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Re: Merloni
E-Jobs…the way to go for sure and I see Merloni’s daily position is putting them more and more in the shit. We however will come out of this smelling of roses! 😆
News of NESN and 50,000 Merloni (warranty only) calls will only end in tears, but not for us 8)
Alex mentioned Broadband?, well the minority of us at this time only enjoy this facility. In the not too distant future EVERYONE will have Broadband and therefore more and more of our ‘colleagues in the trade’ will want to join and be part of UKW and e-Jobs.
I can only guess at this stage, but I suspect 60{e5d1b7155a01ef1f3b9c9968eaba33524ee81600d00d4be2b4d93ac2e58cec2d} plus (of us in the trade and registered with UKW that is) only use UKW rarely now and again when it suits them. When they get Broadband however, they will most likely be connected most of the time and monitoring constantly 😆
Hope we can handle that?
Martin
Actually Martin broadband coverage now extends to over 90{e5d1b7155a01ef1f3b9c9968eaba33524ee81600d00d4be2b4d93ac2e58cec2d} of the UK population, note population, not area.
This month for the first time ever broadband connections exceeeded PSTN dial ups as well. 😉
No longer in the minority.
K.
Re: Merloni
Martin wrote:News of NESN and 50,000 Merloni (warranty only) calls will only end in tears, but not for us 8)
Put it this way, they have nowhere near enough members or coverage to handle the work in that sort of volume. They fucked the Coverplan work up and many of their agents because they said “yes” without looking at the larger picture, it will surely happen again.
Dave.
Re: Merloni
Okay, to get back to the topic in hand…
NESN have fuck all chance of making this a success, frankly CM is trying to repair the damage done by JT and put NESN back on the map. If she does that by fucking over the service agents then she probably doesn’t give a shit.
Let’s diagnose the recent message bit by bit.
I am delighted to announce that we have negotiated a great opportunity for the NESN Network. For a trial period NESN will be providing service support to Merloni for their in warranty products. Should this pilot prove successful, we fully expect to receive in excess of 40,000 jobs over a 12-month period.
Oh look, here’s some good news we’ve got some volume.
As you may be aware Merloni have some 1500 own employed engineers who complete on average 8,000 service calls per day. However with Merloni’s ever-increasing market share, they recognised that partnerships needed to be formed in order to maintain and enhance their reputation for customer service.
Merloni have more than they can handle and are looking to farm some of it out.
Such a partnership has been formed with Expert Appliances who are handling their refrigeration products and now with NESN for Home Laundry and other White Goods.
It’s good enough for Expert who are paying £40 a call so it’s good enough for us.
We decided that a four-phased roll out was the only approach for this pilot, mainly to ensure that the NESN network could handle the capacity offered but also to enable us to monitor that the contract is a viable option for both parties.
We have no idea where this is going or how long it will last and if it gets fucked up we’re out in the cold again.
Fortnightly reviews will take place during this period, where performance, spares supply, Technical problems and volumes will be monitored.
We know we’re going to have issues, especially on the specifics mentioned.
The Merloni philosophy has always been to prebook all appointments for their customers and as such the Expert Appliance contract is based around prebooked appts of 2 days hence. However, we knew that this was not a suitable agreement for NESN and our Members and after intense negotiations with Merloni, they agreed, last night that all requests passed to NESN will be on a + 4 day basis. This change in policy, which requires, amongst other things, system modifications at Merloni is a measure of their commitment to do business with NESN. It is vital that ALL customers are contacted to either confirm the date agreed by Merloni or to move that date forward where you are able to do so. Managing the customers’ expectation in relation to appointments is paramount to the success of this contract. Therefore both Merloni and NESN will be closely monitoring appointment dates offered, bearing in mind that NESN has a 3-day SLA with all of our clients.
I love this bit! Expert can do it so, so can you and we’ve already told you about Expert before now. They expect customers to be moved up, as in that you will prioritise Merloni customers and with the veiled threat, albeit very subtle, of the 3 day SLA that they have you under contract for.
Twats.
The labour rates agreed on this contract are, I am sure you will agree, exceptional for in warranty repairs. There is also an additional out of hours /weekend rate built in alongside a 3 month warranty on recalls. (NESN standard is 12 months on White Goods) Only genuine parts must be fitted but these can be sourced from your preferred supplier, providing that they are charged back at Merloni cost price.
Honestly, this one paragraph is the killer blow, read it very carefully and weigh the consequences of it in detail.
How can you agree to a labour rate being “exceptional” when you are not told what it is? Teh out of hours or weekend call rate is worded in such a manner as to assume that it is expected. 3 month warranty, but on what?
But that last sentence is just a topper, an utter blinder if ever I saw one. You buy from your normal supplier and bill back at cost with no guarantee of payment for what you buy. Also, how do they audit what you paid, what you bought or what you even used? This is just a fucking joke this is.
So in effect, you pay out for spares irrepsective of the outcome or payment status buying genuine spares with no way to withhold payment for rejections, unpaid invoices or unused stockholding. You have no recourse on any spares ordered whatsoever.
This is why they used NESN and not CDSL as CDSL could fuck them on the spares if they started to prick about as well as buy direct from factory, NESN cannot do that and, if the agents get screwed, well tough. It is also why they quoted the ridiculously low labour rates to direct agents as, quite simply, they know they’d have problems eventually with spares returns and training/tech info. Why on earth do you think NESN can pay £36 a call and yet the best offered to a direct agent is £30 and NESN have to have at least a few quid on top of that figure again.
So, in effect, yet again the agents are being used to prop up NESN and at the same time bail Hotperloni out the shite over the busiest period of the year, when they need the help the most. Don’t let it be you that gets fucked over.
I cannot stress strongly enough the importance of you, as service providers, utilising the NESN system to manage the progression of these service calls.
We’re stuffed if you lot don’t play ball!
All that remains for me to say, is that I believe this is a golden opportunity for all of us and as such lets all work together to secure the long term future of what promises to be a very lucrative partnership.
Yes, they would say that and yes, it will be lucrative for everyone, except the poor bastards that actually do the graft!
K.
Re: Merloni
The more I see of this the more it stinks, these rates seem designed to tempt people and there’s no way I will believe that these will be there for any length of time.
INVOICING REQUIREMENTS
Address Details – Customer name, address, and postcode
Authority Number – supplied by Merloni usually 15digits long
Agency Field – Engineer number – again allocated automatically by Merloni
Policy Field – Merloni Fault Code 6 digit number (2alpha – 2 numeric– 2 alpha)
Description of repair
Part Details – Merloni Part Number, description of part, cost of part (Merloni cost price only)
Date Complete -completion date of job.
The NESN network will be servicing Merloni in warranty products, mainly home laundry. Merloni will pass all service requests via the NESN Head Office facility where they will be auto-imported onto our system.Customers contacting the Merloni call centre are always advised of an appt date, the agreement with NESN is that this date will be the date they call Merloni + 4 days. This date will be shown in the Approved Field on Page 1 of the NESN system. It is important that ALL customers are contacted to either confirm that date or to move the date forward wherever you are able to do so. It is vital that customers’ expectation is managed with regards to appt dates.
Any special instructions from Merloni, such as directions, extra contact details etc will be shown in the Other Memo box on page 1.
On customer contact the job should be changed to Visit Scheduled with the actual Call on date logged in that field on page 1.
Any parts fitted to a Merloni job are to be charged back at Merloni cost price, Merloni will check the part detail and price at the prevalidation status so it is vital that this info is entered correctly.
Labour Rates
Call Type FC- White Goods £37 + vat
Call Type FC – Gas Goods £50 + vat
We have also agreed an out of hours call out charge, this includes weekdays after 6pm and any call out on Saturday or Sunday.
Call Type SC – White Goods £52 + vat (Out of hours call)
Call Type SC – Gas Goods £65 + vat (Out of hours call)
Call Type IN – White Goods £34 + vat
Call Type IN – Built in Electric Cooking £39 + vat
Call Type IN – Freestanding Gas Cooking £48 + vat
Call Type IN – Built in Gas cooking £50+vat
Call Type SI – White Goods £ 49 + vat (Out of hours Installation)
Call Type SI – Electric Cooking £54 +vat (Out of hours)
Call Type SI – Freestanding Gas Cooking £63 + vat (out of hours)
Call Type SI – Built in Gas Cooking £65 + vat (Out of hours)You also need to record the Merloni Fault Code in the Policy No field; the fault code is a 6-digit code, which consists of 2 numbers, 2 letters & 2 numbers. Fault code tables will be supplied.
All jobs must be completed for invoice within 5 days of the completion of the repair.
It is Vital that the NESN system is updated to enable us to accurately monitor performance and thereby increase volumes on this contract.These rates are top whack, why are Merloni paying them especially in light of what they’ve been offering up till now and in the past? It doesn’t make any sense other than two scenarios, one they’re so fucked for cover they have to pay them or, two, this is a short term fix.
If the former then why not offer similar rates direct? Many more people would have taken it up at those rates and they would have saved NESN’s management fee. The only reason I can see for it is those already outlined, that is that the spares situation suits them as they cannot be held accountable or to ransom due to non-payment. There really is no other reason that I can fathom.
In the case of two, well if it’s short term then that would explain the paying of high rates but why not continue with DAG as is? Where is the sense in changing the arrangement that they already have in place and, at a lower cost? It doesn’t make any sense to do that unless DAG are getting pissed off.
Like I say, the whole think reeks more than a week old fish.
K.
Re: Merloni
I’m absolutely amazed at the rates.
Don Corlione & his band of heavies would not go above £27 for me, that was only 2 years ago. They paid £25 per call & when I kicked up, raised it to £27 but then scrapped the £2 customer satisfaction bonus. In other words they gave sweet F!!! all. The stopping of the bonus thing came to light at the end of the year.
In the end because of their intransigence, they lost a good agent, (Even if I do say so myself). All of a sudden, obviously because they are bloody desperate, they can find the figures as being quoted. Where the hell did they pull this from?
Birds of a feather & all that, they are bloody welcome to each other.
I must watch the DVD of Goodfellas again to remind myself why I’m glad I’m out of the loop.
alex
Re: Merloni
Interestingly, I spoke to Richard Dalley this morning about a service call and slipped this in to the converstaion.
NESN quoted £10 a call less than ISDAL. 😯 Work that one out then 😕
We know Merloni have already spoken to CDSL, they already have an agreement with D&G, they have spoken to Independants individually, something is very odd about all this.
IME, Merloni have done the sums of centralising the invoicing for this short term “get us out of the shit” situation and have exploited NESN’s obviously reduced management fee to solve the problem.
Time will tell how long and how successful this partnership will be. Shortlived and rife with problems I would imagine.
Perhaps some of the still current NESN members will enlighten the situation in time when the work gets rolled out.
Dave.
Its supposedly just guarantee calls, no insurance, so Merloni are not even making on that.
It does seem rather peculier ?
Re: Merloni
Dave_Conway wrote:“get us out of the shit” situation
Yep! That’s just what Graham Cole told me he was told to do by his bosses….whatever it takes!!
……Oh! It’ll be short term alright, for sure 😉
Martin
Re: Merloni
Well here’s a thought or two for you…
What if they are not allowed to sub out the contract work? Who knows what conditions apply there.
That aside, what would you rather do, the work you’re charging for back to an insurer and/or the customer directly or the warranty stuff? No brainer.
Of course they will pass out the warranty calls in the hope that we mugs will do a good job and get stocked up with us all hoping that the rest will follow in due course. Gets them out the shit, puts something back on NESN’s balance book and there’s no risk to Merloni due to the way the spares are being handled. They really can’t lose here as they’re taking fuck all risk and, in all fairness, the indies can’t fuck up this work any worse than Merloni already have. They probably weighed the cost of gettign it done, with those rates, against what they can reject and fuck about with and the on-cost to the other operations of the service arm.
Also their own troops hate the site of Ariston & Indeshit never mind us, so they have “in-house” issues in that area anyway, so farm it out and dump the problems on some other poor sod.
Fair play to them, it’s a good plan so long as you don’t have some twat like me seeing right through it. But they missed one vital little fact in all this, GIAS have already tried this approach more or less and so did they on a direct basis, in both instances the indies got badly burned fingers.
So I would suggest donning an asbestos suit if you take this on.
K.
Re: Merloni
hello from cyprus,weather even hotter than hotperloni are trying to make our lives..
I have passed on the news to certain people who are here and if you are a connect agent….there is plenty of work to come in the next 6 months, Dont be too quick to sign up to a contract you will lose money on trying to withdraw to create service call space.
have fun
Kevin
Re: Merloni
Heh Kev, it’s nice to see that the tom-tom system works way out there. 😉
I don’t think that anyone in here is dumb enough to want this work, it’s going to ba a nightmare farce IMO and one that could potentially sink businesses left and right. I mean FFS, NESN have told all the members up front that they will not be paying in full till February 05! How many of us are in a position to lend NESN and Merloni OUR money to save their asses! Then, to top that off they STILL OWE money to people that dropped them more than 6 months ago.
And now they accept a contract from a manufacturer that is notorious for not paying, rejections and not accepting stock back. Only this time you won’t even have any power TO actually send stock back or hold it in lieu.
Anyone that takes this on wants their head read, seriously. Let the bastards drown in their own pool I say and we’ll pick the spoils when the dust settles.
And yes, I am worked up about this one simply as I can see these fuckers taking out decent service agents by forcing them to go to the wall and that, IMHO, is just shite and I will do everthing I can to fuck it up for them and stop them harming the guys. So I ain’t done with this yet, I just need some debate opened to let loose again.
K.
Re: Merloni
As you may be aware Merloni have some 1500 own employed engineers who complete on average 8,000 service calls per day. However with Merloni’s ever-increasing market share, they recognised that partnerships needed to be formed in order to maintain and enhance their reputation for customer service.
Do the Maths Ken,
Eight thousand completed calls a day by their 1,500 employed engineers/franchised agents means roughly 5 completed calls a day. These are their own figures, does’nt it seem a little strange that their own engineers with vans exclusively and only filled with Merloni spares can only complete half of their allotted (10) daily calls. What chance would we stand in completing any in one day.
Most agents, with more than one brain cell will realise that this is a very short term contract and will not want to be stuck with spares at the end of it. So when you build in the fact that most of this work will be double calls it does’nt seem so attractive.
Del
Re: Merloni
Copied from NESN’s web-site :-
“Our ‘Cradle to Grave’ concept is able to provide total service provision from the point of manufacture through to disposal.
As the market place changes, and consumer ‘demands’ become greater, it will become increasingly more important that one company can deal with all aspects of consumer servicing. We feel that we are ideally placed to work as trading partners in these situations.”
😆 😆 😆
Martin
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