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Re: Yell.Com
I have a top listing on Yell it brings in more 0845 numbers than punters this year. I’m not even thinking about a new listing next year, it brings in very little work yet it cost £1500+vat in my area.
When the ad has been renewed in the past it has been off line for two weeks while they sort paperwork, despite me filling in all their gumf weeks earlier it still goes off line when it expires, every year has been the same. I run a cooker repair ad, it expired on December 1st, I filled in the contract early November, it was off line till 23rd December missing all of the build up of the Xmas trade. I’ve had enough of it.
Their rep called last week to tell me he is now dealing with my account, I told him I’m out, no more money from me mate.
It took half an hour to get him off the phone, in the end I hung up. Even if me business was to go under, I would never advertise with Yell again.Re: Yellow pages 2012 ( is it any better this year )
We had our new Yellow pages put through the door, hardly anyone in there now from our trade. Don’t waste your money, it is very thin due to the shear number of trades people giving it the elbow. In my view Yellow pages has had it’s day.
Yell, the web version is over priced for what it is and every time I had renewed it they messed it up and I had a break in advertising till they got the paperwork processed. Always some lame excuse even if I sent the paperwork in three weeks early. Last time I had to remind them it was due to end, did not even get a call. No wonder numbers are falling on Yell and YP.Re: Connect taking the p{e5d1b7155a01ef1f3b9c9968eaba33524ee81600d00d4be2b4d93ac2e58cec2d}$S
Connect are not very impresive when it comes to prices or speed on small orders but they do stock lots of bits. Masterparts new web site is awful search is hopeless and I order even less from them now simply because the web site is badly set up.
We were told how good it would be, in the end the new site is just impossible, in the end it’s ring them or order from connect. I don’t have the time to mess about on the phones from customers or from the van. so they lose out. Connect must be laughing all the way to the bank.Re: Is it just me?
I find the best line to give is
“If we repair it we do not charge a callout charge if you don’t have it fixed we charge X”I keep well clear of local papers they seem to attract the time wasters that want a free call out and only want to pick your brains. If anyone phones and says do you do a free call out, I say “only is you own a petrol station and will give me free petrol, it costs us money to come out to you”
I would rather lose a few calls than waste my time with free loaders. No fix no fee is a mugs game. If you make no profit in simply calling you have a lot of unpaid hours at the end of the year that is no good for any business.Re: regas mistake
raw wrote:20 mins vac
as R600a runs mineral oil, R134a needs synthetic wont it balls up the compressor if left on r134 as it dropped to minus 12 fairly quickly but back on r600 wont get below +10Did you fill it by weight or by gauge reading?
What does the low side read when you are getting 10+ on R600?Re: work
I was busy all summer, it went dead in September and it has stayed that way ever since. 5 calls last week, that’s bl**dy quiet.
Re: What’s the most stupid things customers say?
After clearing a pump blockage.
You’ve not fitted any parts, why do I have to pay you!
Re: National Hoovering Of Service Work
Martin wrote:
Gazman1000 wrote:
Our days are numbered, not a nice thought but we must face facts, the odds are stacked against us.Oh bl**dy hell another doom monger throwing in the towel.
Not at all Martin but I do plan to retire as soon as I can.There are no parallels to be drawn with the brown goods industry whatsoever.
Lets hope you’re right. I think the parallels are plain to see.Meanwhile white goods thrives in many areas. Those Chinese machines you fret over and those unfix able sealed drum machines will want replacing.
That’s my point repairs will fade out, replacing machines is the way it is going. It is the service side of this trade that will die, taking with it the skilled people. my pointis the trade will become sales based.This trade is more allied to a shoe shop where there’s always a demand for new shoes or someone in the shop to fix the old ones. Supply and demand, demand and supply.
The numbers are increasing all the time, 25 years ago there we few who owned or even considered owning a dishwasher. Today everybody and his kids not only want one but the can’t possible live there lives without one! So start fixing and flogging dishwashers.
Integrated appliances in slick fitted kitchens are everywhere. The tacky cheap ones are breaking down like a proverbial epidemic right now and is a bu&&ers own job for their owners to get them fixed or replaced. So start thinking integrated!I do repair all integrated appliances already.
Move with the times, yesterday has gone and tomorrow you can capitalise on what you did today. Confused?…then you’re really in the wrong trade. I’m not confused, I’m just realistic.
Re: National Hoovering Of Service Work
kwatt wrote:Not short sighted at all.
Just the same I respect your point of view and that browngoods servicing isn’t the same as it was years ago. K.
Browngoods servicing is no longer a business for the small independents. it is no more, it all but gone.I can’t see why this trades service side will survive with all the new machines becoming less repairable and imports from China etc. It is getting harder every year to earn a crust in this game.
Can you seriously say you think in 15 years from now, the small independents will have enough work to trade. Demand for repairs will fade away, as machines get more throw away by design.Re: National Hoovering Of Service Work
kwatt wrote:The big differences are;
Brown goods are primarily electronic with no moving parts and are easily swapped out.
Whitegoods are lumping big things that are a pain to put in/take out and are primarily mechanical in nature.
So no, I don’t think it’s the same or will go the same way, what way it will go I don’t know but it’s a lotta hassle to do swap outs on integrated fridge freezers.
K.
Short sighted to say the least Ken.
At one time this trade was a good way to earn a living as an independant, it is getting toughter with every new model. In the same way Brown goods were in the 70s.
Swopping boards was not that common, most shops had good engineers that could and would repair the board back at the workshop, changing a board over just saved time in the house.
I left the TV trade around 1984 by that time it was in decline and TV’s were becoming cheaper and more reliable, now they are not repairable unless sent back to the makers. No service data is available and surface mounted components make it near impossible and you can buy a new Tv for a very low price.Back when I came into this trade we had Hotpoint 95 series in most homes they were easy to fix and not that cheap to replace. Motor brushes and leaking pumps and bearing jobs kept us all busy.
We now have sealed drums, pcb’s that cost almost half the price of a new machine by the time they are programed and fitted, machines that don’t spin full of water so less motor problems. Machines that are made in China of such poor quality few machines will work or be kept beyond 5 years. Add to that the internet spares availability and free advise for the simple faults. Our days are numbered, not a nice thought but we must face facts, the odds are stacked against us.
Re: Repair your appliance
Alex wrote:That was her fault for not researching. Mind you I thought it was everything until I looked further.
Charges
Repair fee excludes any replacement parts that may be required
The thing is she asked how much will it cost me to have it repaired. She was told £69.00 was the repair fee, no mention of + parts. Even so that is one expensive element.
Just out of interest what do you guys charge all in for a Neff oven element, patern or genuine?Re: Repair your appliance
A customer of mine was asked for £140.00 by them, to fit a neff oven element, The woman on the phone did not tell her the fixed repair fee did not include parts. Just £69.00 repair fee she was told, until the engineer turned up and wanted £140. :rolls:
