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It’s a amazing you know to find that in this trade there is an enormous amount of rivalry between those firms that compete against one another in the same game. In my case I would often re-direct a customer enquiry over a fridge breakdown to a local ‘rival’. (I don’t do fridges, nor intent to either) that I knew didn’t service some of the products I did. Always in the fervent hope of a little ‘back scratching’ payback (perhaps?).
It has always been a one-way flow in that regard, but that has never worried me one jot. It would have been nice had this company given me one or two ‘leads’ in that time, but no such luck. 🙁 So now whenever a fridge call comes my way I suggest they look in Yellow Pages as I am not interested. Not good , not helpful I know, but hey!
There is another ‘firm’ locally that doesn’t fix certain brands of appliance that I specialise in ( 😉 ) who, when asked if they know of anyone in the area that fixes them, steadfastly replies…. “no, there’s no-one about that will touch them, you’d best call in the manufacturers!”….yeah right! 8)
I’ve put a fair amount of work over the years to these two companies and for all the thanks I get (and I know they are on UKW) may I be the first to wish you guys A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Re: Local trade rivalry?
Do they know you pass them work? Around where i am it tends to lean towards each helping other out in varying ways. Depends on the repore one may have with ones rivals?
Re: Local trade rivalry?
jeremy wrote:Do they know you pass them work?
Errrr….yes!
Somerset sounds like an idyllic workplace Jeremy, not so in Berkshire the “leaning towards” and the “rapore” has faded away 😕
Re: Local trade rivalry?
I dont know about the Somerset rapport.
Maybe Jeremy & I ought to work together on BS22 to 29 postcodes, but 99{e5d1b7155a01ef1f3b9c9968eaba33524ee81600d00d4be2b4d93ac2e58cec2d} of calls in that area are the makes we cover in any case.
We tend to give out 2 or 3 local numbers depending on the type and nature of the call & location. I must admit I never get a referral back that came from one of those, but there again I don’t lose sleep over it.
Alex
Re: Local trade rivalry?
I was refering to more locally than the whole of somerset ie my town. i refer sales to certain ones, refrigeration to another, spares to another. i then get gas work back, makes i fix that some dont, and sometimes a referal when they cant get there etc.
i wouldnt go as far as to say its idylic and there is some i wouldnt ever pass stuff onto.
Alex i had an enquiry the other week from a person at pawlett and i suggested they called you, was a gas cooker if i remember correctly. I only come as down as far as highbridge.
Re: Local trade rivalry?
Could’ve written your initial post myself, Martin. 😕
Exactly the same in my area, been reccomending a local refrigeration only firm for years and never had a smile from them. Still, I’d rather reccomend than leave the customer with the dreaded YP.Tony C
Re: Local trade rivalry?
cornwell40 wrote:Exactly the same in my area, been reccomending a local refrigeration only firm for years and never had a smile from them.
Not even a Christmas Card, thanks very much, kiss my…..
What incensed me was that I recommended my customer get this guy in to fix her fridge, he left his card with her after he’d fixed it. 2 months later her washing machine goes wrong, she phones him and he said… “oh no-one round here with fix that machine for you, you’d better phone the makers?”.
He knows full well the machines I fix! 👿 Nevertheless the lady got me of the www, I fixed her machine and she handed me his card. (I have kept it for ‘safe keeping’ to return it to him when next I see his van around here :twisted:)
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