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Re: work dead
Martin wrote:
Work is deathly quiet though overall, not only our trade but most service trades are crawling along right now so we’re not alone.
What i cant grasp is why the appliance repair trade is so quiet in a recession ❓ A house extension, new kitchen, new bathroom project is very likely to be put off for a while in these tight times, people feel insecure, banks dont want to lend, so its very easy to see why all the associated trades are sitting waiting for the phone to ring.
Whitegoods on the other hand are surely a necessity 😯 i get told every week how awful having a broken washing machine is.. rather loose my left arm..blah, blah is the usual line.
So i think we can safely say people are not sitting at home looking at broken domestic appliances.. so what are they doing ❓Fixing it themselves? a few do, no doubt, but i think we over estimate the percentage of the general public capable/ inclined to do anything but simple repairs. when youre of a practical bent i think you assume everyone can do similar stuff, but having seen some of my friends & relatives attempts at even basic DIY i’ve decided this really isnt the case! 8)
So are they buying cheap replacements, thinking its more cost effective than getting the old thing fixed? Seems a more likely explaination.. witness the way the public have been flocking to the likes of Aldi etc for that other necessity… food.
My worry is, is this change in the market permanent, or will the trade recover when people feel better off? If people find that a Beko does the same job as their Bosch did then maybe not ❓ 🙁I think alot of people have been scared by all the cut backs the ConLib government are about to bring in and are holding on to there cash.
Yes I definatley agree with you Madmac people are fitting more parts themseleves, last week I fitted 3 door seals that customers bought themselves and were unable to fit.
Re: work dead
Maybe their goin to Repaircare, which for us in the trade is a bit like shooting yourself in the foot.
It’s great if your the guy doin the repair, no not really, someone is paying lots of money to someone not doin much and the guy doin it isn’t getting paid much, the someone paying too much could be paying the someone doin the work more and forget paying the someone not doin much. 😆
Re: work dead
Madmac wrote:What i cant grasp is why the appliance repair trade is so quiet in a recession 😕
The service trade in general, across the board, is quiet. Tight times in the building/decorating/bathroom project is based on the fact that home improvements right now are of little benefit because the building socs and banks aren’t lending too much to warrant the outlay ‘cos their houses won’t increase in value for their investment necessarily. So folks are staying put, holding onto what little funds they have and stumping up right now on their holiday plans and a new 50 inch plasma for the footie.
In bonnie Scotland however footie is not high on the list of priorities and a busted washer can be replaced by a new one at less than the price of a Panasonic or Sony as long as it doesn’t screw up the kids spending money at Disneyland in July?
lee8 wrote:Maybe their goin to Repaircare, which for us in the trade is a bit like shooting yourself in the foot.
Wash your mouth out with soap & water…Shhss now!…Many of the guys reading this depend on Repaircare for a share of the action….what is he like eh?:rolls:
Re: work dead
I think Madmac is right. A lot of people just go and buy a new one. They dont even bother to call anyone out to repair it. This is where it’s important to be able to supply, and make sure your customers are aware that you supply new machines.
Lets face it, it’s getting more expensive to repair and quite often another fault is often not far round the corner, which hopefully most of us point out.boselecta wrote:
last week I fitted 3 door seals that customers bought themselves and were unable to fit.
Like i say, people often over estimate their DIY potential, encouraged by the likes of the e spares (spit) videos :rolls: still, in the scenario you describe at least youre making your callout, and the machine lives on 🙂
Its the ones who order a part, cock up the fitting, blow the machine up, & then take it to the tip who would really be cheaper calling the pros in the first place 8)Re: work dead
yeh thats fair enough got 4 jobs moro and new washer to fit thursday thank god. cant get machines cheaper trade now than the big stores, so not much mark up to make 😳
Re: work dead
adv wrote:yeh thats fair enough got 4 jobs moro and new washer to fit thursday thank god. cant get machines cheaper trade now than the big stores, so not much mark up to make 😳
It’s not just the mark up on the machine?
I sell quite a few machines, and I make a good kill out of them. Most of my customers know I’m more expensive than the sheds, but the sheds just cannot compete with the quality of the service I provide.
insurance companies never cease to amaze me, they have just given me the go ahead on a repair costing £395.15 inc vat on a Servis washing machine…. i told them i could supply the customer with two new machies for that but still they want to ahead…madness
oh well as work is slow im not going to say noRe: work dead
Martin wrote:
Wash your mouth out with soap & water…Shhss now!…Many of the guys reading this depend on Repaircare for a share of the action….what is he like eh?:rolls:
Its a difficult situation to be in, I get that, but clients in an area you cover are paying stupid money to a company for doing nothing but passing details to some local repair guy, who most likely is struggling to make any money.
Its not only bankers who take too much.
Re: work dead
We had a couple of decent weeks after the election but it has gone extremely quiet now, phones hardly ringing but a few more in the shop buying DIY spares. The planned emergency budget a week and half away is scaring people I dont doubt and the holiday season is on us as well. I think all if this is conspiring against us as a trade but its widespread across the board with everyone trying to make a living.
Whatever happens in the forthcoming budget life must go on as it always has we all need to be more savy in procuring work and retaining it !
Traditionally we have always thrived in a recession but this ones different becuase of the astronomical deficit that has been run up and the maths frighten everyone including tha politicans. The only businesses that seem to be making real profits are the supermarkets and Banks the latter which seem to have got away scot free having been major contributors to this global mess. One thing I can never really grasp is why for most businesses that are VAT registered that banks get away without paying any VAT on the services that they charge for ?Re: work dead
squadman wrote: The only businesses that seem to be making real profits are the supermarkets and Banks the latter which seem to have got away scot free having been major contributors to this global mess.
Hey, I resent that, unfortunate capitalisation there. 😥 😆
Jim Banks.
Re: work dead
Yes, Mr Banks. We all know you’ve been capitalising on people in your area, convincing them it was a good idea to keep their old Hotpoints running when they could have treated themselves to a shiny new Haier. 😉
Mike.Re: work dead
True enough, twas a black armband job today. A 25 year old 95 series with rotten drum support. Left it to long and it had taken out the outer drum and drum front. 😥
Still, an ISE opportunity. 🙂
Re: work dead
The last month has been my worst for 5 years. My wifes’ business is not doing too good but is ticking over and keeping us comfortable. Annual meeting with accountant on Monday so will get a better idea exactly how things are (he always asks for up to date accounts and gives us a good 18,12 and 6 month run down and forecast – he IS worth the money and doesn’t waffle or mince his words – you ignore them at your peril)
IF we hadn’t kept a decent working capital in the bank, might be in trouble, but we’ve got a good cusion to protect us.
However, work (for me especially) has been slowing down for the last 12-9 months but the rate at which it is slowing down has recently accelerated. I have decided to bite the bullet.
I have access to certain funded training (already recently done C&G 2377 PAT testing but have to wait until 23 June to take the second exam). I’m just waiting on course dates for CCN1, ckr and LPG training at local college. Work is that quiet I may as well get it all done now, minimum loss of income.(just really just been putting it off for various reasons).
Few Questions.
Obviously standard gas training followed by modules. LPG is worth it locally and it is quite relevant to rural Lincolnhire, but what about gas tumble driers? I cannot ever remember ever being asked about gas TDs. I cannot find a gas module for it.. Does it come under the heating module?….
Also, gas cooker/hob installs?? What sort of prices do folks charge??
It’s alright, found Gas TD training, it’s a half day module. (plus the on the job training period) Is it really worth it?? Does anyone still use gas TDs?? Not many training providers deliver it.
What else can I do while I’ve got the budget and time??
Sh!t&*$t two months ever. Cost us nearly £1k to keep the two vehicles on the road last month and this month is not much better. My motor was booked in for £300.00 emergency work on Thursday and to cap it all, her car snapped a suspension coil/spring this evening which took out a brand new tyre (only 500miles since new and snip at a ton). To make it worse, recovery company could not get into the car park due to height restrictions and billed her £80.00 for “use of specialist recovery equipment”. A set of car/skate boards they use to move the car to the front of the car park….. 😡 😡 😡 😡 😡 😡 😡 😡 Apparently a non-standard recovery… oh boy are the insurance company getting an ear full in the morning. Rant over time for a beer…
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