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Re: Merloni
I don’t want to post this in the open forums, but here’s the rumour based on info gleaned from a source or two…
You will need to buy £6K’s worth of stock.
10 calls a day
Top off, £35 a call
You need to get training and you MUST have a laptop from them.
Nice, not!
K.
I’ve mailed Atlant to try to find the UK distributor/spares supplier, should be okay so long as there’s someone there that speaks English. 😆
K.
Irrespective of what you think of Merloni or anyone else for that matter, what this does highlight to me is that having your contact details available with a valid email address that is checked is, in this day and age, vital. It is also very possibly an advantage that a competitor has over you.
For all the cost of your own domain these days and a cheap hosting solution I find it absolutely astounding that some people are not willing to invest the whole £25 a year this costs, it’s staggering reallly as it saves money and puts you in front.
As to the entries in the directory, well I’m fed up asking people to get me their details for inclusion and since Feb 2004 that module has had almost ten and a half thousand hits alone! 🙄
K.
Re: Annual Inspections
Lawrence wrote:But this is is exactly what they do all the time isn’t it ,And we are expected to take the work at whatever terms they have negotiated Apparently on our behalf ,Without them consulting us to guage our reaction /opinion ,How many of us told NESN that the DSG contract wouldn’t work?I raised this at an NESN mtg once and never did get a proper answer .
How many times have we said that pre-booked calls cannot work and yet some companies still insist on them,And it seems to just go onWell Lawrence I went one better and simply refused the work under the conditions. Sorry, but I have principals and an understanding of what it takes to make such things work and it simply wasn’t on offer at the time. It also meant that far too many eggs were in one basket.
Under CDSL it appears to be working, so CDSL have obviously got it right, at least to a greater extent than NESN did.
You are however quite correct in that theses decisions are, more often than not, taken and then we are coerced, bribed and beaten into simply accepting the terms, like it or lump it. This has been one of the biggest causes of consternation within the independent service sector.
It’s a Catch 22 though as the only way that the WP (and this is a WP specific problem regardless of the source) can show any growth, which of course the accountants and bonus payments demand, is to get new work onboard. So they go out and look for new work, negotiate it and don’t seem to give a thought to the poor saps that actually have to go out and do the job or whether it’s even worth their while to do so. Maybe, one day, they’ll learn but somehow I doubt it.
I make decisions that I think are best for me and, they may not always be correct but at least it’s my mistake and my choice, not some bean counter’s who has no idea how my business, or often any other service business, runs.
Lawrence wrote:I’m intrigued is this a trial by DSG or by connect? is it being done geographically and is it a new add on to coverplan ,Unfortunately I won’t be there at the weekend so cant ask anyone from connect
No idea, details are sketchy at best on this and there has been no official comment from anyone, I only found out because a few people were complaining about what was being asked of them. I’m quite sure that CDSL will shed some light on the current situation.
As I have said though, with other events it could only be a matter of time before some suit/bean counter decides that this is a fantastic marketing opportunity to be exploited, with us counting the cost no doubt. It is better discuss such things in advance and make it clear that it may not be such a great idea after all. There are no doubt advantages and it could be used in a positive way, but thus far the way in which it has been presented is, IMO, poor and also not very good news, but that’s only my opinion based on the limited information to hand.
There are far better and more positive ways in which to market service IMO.
K.
And that is why I have concerns over CDSL being handed a list of them on a silver plate paid for by you guys! 😕
K.
LMAO!
Even Candy spares used to hate Rosieres but it is a Candy machine as they bought that brand about 10 or so years ago. I may have a booklet on that model I’ll have a look in the morning for you if Dave doesn’t get there first.
K.
Kevin is absolutely right, read what you sign very carefully before you sign it!
I agree that Merloni won’t be paying top dollar but they, like most, have to be at least at the races and offering the same or any less that the lowest rates already out there won’t win agents.
The agents also need assurances that it is a long-term relationship and not going to be snuffed out overnight.
Yes Martin I do and we need two things to get it done, interest and some money. 😉
K.
There’s no secret society bonz, some of the information that we come by has to have it’s source protected that’s all. Plus with me it’s part of that old privacy thing that I try to adhere to rigidly. That in effect means that some of us have to have a natter and decide the best way to achieve both needs, it’s that simple. Otherwise we could risk people’s position or even their job and I for one am not prepared to accept that risk with someone else’s career, especially when they are doing their best to help us.
Thanks for the comment, I try not to mince my words too much. 😉
K.
Oh, I forgot to mention there will probably be no rate increase for insurance work either, so again that pushes up the base rate of the call, gotta be £40 or more in that instance just like the rest of the industry leaders.
K.
Re: Hotpoint Advertise Franchises!
It’s not only gas I shouldn’t think Andy, I suspect it will be on the entire range of products. The point I was making was that to work on gas appliances there is a premium.
The current going rate on gas is really at about £40 a call minimum on a volume contract, more for LPG if there’s anyone still doing that! 😕
The current minimum I’ve seen on offer for any new contract, volume or otherwise is about £35 a call minimum.
Both the above offer basic service levels, nothing special or too involved with the usual contract nonsense.
However, consider this before anyone goes rushing headlong into any new venture…
You will most likely take this work on with no guarantee of call volumes passed, it is highly unlikely that you will recieve much (if any) chargeable work from it other than what you can get on your own and, even at that, who will spend the money on new bearings/motor/module etc on a <£200 washer? Will you even get a call unless you want to run around doing it for free?
Then you’ll have the old chestnut of a three month termination with no financial assistance within that period, so if Merloni or any other manufacturer decides to drop you they can, effectively, switch the work away tomorrow and leave you high and dry. I know, it’s happened to me from both Zanussi/Electrolux and GIAS/Hoover/Candy and, when you are employing people on the strength of that association I can tell you here and now you will not find enough work to replace a loss such as that within three months unless there is a miracle of biblical proportion. So be very careful and make sure that the rates paid reflect the risks you are being asked to take.
And remember, Merloni have dumped on their agents in the not very distant past as I am only too sure we will be reminded of by someone very soon. 🙁
K.
It is likely to be the wash pump or the capacitor that runs it that’s goosed given the symptoms. Although do check that the spray arms are clear, they can be removed for cleaning.
Upshot is, cleaning is free, capacitor is pretty cheap and the wash pump you’ll be £100+ although I have to say we don’t see too many wash pumps failed on those machines. 😕
K.
