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Re: Carriage charges for spares delivery
Over the years I have used quite a lots of different spares suppliers the worst being a firm in Liverpool. The best firm I have ever dealt with is without a doubt SEME. I am not saying they are perfect because they have not been supplying white goods spares for very long and as Phidom remarked some stuff that you might get from say Connect is a special order off SEME. However this situation is improving day by day as they learn what WE – (NOT WHAT THEIR SUPPLIERS WANT THEM TO BELIEVE) require.
The reason I emphasise this distinction is because it was evident when SEME released their White goods catalogue that a fair proportion of the spares were out of date stuff that they probably woul’nt shift in a million years. Their suppliers were obviously offloading stock off there own shelves and getting away with it because SEME were ‘green’ in this area.
My only other problem with SEME is their database (as on the SALI DVD). There is a drastic shortage of cross referencing between parts and the model numbers that they will fit.
For example do a search for a hinge to fit a particular model of Hoover – no hinge is listed – search for a different model and up pops the hinge in the list of parts available. SEME if you are reading this, this really needs sorting IT IS LOSING YOU ORDERS! This is workroundable (a new word i’ve just invented) to some extent if you know other model No’s in the range but it is a pain in the bum and wastes time searching! Most parts in Connect’s database have a list of models that they will fit.
On the positive side I have found SEME faultless for customer care. Their white goods managers are superb and could not be more helpful, and their ears are always open to suggestions from you guys that need the bits and pieces. You can order up to 5PM for next day delivery and 49 times out of 50 it wiil turn up.
If this sounds like a plug for SEME well it probably is, but this firm is really trying hard and I believe that they deserve our support. I mean £12 carriage threshold!! they can’t be making much, if any profit on a deal like that, can they? When I order from them I always try to make it as big as possible to help their carriage / profit ratio, but its great when you need a spare quickly without doubling its price by adding £6 carriage.
Andy
Re: The Great EEPROM scam
QUOTE FROM KWATT:- The thing is that for every one that we write off for a simple module or EEPROM failure due to a lack of knowledge or silly pricing there’s one more customer that will never buy Hotpoint/Indesit/Ariston ever again for any appliance never mind a washer.
That should be food for thought for some.
————————————————You would thinks so Ken, but if you are a manufacturer that is producing the same product under four (inc Creda) different badges, this effectivly gives you four potential sales to the same customer and they are totally unaware that they are buying from the same manufacturer. So maybe THEY are not too bothered.
IMO there should be legislation to prevent manufactures from using the brand names of other companies that they absorb, because it leads the consumer into being decieved, ie. the product in the box is not what they think it is!
At the very least this information should be made readily available to the consumer in the products specification / advertising.
Andy
Re: The Great EEPROM scam
Yep! the scam goes on.
Phase 1 – Design the boards so that they need lots and lots of eeproms.
Phase 2 – Put a socket on the board so that the suckers will find them easy to change.
Phase 3 – Convince them that they need to have a full set of these eeproms @ £16 apiece so that they will always have one to try in for any particular model to check if it is the eeprom. (ok thats about 6000 independants X 20 (guess) types of eeprom @ £16 = £1,920,000 tops!) – this could be a nice little earner lads!
Phase 4 – OK. The suckers are starting to realise that its not the eeproms so it must be the boards. Right! start releasing the new boards with the eeproms soldered in, hopefully they will just go for a new board.
Phase 5 – Right lads this is it! The biggy! Release the boards with the surface mounted eeproms, so they will HAVE to buy another board. Er, by the way, the replacement boards don’t have eeproms fitted so unless you have one you will have to buy a new eeprom as well! Did’nt we do well?
Of course I might just be a cynical old sod and got this totally wrong!
Re: The Great EEPROM scam
Birminham correct! Goosegreen.
Multiply your three eeproms @ £15 a try with everybody else who believed the lie and you have a very profitable flyer shot!
The other effect of this which also profits Merloni is that you have given up on repairing these machines. If someone calls you about repairing one do you tell them that they will be better off calling out Merloni and paying the £90 and getting the free parts? All we do by this action is to again profit Merloni / Indesit Co.
These modules probably cost Merloni /Indesit Co peanuts relative to what they charge, so again its an easy source of revenue. Always assuming that is the problem. Either way they still get their £90.
Not repairing these machines is not really an option (though I have considered it myself) as Hotpoint (and possibly Creda?) are now fitted with these modules. This will account for a fair proportion of potential repairs, can we afford to write them off?
As the fault codes / flash sequence, plus feedback from other engineers are now available on this site it does make it easier to get to grips with these machines and I encourage you and any one else who has given up to persevere with them, otherwise Indesit Co have won.
In my experience the module is not usually the culprit and usually if it is it has been caused by water or a componant failure elsewhere. I did ONCE change an eeprom and it worked! Most times bad connections especially on the thermistor IDC are the culprit. How many times have you had the module out or messed about with the wiring then tried it and it worked OK.
The problem is unless you can pinpoint the actual fault, three days later the machine starts misbehaving again. aaaah!
Anyway despite this I am determined that these machines are not going to beat me, and anything I learn i will post in the forums.
Andy
Re: Can you beat this?
Goatboys post re: the ‘rubber item’ reminded me of a similar incident that happened to me. This particular piece of rubber which i removed from a pump had presumably been used. (it was’nt in a packet!). I must have had my wicked head on that day 😈 because i held it by the rim with my ratnosed pliers and let it dangle full length in all its glory, in front of the young lady who owned the machine. 😳
Well she did ask me what had caused the problem and I could’nt tell a lie now could I ❓ 😈
Re: Who charges what for what ??
I find myself in very much the same situation as Pat-uk
Hpt bearings (Not WMA) £95 (inc new drum support)
Hpt brushes £32 (new carbons fitted in holders if OK)
Most other brushes £40 – £42 (Bosch 5X12.5X43 soldered to holders)
Pumps £43 – £45 (pump not body)
Fan oven elements £40 – £42
door seals about £36 – £40Generally I price a job by deciding how much I want in my pocket after costs (fuel etc) then I just add on the cost (to me) of the part. This has always worked OK for me. If the customers wants a cost break down then I price the spare at what i know they will pay in the shops, making my labour charge appear smaller.
I suspect that Pats customers are very happy with his service and he might not even have to advertise, because he gets lots of recommendations from his existing customers. The fact that he ‘feels guilty’ shows that he is sensitive to his customers feelings toward him and wants them to feel that they have a good deal, and have not been ripped off. I also suspect that he falls over himself to make sure the job is done well and will last.
Sorry if this sounds as if i am psycho-analysing you Pat but IMO the white goods repair industry would have a much better reputation if there were a lot more engineers like you around, as it has suffered much from the much publicised rip of artists on certain TV programs.
The fact that our prices are cheaper than some of the other guys posting on this thread does’nt mean that they are necessarily charging too much as obviously those that employ engineers and / or have shops incur much higher overheads than the likes of myself (man & van). But i would be cautious about raising your prices too much just for the hell of it. You might find that in time this will backfire on you. Many times I have had people tell me (even customers!!) i am not charging enough but i have always resisted price increase for the sake of it. The benefit of happy customers are that they will invite you back and this leads to stability in your business.
I have been a self employed independant for 22 years and for the last 17 years I have not done any advertising at all. Hardly a week goes by without gaining extra customers through recomendation so establishing a mutual trust does increase your profits.
Much of this depends upon what you want from life. Myself I want enough to pay all my bills, have enough spare to live comfortably without counting the pennies, run a nice car, take my family on holiday each year and provide for my retirement. If my pricing structure does this for me without me having to flog myself to death then i am happy.
Alexa asks:- Should a sole trader undercut the rate of a Company employing many engineers considering all the factors
In reality sole traders are no threat to bigger firms who charge more. Go to any town and you will find both happily co-existing, Some people prefer big firms – others like the “here’s my washerman” first name approach. Thanks to to cr*p that the manufactures are turning out there is plenty of work to go round!
All this is of course IMHO.
Regards Andy
PS. The loose Bosch carbons ( 5 X 12.5 X 43 ) are brilliant. They will fit most of the motors using the variations of black holders. SEME do them for £2.30 +VAT { W1-18121/A }. Carefully pull the tag off the wire retaining its full length. After soldering the lead to the holder i trim them FLAT to leave about 4mm protruding with full spring compression. I usually do a heap in my workshop and then before fitting them i file the angle to suite the motor. A great little earner @ £42. For the wider holders Philips etc, i use SEME W1-18105/A @ £4.75 +VAT per pair carbons + holders.
Re: Hotpoint WF series / Ariston query
Thanks iadom
Its not easy getting this info – they look at you a bit strange in Comet or Curries if you want to have a look under their machines ➡ 🙄 its a bit 😳
Andy
Re: ariston evolution code f08
As most of these problems are due to burnt contacts from the amount of current the heater draws through them, have any of you lads ever considered changing the heater relay on the board, rather than the complete module. These relays are dirt cheap from places like CPC. All you need is a solder sucker and iron and it takes a few minutes to do. No doubt the customer will be well impressed with your expertise, and not to mention the cash you will save them.
Re: candy alise 105 changing bearings
The easiest method of getting the inner bearing ring off the shaft is with the fast application of heat. You need an oxy-acetaline torch to quickly heat the ring causing it to expand without getting any heat into the shaft. If this is done properly the ring will almost fall off. Don’t bother trying a blow torch as this cannot supply the necessary heat quickly enough.
The second method is place the ring on a solid block of steel and carefully hit the ring with a sharp chisel. Because they are very hard and brittle you should be able to crack it, and then slide it off the shaft.
