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I was told today, totally unverified, that RepairCare are supposed to be cutting rates to the agents due to DSG threatening to switch service provider as RC were being undercut.
Anyone heard anything as I can’t see them doing that, surely they wouldn’t?
Mind you, with all the other stuff going off I doubt anything would come as a surprise!
K.
You probably already know whats hapened Ken, there were phones calls to agents from all levels of RC management yesterday morning. but in case you dont know,
Because DSGI were going to leave the fold it appears ,Repaircare have put a package together which you would not beleive. This is just DSGI work BER’s 20.00 TD 31.00 Cooking 32.00 Wet 37.00 , NO 3.50 fast repair. NO source own. If you choose not to do the DSGI work you don’t do ny work. They have also supposedly reduced parts cost !In my and others opinion all this does is crucify the agents. How they can expect good quality service ? What are the knock on effects to other contracts ? What are the knock on effects to other work providers ?
Its going to be a rocky road.
Re: Yet Another Interesting Rumour
Yes, I knew. 😉
To be blunt, it’s going to take some bottle on the part of some agents to stick their heads above the parapet to do much of anything about it.
As history has proven (NESN among others) you’ll never get unity. What you get is a few brave souls and those that will sit on the sidelines and wait to see what happens. I suspect that will happen here.
Strikes me as a “take it or leave it” type deal that’s on the table with no debate or authority to alter the terms of the contract. That’s pretty much a no-no legally but then, I know how painful that route is and how long it takes coupled with expense. Oh but of course, nobody has a contract now do they… they have a “Heads of Agreement” which, isn’t technically a contract so, there’s Jack Schitt that anyone can do about it!
Well, other than walk away.
K.
Re: Yet Another Interesting Rumour
Sadly, there you have it.
Two golden opportunities and both of them not exploited. Well, yet at least but plenty emails and a couple of calls from people slightly less than happy. None of whom want to expose themselves in what can only be qualified as a culture of fear.
I have a copy of the letter to agents now. It is, disappointing.
I don’t especially blame RC for this, wholly at any rate. But, my reply in response to the initial viewing of the aforementioned letter was:
Jesus! That is pretty bad.
Like it or tough. Very, very Draconian indeed and not terms I would agree to in all honesty, especially in light of rising fuel costs, inflation and the possibility of getting a big bill from the last government’s cock ups. I am so glad that I don’t do that work and refused it the first time around.
Some of those rates are less than it costs me to get to the door!!
But who would undercut is the question? Then look at who’s in charge and ponder for a moment. 😉
Also consider how happy De Dietrich/Fagor, Rangemaster and others will be if they see good agents leaving, I think they may ask questions. That’s where pressure can be applied.
K.
Verbatim.
The remainder of the conversation and the person I was talking to must I’m afraid remain under wraps to protect the innocent.
But if this is DSG and DSG alone, I’d tell them to go f**k themselves with extreme prejudice then do it again to make sure that the message was fully rammed home, received and understood.
Not that I’m bitter, twisted and bear the battle scars.
K.
Re: Yet Another Interesting Rumour
Wow, no comment from anyone! That’s also a first.
Alex, Phil… you’re both in DASA and, so far as I know, on the DASA Council.
This is a mess. The depth and strength of feeling against RC is, frankly, astounding from where it was a few months ago never mind when they kicked off. But repeated incursions into the very people’s living that work for them has been breeding discontent for a long time now, recent events have just toppled it over the edge.
This is, easily, as much ill will as was borne when the NESN thing went off.
You can take this or leave it, your call…
DASA has to get itself distanced from RC, rapidly.
If not, I tell you now as I did a number of years ago, this will bite DASA in the ass. I’ll never forget how p1ssed off I was when that stupid Heads Agreement was ratified in Peterborough and, I’m sure others haven’t either.
I’m not crowing about it, I’m not happy about it, it’s just the reality of the situation. Having RC at the top table and as full members no less is a political disaster. I’m actually really surprised it’s not been raised in open forums yet.
Is there not something in the constitution that you (DASA) can pull them up on? They are after all a WP with a commercial interest and, as demonstrated, that works in opposition to the members agenda.
Get Dave to do it, he doesn’t give a toss if he upsets them I shouldn’t think.
The extraordinary meeting I cannot attend. I fly back into the UK and don’t land until 10:00am that day, to get to Peterborough takes almost seven hours for me so I just can’t do it. Added to which I will have two weeks of problems to deal with no doubt. And, on top of that, David is off the week I come back so it’s just not possible to do it or I would attend.
Some of this is perhaps my fault though or, I feel a bit guilty in part at least.
When I mooted the idea of looking at contracts and okay’ing them this is not what the intent was. The intent was to have the contracts scrutinised by a contract lawyer for validity and fairness, not just ratified by the council because someone wanted the work badly, it suited their own personal plans or that they were a shoe-in for it. Perhaps I should have fought a bit harder for the actual purpose but, I have to admit, I got fed up trying to make people understand. They only understand when they get the sting of the con.
At the time, DASA was the only show in town and the only vehicle to do it with. The landscape has now changed.
That may actually be used to the repairer’s advantage.
Perhaps it is time that the WTA, DASA and UKW worked towards a common goal.
K.
Re: Yet Another Interesting Rumour
kwatt wrote:Wow, no comment from anyone! That’s also a first.
Alex, Phil… you’re both in DASA and, so far as I know, on the DASA Council.
K.I’m on Vancouver Island and totally out of touch. All I’m hearing is on here or the CDSL forums which they are deleting at random. I am punctuating my holiday in internet cafes & I’m not popular.
I cannot comment as it seems it is all on hard copy as posted in the mail & I haven’t a clue as to what the hell is going on??
These things always happen as soon as I take a holiday.
Alex
Re: Yet Another Interesting Rumour
Alex wrote:These things always happen as soon as I take a holiday.
And, the lesson here is… 😉
I hope you’ve had a good holiday because you’re returning to a world of sh1t and one I suspect you’re not going to react well toward. I’d advise you take a few hours to try to get up to speed after you get over the jet lag.
The one thing I’ve stayed well away from, very deliberately, is that CDSL have said in their epistle (paraphrasing) that it’s tough if you don’t like it, you’ll get on with it or we’ll chop you off. I don’t want to go near that so as they have a way out of this mess should of course they choose to do so and, save face in doing so.
Hope you had a nice holiday Alex. But Vancouver Island is hardly a prime destination… why for goodness sakes? Unless you caught a boat up to see the Alaskan ice floes of course, then I’d get it.
K.
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