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Re: British Gas…time to tell all
Bloke comes in to my centre day and wanted to know a part number for an Electrolux cooker timer, then I spotted his uniform.
I suggested he asked the bloke that B.G. poached from me 2/3 years ago. Cheeky Git!!
I notice the BGTechdesk is still a regular visitor to the site.
Alex
kwatt wrote:Let me just ask something…
How many of you actually use YP to find anything now and how many of you haven’t seen sight of a YP book since you stuck it in the cupboard the last time it was delivered beside the phone book?
K.Perzactly.
I’m in the plus 55 age bracket, I never use the telephone book, nor do I use yellow pages. I Google everything. Like many I have wireless B/Band and apart from full accessibility from the networked pc’s in the office, the home machine is on-line all day.
A few years ago we all had 1 phone and that would have been on the hall table with the books underneath, now we all enjoy cordless handsets, and consequently the books could be anywhere, (in my case so could the phone). So much easier to press a button, and see instant up to date information on the screen.
Therfore I have no need for books or directories which end up at the back of the cupboard or wherever. So being a typical consumer, despite a lack of youth, my first port of call is the web. If I’m doing it that way, you can be sure so does most of a younger generation. I’ve even got out of Christmas shopping.
Now looking at it from the business point of view:-
I used to spend £6k p.a. on Yellow pages, and I’m about to reduce to Yell.com only. The Y.P. salesmen cannot deny they are finding life difficult. He told me I’m mad, but he won’t be there next year to see me prove him wrong!
As I said earlier, I need to factor £8 from the first 15 calls of each week to cover the present level of my advertising just to break even, and that is just for one book out of 4 for my area.
Keeping a spread sheet on my income and departmentalising it I am able to see at a glance exactly what the levels are, and I can see if there is a change 3 Months after the new book is out. I’m happy to keep you all updated, and happier not to be wasting my money.
Alex
Re: And in the beginning….
Blimey, didn’t have a camera in those days, and certainly not the passion to take a picture of a bleeding old van.
Ford Thames based on the 100E, side valve, no heater, no radio, 3 speed G/Box. Windscreen wipers driven off the vacuum side of engine the manifold, soon as you took your foot off the accelerator the wipers would go mad.
Oh how I yearned for a Vauxhall Viva HA van, 4 gears and a stubby little gearstick.
The lads today don’t know they are born.
Alex
Re: The Stig
superfix wrote:Ben Collins ❓
Who is he, and how do you know for sure ❓
Not doubting you, just curious 8)http://www.collinsautosport.com/bencollins_biog.php
Does make sense, and there are loads of rumours on the net
Alex
Re: Yellow Pages
My area is covered by 4 directories, and I only advertise in one being the central one where we are based. I have proved that we get a similar level of chargeable calls in the areas I am not listed. That is one nail in their coffin
I stopped and looked at my spend, and it was approx £6k p.a. for that one phone book. That is £120 per week, and I would need a minimum of 15 calls generated in that one area that were profitable in the first place in order to justify the spend, the train of thought being that £8 of the profit (if any) on those calls will pay towards the advert. Every other chargeable call would then be a bonus. Bearing in mind I only need to look at the area of Y/Pages as covered, the other 3 areas I’m getting the work for free.
Then I factored the fact that I get nearly as many calls in the periphery of my area, being the 3 phone book areas, and I thought why bother. If I lose 10 of those calls that I have to use to subsidise the advert, I’m still better off.
I had a rep from Yellow Pages in last week, and he could not defend his case. I’m sticking with Yell.com and a free one line & that is it! He suggested I was nuts.
I run spread sheets for my major accounts, and keep a running percentage total of the ratio of chargeable work over the rest of the business. I let him see my current accumulative figure being at just over 22{e5d1b7155a01ef1f3b9c9968eaba33524ee81600d00d4be2b4d93ac2e58cec2d}. on chargeable calls. I have confidently told him next year any difference will be minimal, and if not I’m confident any drop will be less than the money I’ve been spending. Not only that, in common with other Yellow Pages “Business Executive Advisors” he will have moved on.
Alex
Re: zanussi/whirlpool starts but won’t go on….
Can I assume Zanussi. There were 3 of this model and differentiated by the pnc code on the rating label, which would be useful.
This must be a 1995 vintage? and there were not many that were sold in the beginning, let alone survived.
Alex
Re: The Stig
superfix wrote:Have heard that it may be Johnny Herbert :con:
But I can’t remember how he sounded.
Some say… there was rumour on the 1st one being Johnny Herbert. This one sounds too young and is a tad slimmer.
How do you know it was the Stig’s voice you heard? I didn’t see his lips move!
Alex
Re: The Stig
Some say…..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qmjJnj8Reg&NR=1
I was impressed by his African Cousin the other week.
kwatt wrote:Let me sum this up in a single sentence: Healthy debate from differing points of view.
I don’t see what the problem is.
K.Spot on, there isn’t a problem, there is a a lot of fuel here, and a fair bit of angst. I’d like to see it expanded, and a few people can offload their sentiments and maybe we can arrive at the truth.
The problem I had with it was that this was on a tangent to the real problem and took the main issue being poor service/product for one consumer to new heights.
Point is, what is it with Merloni Direct Service from an engineers point of view? Same goes for Comet Engineers on the same product? We are geting conflicting messages here, yet under the surface there seems to be a few matters that need clarification. Instead of an argument, let’s have the facts. I’m not talking general issues etc. but what really goes on regards who does what etc.
Alex
Re: Who can shout the loudest and be heard I wonder?
Curious title Martin, taken from Monty Python “How not to be seen” I presume! Or was it intended that way so that it would appeal to those that are really interested and bothered?
I think there is a lot in the thread, but of course when you drill it down, it all relates to every ideal we have embraced since our inception as a group. Classic example, the access (or lack of) when it comes to information etc. It is their tough if they want to remain a closed shop. It won’t stop those customers who chose to shop elsewhere for repairs from going that way, all that will come from that will be some repairers who will throw in the towel and rubbish the product, so a no win situation applies.
I could witter on and dig up the past on how Merloni allegedly treated their agents; I could go on about staff disputes with the current regime, but it is all water under the bridge, and we have all moved on.
The point I was getting at there is a customer out there who has had a rum deal, whether it be the product or the after service does not matter as they go hand in hand. However that consumer should not be party to the debate that has followed.
The debate incidentally is a good one, and we can see the postings and bitching involved does not look good in a public forum. You can read between the lines the culture differences between Direct Service, Comet Service and of course Independent Servicing, and lets face it there is plenty of fuel in that discussion which could be opened up into anything you choose, but there is a time & place for everything.
So, are we going anywhere with this, and what do we have to play with if at all? Please remember one thing though, UKW is evolving and perhaps as a body we should be a little circumspect in what we say, but that does not forbid the troops to fire the shots.
Alex
Re: Hotpoint, arrrgggghhhh!! What are my options??
Personally I feel this needs to be in another thread.
Perhaps leave this as it is, but take the future debate into another topic, and out the public gaze. This started as a “one-off” where a customer was unhappy and rightly so, but politics should not come into this, and I think we have detracted from the origin of the thread somewhat. Just my opinion. I suspect the person who started this thread has moved on or got fed up of reading it all by now, and probably does not really want to be an innocent bystander in all this.
It is a good debate, and there is plenty to be said from both sides. However an open forum may not be the place as the public readers may feel all we do is argue & slag each other off. (As if)!
Alex
Re: MFI
Funny that, I noticed they have been quicker of late. I was getting the payment notifications, and then it took 3-4 weeks to hit the bank account. Now it takes 10 days, but I would not be surprised if they have increased the gap between the submission of the sheet over the notification date.
I’m concerned now that we have no contact details. Bernie Seaman and Tony Brown have both gone, and if I had an issue they would sort it for me. Now disputes are between myself & Paul Brooks, and no arbitration in place.
I have a feeling all the work will evaporate one day?
Alex
Re: Language Class. How to speak customerish
23: We are only at home before 7 am after 6 every night, or weekends.
Funny that so are our engineers.
24: You not being able to call at my convenience and in the evening is your problem.
Not my problem, my washing machine is working.
Alex
Re: An oversight perhaps
Yes I’m happy with what you have got there. No need to make anything over complicated.
Alex
Re: Pension funding?
Here’s a tip.
If your business is incorporated (Ltd), take out a company pension. The company, being your limited company pays the contibution as your employer, personally you pay nothing. You need to be on payroll yopurself, doesn’t matter if you only pay yourself a wage of £106 p.w. to keep below PAYE. The business gets tax relief and saves on the year end corporation tax, and you get a small pension that you have not really contributed towards. Make it flexible and you can increase as and when you feel fit. Of course you could add to it in your own right as well.
My company is very generously paying me a pension in this manner, as well as my wife’s, who is also on the payroll.
Alex
