares trade distributors opening up online retail operations.
Which makes me think, maybe we should go direct to some of the suppliers and start doing trade distribution.
After all, what’s good for the goose….
K.
Re: Espares videos DIY
Doing our best. But, like most, trading conditions are tough ATM and have been for a while now.
Same over here too. Didn’t help much as I live quite close to Connect and people can simply (in theory) go over and collect the parts. Also with fixed price repair service – sounds good but it’s the big guys killing off the smaller guys. To make matter worse, the smaller guys can nominate to be agent for Connect repair care in return for their comprehensive knowledge base. Think British Gas is doing the same.
Sometime you wonder what the world is coming to.
I wonder if I am actually doing this job for pocket money, but it’s an occupation (to stop me from being bored witless)!
Re: Espares videos DIY
twicknix wrote: Also with fixed price repair service – sounds good but it’s the big guys killing off the smaller guys. To make matter worse, the smaller guys can nominate to be agent for Connect repair care in return for their comprehensive knowledge base. Think British Gas is doing the same.
Sometime you wonder what the world is coming to.
It’s all down to someone else with no ability trying to make money out of us that have, I am personally sick of it
Re: Espares videos DIY
Same here! All I am working for nowadays is pocket money. No holidays for the last 4 years same van for the last 8 years I am lucky if I make £250.00. per week before expenses and I have been in the game for over 30 years.
Re: Espares videos DIY
Gotta luv Capitalism.
There will always be winners and looser’s, my old man went from well paid skilled steel worker to window cleaner over night, then alcoholic, depressed and a stroke killed what was left.
The Directors of the business screwed the pension money before the company got sold and everybody apart from the young guys and directors left with sore arse 88les.
Seems that lifestyle depends on arriving into a career well before or just after it evolves into a pile of turds.
Sorry but there is very little chance an independent appliance engineer can evolve with the changes. Too many sharks not enough spears.
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