Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
Re: Sean In The War Room
Welcome to TWR John, you’ll be please to know that the pope pop’s in every now and then to take our confessions LOL
Del
P.S. By the way, The popemobile is a volvo 😆
.
So does that mean I can talk about you a Kevin sharing a bedroom on friday night.
JohnIs there any truth in the rumour that kev was on top ! 😯
Del
Re: working together
There is no doubt that a lot of people have been upset by recent coments posted on the site re DASA. IMHO Some of the points raised were justified, others were not.
But are we now given to understand that personal comments made by, and too individuals, at national meetings of work providers are also considered to be the official views of DASA or NESN ? I THINK NOT !
Kev, you were there Friday night, the person perported to have made those comments was in the very same room as yourself.
You were perfectly at liberty to approach him and enquire if there were any truth in the comments he was reported to have made and act accordingly to his answer.Surely we are above dragging down two organisations over the testosterone charged ramblings of the miffed feelings of individuals.
Or are we to wallow in an ethical code, last practiced by us all in the schoolyard all those years ago.You cannot fire off salvo’s from this site with impunity. You are bound to cause some ruffeled feathers or hurt feelings and therefore you cannot reasonabley expect people not to react.
When you have something to say you tend to shoot from the hip, and count the bodies afterwards, as best described in the time honoured Yorkshire saying of……….” AH’LL SAAAY WOT AH BLODDY WELL LIAK !, AN’, AH’ BLOODY WELL LIAK WOT AH’ SAAAY ! “
Or are you really suggesting all out war over a little name callin’.
If that is the case, then I think that we did not learn any lessons when Martin was magnanamous to rise above a similar discurtousey.Del
Re: DASA
Ken,
I’m quite sure that this frank exchange of views has been taken in the spirit in which it was meant. Perhaps DASA can be likened to bearing change on a washer. you sometimes have to take things apart before you can fix them.
And just to show theres no hard feelings. The lads at Dasa have insisted that at our AGM next weekend in York we have taken the liberty of booking you a seat at a resturant 😯 ….. in MANCHESTER! 😉 LOL
see you in York
Del
P.S. I suppose you’ll be hamerin’ the JD ‘N’ COKE again !
Re: DASA
There is no arguement from any quarter that DASA needs a full time Leader with excellect comunication skills and the ability to help build a trade associsation network that would include the independant sevice providers, manufacturers, insurance companies, trade suppliers, and work providers.
An all inclusive association that provides a better link and understanding between all of the different sectors of our industry
As this is the only way we can really make an association work, we all try to make our living from the trade and it takes all of the above to make the trade work.
If there were better communication between all of the above, It would come as no surprise to anyone that we have more in common than that which divides us. It is only when one of the above tries to monopolise and play one off against another section or firm, that we all be come loser’s.
Europe and politicians have been throwing laws and dictates at us left right and center over recent years. Remember the fridge mountain and now the directive on electrical and electronic waste. These issues impact on the whole trade.
We now see the internet starting to taking off, robbing a lot of the retailers of their traditional trade. I’m not against fair competition, but when you have some firms that consist of a couple of geek’s hiding away in an attic who never get to even see the product they are selling or care even less when the end customer has a problem, simply because they are playing a numbers game. do you regard this as fair competition, I dont.
Some of our Insurance companies need to be told that charity begins at home. They like to be seen to be sponsoring the Art’s and Sport with mega donations, How about helping to sponsor trianing in a trade that provides you with the bulk of your earnings. In all fairness one has recentley offered me in a go in a go-kart but I would much rather they offer me some help towards training the next generation of engineers if we are both to stay in business.
The skill’s shortage is already here. Kevin’s crystal ball is well tuned in, so are we now going to perpetuate the vicious circle, as we are starting to get the upper hand. Because we have been sqeezed so tight on price that we have lost a great deal of our numbers. We have recently seen manufacturers who cant get help or engineers for love nor money.
It’s not just DASA that needs to get it’s act together it’s all of them including, RETRA,AMDEA,CORGI, and whatever association that governs insurance companies.
Cheap machines and rediculously priced spares have been the cause of a lot of our problems. but as we start to find out that we are running out of landfill space and once the cost of recycling is built in then these lumps of scrap wont be so cheap. Is’nt it time we got back to building machines that we could all take some pride in. pride in building , pride in selling and pride in servicing.
Is it not time for a little sanity in this trade, a little respect for one another, is there need for us all to communicate, your dam right there is.
None of us on our own, can effect any change but by working together through an organisation of mutual support we might be able to make a start.
Ken ask’s “What does DASA stand for ? What are it’s aim’s ? Where is it going?
I have tried to explain some of the things that I stand for and I know that there are people on the DASA council who stand for the same.
DASA aim’s :-
The Association aims to promote good service, efficiency and courtesy to all members of the public. The members of DASA have a Code of Practice that is designed to protect the customer from bad trade practices. The DASA Code of Practice is registered with the Office of Fair Trading. DASA has Criteria for Service Quality, Guarantees, the Environment, Insurances, Competence and Safety Testing.
Where is DASA going ? Well, to be perfectly honest, without the support of like minded people within this industry…… NOWHERE!
JMHO Del
Re: DASA
May I begin by welcoming RS maybe he has hit the nail on the head. Let’s all wait for the government to do it all for us and force a trade council on us like they did with the introduction of CORGI on the gas industry.
Just look how much influence Corgi’s members have with their trade body.. none. Do their members have the option to opt out if they feel they are not being represented, no it’s compulsory, end of story.
For those of us who actually carry out gas repairs we have just had a prime example of late, as to just how responsive Corgi is to the wishes of the majority of it’s members, over the introduction of the new installation registering scheme that they have dreamed up. No consultation , just the imposition of their latest money grabing ploy.
Remember if you carry out gas work legally you have no choice other than to pay your corgi registration, that does not mean just the independant section of the trade. ALL the manufacturers, and retailers who install gas products as we as B.G. have to cough up.
Is’nt it far better to organise ourselves, set some reasonable saftey standards and have some input into that process rather than run the risk of having a government run nightmare foisted on us at some future date.
You might think that it could never happen, but how many of us could have imagined the imposition of the new gas qualification requirements just a few years ago, that has become even tougher over recent months where an experienced engineers years of practical knowledge has been totally disregarded unless he can attain a piece of paper.
I know that you must all be saying he has gone completley off the thread.
But the last few paragraphs give a possible alternative senario in not getting involved in your own trade association.UKW has stated quite openly at several national meetings that it does not intend to be a trade association. It is however a fantastic platform for expressing views and concerns and pressing topics of the day within our trade.
But if it ever came to having to lobby government over an important issue affecting our trade saying that it represented the domestic appliance trade it would have great difficulty in explaining that it’s vast list of nicknames were actual principles of independant domestic appliance servicing companies.The best way I can put it, is that I see UKW as being like a quality newspaper for the trade in so much that it informs, allows debate, promotes its readers views and carries advertisments and services for its subscribers and clients.
DASA is and should be seen to be more like a democratic pressure group to advance
and promote the trade with manufacturers, insurers, training bodies, and government. Because of its constitution it is required to be a broad church and try to encompass the wishes of the majority of it’s members.
where as UKW is mainly driven by those few members who take the time to post in it’s forums.There should be no conflict between the two as the aims of both organisations are for the most part very similar. It’s just that UKW is seen to be led by it’s main contributers where as DASA, due to its constitution is obliged to seek a consensus. This makes the decision process far slower but more inclusive.
Del
Re: DASA
Might it be an idea for all UKW members to post in with what they would wish to see from a trade organisation. What benifits, rules, services, qualifing requirements, etc. etc. Also how much they would be willing to pay for the services they request. Perhaps you could run a poll alongside it ken.
Del
Re: gloves off week
We all realise that things have got to change, but it seems such a shame that just when things were starting to happen the real movers and shakers are walking away.
It is not enough Kev, that a lot of people agree, (myself included,) with your vision for DASA i.e. a rewrite of the constitution, to bring it more into line with with the faster pace of change that our industry and trade is facing.
Also to get rid of the rediculous probationary period for a member to join instead of increasing it. etc. I was always led to believe that in this country a man was innocent until proved guilty. ( not too sure about Scotland though )But as a democratic organisation DASA has to guage the views of all it’s members, not just go along with the dictates of those who happen to hold office at any one partuicular moment in time.
That is why DASA had to spend the time and money before we can move on.
It’s not enough for one person, no matter how well informed or clued in to say he know’s what all the membership want. We actually have to prove that by personally contacting each member and spend five or ten minutes each, asking them their views and what they think and compiling the soddin’ answers.You think that the exercise was a waste of money, but I think it was the best money spent by DASA in the last ten years. It is a classic example of democracy at work and provided that the council can act effectively on it’s results then no one can point a finger and say it’s only an old lads club.
My particular view since I became active with both DASA and UKW is that if we could get both organisations working together in tandem but as independant seperate bodies, we could achieve a hell of a lot more.
We have seen some movement from the big players over the last twelve months as the industry starts to wake up to the fact that there is a serious skills shortage and that they wont be able to get there appliances fixed at any price unless someone takes the lead over training.
This is an avenue that DASA should get involved with more deeply.The single most effective time for any single member to get his proposals onboard with any organisation is at it’s AGM. so if you cant be there in person at least send along a proposer or a letter to see how much support you can get for your proposals from the floor of the AGM.
Dont leave the job half done see it through to the end and leave the trade a dam site better than you found it.
Re: gloves off week
Kev,
It seems more than a bit strange that I have to try and defend DASA to the same person who was instrumental in getting me more involved in dasa in the first place.
To be fair we are only 8 months down the line from getting shot of C.H.
The only money we have spent in that time has been used to seek the views of the members, and communication with the members was the single most important item as agreed by all the council including yourself.The reason we hav’nt spent any more is because we are trying to raise enough funds to get an effective Director to get DASA back on it’s feet.
Was’nt that the battle plan we came up with at the meeting at P.K.I.The original plan was for dasa and ukw to work closley with one another what and why has that changed. Why pull the rug out from under dasa’s feet in the week before the AGM.
If you did’nt like what you heard from the AGM, then that would be the time to kick off surely, not the fuckin week before.
Next time you chair a UKW meeting take the time to look around the room at the faces that give ukw most of it’s support, a lot of them might be familiar to you from your old dasa day’s.
There are plenty of enemy’s out there to fight, without lookin for a rumble with your OWN allies.
If it should come to pass that DASA fail’s then so be it. but at the very least dont let it be due to the damage caused by UKW.
The quote “et tu brute” seems to come to mind.
Del
Re: DASA
O.T. you are always the first to lead the charge in defence of DASA and I am fully aware that on more than one occasion you have been seen to be the only one willing to rally to the cause. Perhaps we should change your hadle from O.T. to Braveheart.
What the vast majority of UKW members are not aware of, is that DASA has taken onboard many of the concerns raised on this site in recent months.
As a result DASA has quite recently commissioned an independant in depth survey of it’s members to audit their views on the direction and aspirations they wish to see for their trade association. That report along with the recomendations of the consultant charged with it’s compilation will be made at the next DASA council meeting on the day before the AGM.
DASA has relaunched Orbit and revamped it’s website to improve communications with it’s membership. The one thing that a lot of people dont seem to realise that comunication is a two way process ! So get posting what it is you want DASA to do for you.
Since the early part of this year the council members themselves have under taken the day to day running of DASA, since it’s long term director Mr Chris Hayter stood down.
It must be stated that the council members are actual trade members, who give of their time to attend regular meetings at their own expense.
Many people must think that the Dasa council is only made up from members of firms with hundreds of engineers, but as O.T. himself will atest that simply is not the case.
None of the individual council members profess to have all the answers to every ill that befalls this trade or even Dasa. But at least they are willing to put some time, effort and commitment back into the trade, rather than just snipe from the sidelines.
DASA is there to try and promote the independant domestic appliance servicing trade and assure the general public, yes and manufacturers too, that it’s members adhear to a comittment of high professional standards and quality service.
Over the last twelve months DASA’s members have enjoyed additional work from being members. i.e. MFI work and Lofra work. has been directed towards them as DASA was the first point of contact.
I would be one of the first to say that DASA has a long way to go but any journey begins with a first step. Therefore I would encourage as many people as possible to join as it would make the job a lot easier. Not just for the additional funds it would generate but more especially those who would come along and attend the meetings to give some fresh ideas and input.
Best Regards Del
Re: R600a in hospital
Sorry to hear your not well 🙁 , we missed you at the last meeting. Hope your up and about soon me old son. Try and make it to the Christmas Bash Bryan, should be a laugh 😆 GET WELL SOON ! 😉
Best Regards Del
P.S. Thanks Richard for letting us know.
Re: Merloni
There is a lot going on at the moment up the motorway from me, which I’m sworn to secrecy on. It will all come out in the fulness of time & I cannot believe it hasn’t hit here.
Alex
When are you taking Bristol over Alex ?
Del 😉
