Please help me write about the ISE washing machine

[andy_art_trigg]

I need some specific ammuniton. I’m writing about the ISE washing machine and want to labour the point about the cost of repairing many modern washing machines. I would appreciate some prices for repairs compared with purchasing costs to quote.

For example, a Servis or Indesit washing machine may cost £199 – but to fit a motor is £ a PCB is £

Or a Hoover washing machine may cost £250 but to replace the tub (drum bearings) could be £ or the motor – £ PCB etc

Many thanks

[Dave_Conway]

Re: Please help me write about the ISE washing machine

Do you need model numbers specific Andy ?

For example – Servis M3001 module replacement trade price £60.30.

So, with a reasonble mark up (25{e5d1b7155a01ef1f3b9c9968eaba33524ee81600d00d4be2b4d93ac2e58cec2d} ?) and a ballpark £50 labour rate, the repair would total £147.32 inc VAT.

Dave.

[andy_art_trigg]

Re: Please help me write about the ISE washing machine

Thanks Dave, that’s the sort of thing. Model numbers not essential. How much would a Hoover / Candy washer cost to fix if drum bearings fail I wonder? If I remember right the official solution is to replace entire tub.

[iadom]

Re: Please help me write about the ISE washing machine

Andy, have a look at recent Indesit, the latest Hotpoint, low end Zanussi etc. They now all have completely sealed drums. No drum support/bearing/inner drum repairs etc. If you get something really fast behind the drum ( I have just had to remove a Hotpoint washer/dryer drum to get at a sock jammed in the drum support) then you will need a complete new drum.

Indesit W103UKBG, sealed drum, cost of drum £106.00

[andy_art_trigg]

Re: Please help me write about the ISE washing machine

Is that trade or retail price?

[iadom]

Re: Please help me write about the ISE washing machine

andy_art_trigg wrote:Is that trade or retail price?

Manufacturers list, inc Vat. I would guess that the similar Zanussi drum is a lot more.
apparently the latest Hotpoint 7kg machines are going to have a sealed drum. 😥

[Martin]

Re: Please help me write about the ISE washing machine

andy_art_trigg wrote:I’m writing about the ISE washing machine and want to labour the point about the cost of repairing many modern washing machines.

I’m not sure exactly where this would lead Andy? Price of spare parts and comparisons between brands is a minefield to say the least, Servis is a prime example. But putting this to the attention of the public whilst being a laudable proposition will only reinforce the belief that repairing washers (any washer) is not practical/economical. 🙁

Joe Public faced with this confusing and overwhelming expense will only dump their machine the moment it fails. And that is NOT doing us in the trade any favours. 😥

It would be nice to show (prove) the ISE machine as not only a very reliable product but also spare parts are cheap should it go wrong. But I don’t think the public at that stage would believe you as their confidence is shattered by seemily popular brand named products failing so catastrofically. 😕

[aqualectric]

Re: Please help me write about the ISE washing machine

Lots of customers over the years have used ‘Which?’ as a benchmark resource when buying an appliance, especially a washing machine. Could we bring the ISE to the attention of Which? and see that when it is placed against other machines in this ‘unbiased’ medium, it would rival or better them. Few customers question Which?’s integrity so could this be good exposure for our new brand and it’s forward thinking ethos?? 8)
Just a thought…………………………….

[iadom]

Re: Please help me write about the ISE washing machine

aqualectric wrote:this ‘unbiased’ medium,

😥 if only it were so.

[Martin]

Re: Please help me write about the ISE washing machine

aqualectric wrote:Could we bring the ISE to the attention of Which?

ditto iadom’s comment about Which?

[andy_art_trigg]

Re: Please help me write about the ISE washing machine

Martin wrote:I’m not sure exactly where this would lead Andy? Price of spare parts and comparisons between brands is a minefield to say the least, Servis is a prime example. But putting this to the attention of the public whilst being a laudable proposition will only reinforce the belief that repairing washers (any washer) is not practical/economical. 🙁

Joe Public faced with this confusing and overwhelming expense will only dump their machine the moment it fails. And that is NOT doing us in the trade any favours. 😥

It would be nice to show (prove) the ISE machine as not only a very reliable product but also spare parts are cheap should it go wrong. But I don’t think the public at that stage would believe you as their confidence is shattered by seemily popular brand named products failing so catastrofically. 😕

I understand your point Martin. That’s the dilemma with having two different parts to a business, selling and repairing are two separate entities and can compete against each other. Many in the trade do both. Things we say to persuade people to buy can be detrimental to the repair side, and things we say to persuade people to have a repair can conflict with the sales side.

The truth is that the majority of modern washing machines *are* too expensive to repair if they require a motor, bearings, tub, drum or PCB, and people will *not* have them fixed and – people are *already aware* of this after suffering it for the last 10 years and more. It’s been going on for too long and is killing the repair business, I am not the only one who’s packed the repair business in after many, many years. Out of all the people I knew (very well) in the repair business there is just one left (out of about 12)

This is exactly what ISE is trying to reverse. I can’t see any other way that the situation can be reversed unless the public stop buying the rubbish and buy something like an ISE The beauty of it is that the ISE isn’t just about selfishly trying to help the repair trade, it’s about giving the customers what they really want – they just don’t realise it’s what they want yet 😉 because they have meakly accepted the current status quo and think there’s nothing they can do about it.

[Goatboy]

Re: Please help me write about the ISE washing machine

Martin wrote:…spare parts are cheap should it go wrong.

Parts are free, for the first 5 years, should it go wrong 😉

The last meetings minutes could help?

[andy_art_trigg]

Re: Please help me write about the ISE washing machine

I think Martin was meaning after the 5 years are up. Will spares for the ISE definitely be a fair bit cheaper then? I have no doubt that UK Whitegoods won’t be looking to profiteer out of the spares, and will only take a small markup, but if the manufacturers stop using those particular PCB’s or motors in their other washing machine production lines, I fear prices could go up to potentially uneconomical rates simply due to economies of scale.

I suspect the current crazy prices of PCBs motors, drums etc on Indesit and Servis (and others) aren’t necessarily a result of simple profiteering by manufacturers, I suspect it could be because it’s genuinely expensive to produce just a couple of thousand PCB’s for spares, of a type that’s no longer being used in current washing machine production in massive quantities.

Clearly though, markup by manufacturers must account for some of the (too high) prices and I could be wrong, it could be that they do price spares way higher than necessary.

[Martin]

Re: Please help me write about the ISE washing machine

andy_art_trigg wrote:I understand your point Martin

Ah! Good show Andy 🙂

To elaborate still further on the subject if I may? You must please first of all bear in mind (an Ken will back me up on this) that the whole concept of the ISE and it’s key word is ‘unique’.

Unique in its construction, unique in it’s market place standing, unique in it’s retail sales package (including after sales), unique to independants having a full share in sales and servicing (at last!) unique in it’s exclusivety (not available to sheds and supermarkets)….I could go on…?

My point so far? Is that I would rather it (ISE) be projected by the media (including Washerhelp if you wish?) as something that is not associated with the popular market leaders. That no comparison can be drawn between ‘them’ and ISE as it stands alone against their marketing strategy. Delivering a truly reliable machine that has second to none after sales servicing that far outstrips the nearest competition.

So, back to your question about the cost of replacement parts and where ISE stands as far as the cost of their parts is concerned? Inexpensive and realistically priced by comparison to all, is the answer. I cannot give you any figures right now as to the cost of (say) a replacement motor, for example. But suffice to say it will be at a rock bottom market price to ensure continued economics toward repairing rather than scrapping. ‘Beyond economic repair’ an unlikely scenario for ISE machines 😉

[andy_art_trigg]

Re: Please help me write about the ISE washing machine

Hi Martin,

It’s difficult not to use comparisons though because it’s not a unique product, it just has many unique aspects. With any new product, customers have to compare what it offers with what already exists. There are probably many people who aren’t fully clued up to the costs of fixing some machines. I agree if you mean you shouldn’t slag off the competition though.

If we are saying buy this product instead of the others, we have to give the public pretty good reasons don’t we? If the new product is a lot cheaper than the existing ones then no reasons whatsoever are required as joe-public are suckers for a cheap price but when you give reasons, you have to back it up with facts. It’s no use saying our repair costs are cheaper, they could be £1 cheaper and the boast is still genuine. I’m just talking about using a couple of facts to back up some claims

[Author]

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