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Had an interesting phone call today. Guy rings me up and asks me if I know anything about Bosch Fr/Fz’s, then proceeds to inform me about the Bosch sensor bypass and that he had ordered the kit of Bosch. What he wanted to know was a few tecnical details about whaht happens to the FR/FZ after the repair, why the repair works etc. So I informed him to speak to Bosch again, he said he had done that and they would not give him any info, thats why he rang me. I told him that I was not willing to give him any info as I make my living, as the rest of us do by “knowing” what to do.
So I asks the guy where he got the info for the kit, UK Whitegoods was his reply.I was a bit slow with this guy, I should have suggested that I would put the info in the post along with an invoice. 😈
My point is, this guy rings me for info and has no intention of booking a service call for me to make my living out of, by doing the repair. I am all for a bit of DIY, but should we letting this sort of info be avilable on the open forum?Re: Public Information
You may find this interesting http://www.ukwhitegoods.co.uk/modules.p … pic&t=7792
Bryan
Re: Public Information
Thanks Bryan
I had already read those posts, got the opinion that most of us dont want our hard earned technicle advice spread about to much.
I leart the hard way. I got a service call a few years back by a guy that I knew. Hotpoint W/M .motor brushes gone. The guy is standing over me, having a crack etc. and starts asking a few questions. “Thats a fancy tool you got there for taking the brushes out, what the usuall problems with this washer? etc etc. Next question, do you make a living out if this job, do you advertise much. Just casuall questions nothing to specific.
Two weeks later he has an advert in the local paper, “Domestic Appliance Repairs”
This guy was an odd job man, bit of taxi work, busdriving. suddenly he’s an engineer!!!!, and I had been giving him advice,”DUMBER AND DUMBER” 😳 😳 😳 😳When I read his Add. I grabbed the car keys and was making my out the door to pay him a visit as us Vikings do, the wife threatened that she would ring the Police if I drove off. Common sense prevailed. Got my own back a few times with the assistance of Trading Standards over his shoddy, unsafe work.
The point here is that I live in a rural area where work is hard found, I dont object to fair competition, but to have some cowboy just jump in and have a go is not on. Fortunatly he has not affected me at all. As things are in this trade we should be carefull what we let be known to anyone, I have worked hard to be as competent as I am, and aim to stay that way.
Re: Public Information
maltheviking wrote:As things are in this trade we should be carefull what we let be known to anyone, I have worked hard to be as competent as I am, and aim to stay that way.
I do so agree with your sentiments in every respect Mal 😉
As the originator of the thread Bryan pointed out (“Too much info?”) I am somewhat surprised and bemused at the response of the poll I set within that thread. Out of a paltry 40 votes (of those that bothered 🙄 ) there is still almost a 50/50 split over the main issue?
Many have cited the ‘safety issues’ as the reasoning toward restraint in giving out too much info. When all along the end result is that those (me included) that realise the solution to many peoples whitegoods problem is blabbed out in black and white for all to see in the public forums.
Thankfully as yet only a small minority of the public at large are in a position to want to or need to access this information via the Internet. But nevertheless it is on the increase and can affect small rural businesses like yours quite substantially in so doing.
A precedent has be set and there are many plus points toward sharing this type of information anyhow. Repair@ has got a vast surplus of work just begging to be shared by whoever wants it. That in itself proves that UKW’s full access of information and services for trade and public alike is a winning formula.
Some will always gain more from it than others but overall there will be NO losers 😀
One final point is that only on very rare occasions will such a facility create the ‘cowboy fixer syndrome ‘ and even if it does they will soon fall foul of their own misdeads. 😉
P.S. I have moved the thread into ‘General Trade’…better place 😉
Re: Public Information
maltheviking wrote:
So I asks the guy where he got the info for the kit, UK Whitegoods was his reply.Can anyone find this thread and point us to it ❓
Mal , I often say to customers who I help on the phone (cooker timers in auto etc.) “thats a tenner you`re owe me” just for a bit of a laugh. I can reveal I`ve had about 3 tenners in 14 years 😆
Bryan
Re: Public Information
I can’t find the specific thread but most of the information in it (and I’ve read it a few times) was public to public advice and a lot of that from a particular post on diynot.com from memory.
Before forums there were phones (and still are), it just goes to show what a helpful bunch we appliance engineers are 😉
I can’t recall a single day in over 20 years when I haven’t been asked for free advice on this, that or the other over the phone, and have given it on many occasion as long as the safety aspect is reinforced, the only difference now is we have a wider audience which can only serve to enhance the independents in the public’s eyes I hope 🙂
I’ll get the flak jacket on now 😉
Dave.
Na if you go hunting on the net there’s loads of advice out there, most of it bad if not totally incorrect and much of it from amateurs. So people would get the info (good, bad or indifferent) irrespective of what we do here and possibly put themselves risk.
I think we’re a cut above, I think the advice and guidance we give is a cut above. If anyone would care to challenge that point of view…
K.
Re: Public Information
Thing is, if we don’t offer advice, there are plenty of other online sites that will; and of the ones that I have been refered to by UKW posters, none offer anything like the balance or safety protocols that we offer. I don’t have a problem with people clearing their own pumps, or fitting service parts. Anyone who is reasonably physically fit and has a logical mind should be perfectly capable of doing these tasks safely for themselves and good luck to them.
The Mods have discussed the fridge bypass problem and decided that there are numerous threads going back over the last 2 years – we can’t remember them all, we can’t find them all anyway and in keeping with the ethos which the site has espoused from the begining, why should we delete them anyway? The information is arrived at safely and IIRC, generally by the Public themselves – although technical advice as to the why has been given by us.
It’s an evolution thing…..
This comes round every 5/6 months, we have a chat about it and we all blunder forwards as usual. It is worth noting that out of 700 odd trade members, its the same 15 who deal with the public queries on a regular basis. I’m getting to the stage that, quite honestly, if the rest of you don’t like it, don’t look. Also bear in mind that the Public forums generate income for the site by spares sales.
Since this became a Public site as well as a Trade one this position was inevitable. We can go private again and the sites rankings will plummet, or we can just get on with it and accept that a few of us aren’t terribly happy.
Oh, I could do with some help in the Oz forum, as it seems to be just me these days. And it generates nothing for UKW – just some goodwill. Personally, I think that’s one of the finest things that we do.
Cheers,
Chris.Re: Public Information
Martin wrote:I am somewhat surprised and bemused at the response of the poll I set within that thread. Out of a paltry 40 votes (of those that bothered 🙄 ) there is still almost a 50/50 split over the main issue?
Martin , I think the value of the above poll is diluted by the fact there are too many options.
Might be worth having another poll along the lines of either we are giving the public too much info or it`s just about right.
My opinion is if we are giving away anything it should be aimed at making a sale and I know it must be very difficult knowing where to draw the line.
Mind you if anyone phones me with their washing machine not draining , I sure don`t tell them to check the filter as I see it as their ignorance and I need the money.
Bryan
Re: Public Information
Well done Bryan spoken like a true Scotsman, we all need the money, pointless being in business without it.
Re: Public Information
Bryan wrote:Mind you if anyone phones me with their washing machine not draining , I sure don`t tell them to check the filter as I see it as their ignorance and I need the money.
I think that most of us relate to that situation, its money in the bank for us all mate 🙂
We have to hope those potential customers don’t log onto UKW first that’s all :rotfl:
Re: Public Information
I have to admit, there is a certain amount of irony about this site.
In one area we are telling the general public how to repair machines, in another we are discussing the fact we have only had 5 calls all week.
I have had calls where Joe Public asks outright how to fit something. I just ask them if they would like to book a call.
One thing this thread has made me think about, and that is ‘how much vetting is done before a member is accepted as trade’.
I have noticed some threads in the trade area that create doubt.I accept the reasoning behind giving the public advise, but once they obtain access to the trade area it not only affects our pockets it also affects the reputation of the trade generally and can be dangerous for the individual as well as the customer they are ‘practising their newly found skill on!
As has been seen time and again though, where we advise an engineer the first place that people go is Repairs@. We get a fair few that request spares simply as someone has answered a post, not them all by a long way, but a few.
Where do you think they’ll go when we start recommending ISE?
You simply won’t win them all, but then you don’t need to. But we are starting to see a lot of repeat visitors and that can only be good for us all in the longer run I think.
K.
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