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Re: LICENSE FOR BURNER DESIGN
If we can just step back for a moment and ask ourselves why we should be so much in defence of european manufacturers.
We are, who we are, Independant appliance repair and servicing companies.
Our job is to repair and service domestic appliances. Can any one of us say that over recent years, european or or for that matter any western manufacturers have made our job any easier.
I say no for several reasons:-
A) The old traditional arrangement of a loyal network of appointed agents for these manufacturers (with two possible exceptions) have constantly been undermined and stabbed in the back.
B) The cost’s of manufacturers spares has gone through the roof, to the point where repairs have been made uneconomical, in an ever increasing drive towords replacement, rather than repair.
C) Technical information is being withheld, in an attempt to extort an extra avenue of reveue from our individual businesses to puchase same.
D) When bugget’s are worked out by our existing manufacturers, service has always proved to be way down the totum pole of their considerations.
E) Remuneration rates for the repair of their products in guarantee have been held down year after year to the point where each of us have to ask ourselves is it viable to continue.
F) There has been, what can only be best described as a cartel set up between manufacturers and insurance companies, to the point where they are effectivley the only ones to make any money out of this industry.
The situation had degenerated to the point were we have found it neccessary to set up self help organisations such as UKW.
I can see that historically when we had our own manufacturers like HOOVER, HOTPOINT, CREDA, BELLING, etc. who looked after their respective appointed agents. There would have been some merit in protecting our own manufacturers, as there was then, some common cause.
But it has been proved to me time after time that the conglomerates that we have had to deal with over recent years have viewed us only as ” A commodity to be bought, traded and discounted “ (A quote from a relative new comer to the industry but one who seems to have an excellent understanding of it !)
So before we all go running to the baracades in defence of the status quo,
Just ask youself this, how could could it be any worse than what we are already experiencing.If Chinese manufacturers did it properly and took a long term view and before flooding the market with their products.
Set up a decent support structure to support their products in the field with training, technical support, reasonably priced spares and showed some commitment and loyalty to their sevice providers. They would be able to wipe the floor with a lot of the manufacturers we have at present.Most manufacturers still have’nt quite grasped the fact that the first person to know if an appliance needs to be replaced is the service engineer and the service engineer is the first person the customer ask’s to recommend a replacement and that is most likley going to be the one he can readily supply, service and repair for her, at a reasonable cost to both parties.
As ever JMHO
Del
Re: Best Washing machine!
Siemens machines are a good buy at the moment they are a good quality and most of the range carry a 5 year manufacturers guarantee at the moment.
For top quality you need to look at the Miele machines they really are built well.
Regards Del
Re: andy_art_trigg
This was the guy who did’nt believe in public liability insurance for those of you with long enough memories.
Del
Re: A Word Of Thanks…
kheath wrote:Yeah…thanks for coming and listening and joining in the debates, where ever the location.
We here at UKW take a lot away from a meeting like this. What you say matters and makes a difference, its nice to say it in person, face to face for a change.
Its also an opportunity to bring you into the frame as we did with Sean, at short notice I think he did a grand job (with his presentation)…well done mate.
Kevin
The real credit should go to the admin team of UKW who not only came up with an original concept to fund training but also transfered it into a power point presentation that practically sold it’self.
I do have to say though, that I was very pleasently surprised, as to how well it was recieved by all those in attendance.
Let us now see if we can all work together to turn it into a reality.
Del
Re: Where’s Flipper!
It was not my intention to slight anyones integrity. It’s just that trust is something that is built up over time and is given far more freely to others sitting in the same boat.
Del
Re: Where’s Flipper!
This just goes to show how important the national meetings are and even more so, how important a chat over a few pint’s is.
The thing is, that you can only convey so much via a text post on a web site, especially when you are not as comfortable as some are, with keyboard skills.
It is also very easy for someone to think they are helping a situation on behalf of another, when in actual fact unbeknowingly( is that an actual word ?) they might be doing the complete opposite.
I am not too sure that I am explaing myself correctly but I feel that it is one reason why some members involved more heavily with corporate work, are not posting as much as they used to in the war room.
What we need to do is to get pissed with one another more often so we all get a better understanding of where each one of us is comin’ from.
as ever jmho
Del
Re: Encouraging…
POST OF THE WEEK UKW T SHIRTS fOR each of the TRADE forums along with a mug shot of the winners wearing the shirt in the album section.
Perhaps for the winner of the OFF TOPIC FORUM, POST OF THE WEEK ! we could ask Kev Heath to donate his UKW Thong briefs. 😆
Regards Del
Re: Where’s kwatt
Y’all have a nice day now, y’hear ! 😆
Remember to save a few bob for when you come home as you’ll probably have to pay duty on your liver to get back into the country. 8)
Del
Re: Where’s kwatt
Do you think they will let the bugger in when they find out who is sponsorin’ the WR 😯 He might be back quicker than you think 😆
Del
Re: Advisory Council
STOP PRESS,
The UKW A.C. has just recieved it’s first complaint from a certain kheath who say’s he resembles the last remark made by John mac 😆Sean
Re: Advisory Council
Dave_Conway wrote:I have to say I agree 100{e5d1b7155a01ef1f3b9c9968eaba33524ee81600d00d4be2b4d93ac2e58cec2d} with all of those sentiments John 😀
And what the hell are you buying/selling on Ebay then ? 😉
Dave.
One slightly soiled tartan ‘G’ string and a half eaten hagiss 😀 😀
Sean
Re: Advisory Council
Ken I think it might be an idea to put in a few terms and conditions in, in small print, along the lines that any contract entered into is entirely between the agent and the customer and only exists after they have been in direct contact with one another.
This may in some way negate the possibility of the job coming under the constraints of the distance selling law’s with regard to rights to cancell at any time/cooling off periods etc. and remove any liability towards UKW.
We can also state in the same terms and conditions that the A.C. also reserves the right to remove various degrees of support from any UKW member i.e. work, links, help forums, membership etc.
if they do not agree to abide by the directives of the A.C. with regard to disputes.I agree that we have to be in the open regards the A.C. members profiles but able to hang onto our site handles provided that we have given full details of identities in the members profiles section.
Though I would like to hear from the other two members, that they are
happy to agree to this.Sean
Re: Advisory Council
That’s a point. does UKW know for a fact how it stands legally as regards the sevice it’s members provide. It is always easy to assume one thing only to find out that the law states another.
Sean
Re: Advisory Council
The remit so far for the A.C. is as a self regulatory body to oversee a mutually agreed standard of service within and exclusively for the membership of UKW. (and that I am quite happy to do.)
So that having been made clear we need to :-
a) Introduce the council members to the membership as a whole.
b) Give a brief description of each and their companies, which by necessity, means that they have to forgo their annonimity to assume their positions on council.
c) Set up a public and closed forum for the A.C. for both the reporting and investigation of complaints.
d) Include the charter as an introduction banner to the open forum
c) Also include an introduction banner for the public that all complaints should in the first instance be reported to the agent that accepted the job to try and reach a mutually amicable resolution to their problem. ( i.e. not go rushing off to A.C. arbitration because the guy is half an hour late ect.)
e) It should also be pointed out to the public that any adudication made in their favour is only in addittion to their statutory rights under U.K. consumer law.
f) That UKW is not financially liable for any loss as we are only a point of contact between customer and service provider not unlike a newspaper that advertises various services. ( or do we need to think of asking participating members to take out bond for any underwritting of successful complaints against our members who chose not to respond to instructions from th A.C.
Would you like me to go on or is that enough to chew on for now
S.
