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Re: Shop@
I know neither of my engineers would be interested, even for extra cash, as it’s hard enough to get them to do a Saturday never mind booked out of hours calls. The problem for me is that we’re not in a high enough income area to justify it, yeah there would be a few I suppose but not enough to justify the hassle of offering such a service and, since 90{e5d1b7155a01ef1f3b9c9968eaba33524ee81600d00d4be2b4d93ac2e58cec2d} of the work we do is on contract or insurance there’s no chance with those. The problem being that whether the customer was on contract or not I do actively try to treat them the same and no contract would pay for such a service that I am aware of bar commercials.
Where you are in London-ish area I should imagine that there are those that wish out of hours calls as it’s the only access they can allow, whilst we do get that it’s amazing that customers can let you in when they are faced with no choice, but usually in virtually every case something can be worked out, it’s very rare that it can’t be. But even when an engineer is held up and does work on all I get when I let the customers know is, “oh, but I’m going out at…” etc.! Sometimes it’s soul destroying, you try your best to get them sorted and they put obstacles in the way.
I’ve tried out of hours service before at an extra charge, the public refuse the charges, so we stopped that.
We tried Saturday service, the no-access rate rose by over 40{e5d1b7155a01ef1f3b9c9968eaba33524ee81600d00d4be2b4d93ac2e58cec2d}, we gave that up unless we are busy enough to justify it and need to do it.
Sundays I would not consider as I suspect that would be worse that a Saturday.
I think (but I’m not sure) that the EEC Regs currently limit a worker to 40 hours or so a week and you’re quite correct you have to watch that, there are rules on shift work and patterns as well AFAIK but I’ve never looked into them. To offer out of hours, weekends etc. you would, I think, have to go to working shift patterns which entails unsociable hours payments to the staff. Frankly, IMO, we’re not paid enough in this industry to justify the time, what we’d have to pay staff and the hassle of it all.
But if it works for you then go for it.
K.
I don’t have them to hand here Tony but the MFI bits are usually very reasonable. The drum and backplate (complete with bearings) can usually be done easily under the authority limit of £150 and it’s not too bad a job to do either.
Either Dave or I will price it in the morning.
Bearing kit I have no idea as we only replace as per the manufacturer, so it’s a backplate to me but I’m sure you’ll be able to get a kit. The drum, you’re right, is supplied complete with the spider.
K.
Simon,
The last three or four points there are worthy of a healthy debate all of their own and it is an interesting debate indeed. 😉
K.
Update on the meeting.
We have organised a buffet lunch for the Friday event which will cost each of us £10, which ain’t too bad given it’s caterers coming in. But we will need firm numbers for that.
There are several guests coming that have confirmed that they will be attending from the invitations sent out from various companies that many of us deal with, who will be exempt from the £10, we’ll pick up the tab on that.
All in all, this is shaping up to be one of the most interesting meetings in recent years that I can think of so please if you are intending to come along let us know as soon as possible.
You can get Dave, myself, Kevin or Del or email the meeting@ukwhitegoods.co.uk to let us know.
Ta
K.
Re: When appliances quit, most of us don’t call a repairman
Basically the larger retailers have brought a lot of the current situation to pass, I agree. But the manufacturers and the buying public bought into it as well so there’s nowhere to really lay the blame as such it’s just the situation we find ourselves in now. The point is we have to either climb out the rut or find other things to do.
Educating the public will never be an easy task and it will take time, but the manufacturers and retailers are not and, probably don’t want to, take part in that as volumes would drop if appliances lasted longer.
However, the fly in the ointment as it were is the simple fact that there is now more information available to the public than ever before and I’m not just talking about the internet either. But we can at least try to change public perception to some degree, on review on the Servis M3022 which does not show it in a good light has been read over 500 times, how many of the 500 souls that have read that have been swayed away from that machine, or indeed that brand? How many people did that 500 tell not to buy that appliance? How many of the people that have read that Bosh/Neff/Siemens are all the same in effect have taken the hump over the fact that it’s not an “exclusive” brand have moved on to say, Smeg or Meile? Likewise with Hoover and Hotpoint as well as a raft of others. How many have stumbled on the Ariston threads in the forums and thought, “I’m not buying one of those with all those code problems”?
This information is available freely if the customers wanted to go looking for it on the internet or ask a decent independent retailer all we’ve done is make it all make a bit of sense and put it in one place.
Just maybe some of the people reading these pages will tumble to what we’re telling them and just maybe we’ll make a difference.
K.
Well thanks to some there are now some reviews online after the module was sorted and I even did a nice logo thing for it as well. 😉
K.
Ah now see these little gems should be covered in the general “before you call an engineer” fault thingy I wrote and forgot a load while typing.
What we’re looking for here is faults specific to a brand or a model that the customer can usually cure themselves. So the fact that not many out there can set an oven timer or read the manual to find out how to, for example, doesn’t count. 😉
K.
Re: UK Whitegoods Meeting No.3
I’ve just put the details and preliminary agendas in a new downloads section which makes it a bit easier to manage and for people to find the relevant and current information.
We have also invited a few people from the trade (manufacturers, insurers and work providers) that we had details for if they wish to attend on the Friday. If there are any suggestions of people that you would like to see there please contact me, Dave or Kevin and we’ll do what we can.
Please also feel free to post any comments?
K.
Re: Advisory Council
Alex wrote:Would I be right in surmising one role would be to step in when a debate gets either overheated, or too personal.
Pretty much in some ways.
The other point is that, as I have said, UK Whitegoods is a limited company now and I feel we need to have checks and balance so it retains its independent views whilst being able to effectively self-govern itself from within. I and the other co-conspirators, also wish there to be a number of features in place to ensure that it remains a free voice in the spirit of which all this is being carried out and to serve the members, this is a part of that proccess.
So, with that in mind having elected representatives, each with a different perspective on the industry makes an awful lot of sense to me and offers a degree of intervention where required. It also allays any fears of a director/s favouring anyone if squabbles over petty things are settled there, should they ever arise, as we have no control over what the AC thinks or says as it is independent.
I did say that yes, it is a company, but not as we know it! 😉
K.
Hi Dal,
I’ll save you a hunt…
Servevast, which is the service side is 0870 4447002, but try Smeg sales first as I said on 0870 9909337.
Back in the office with all the info now. 😉
K.
Re: Most ridiculous part price
robmac wrote:Some good points K, and I guess educating the puplic gets no where, its why I dont want to resort to taking troublesome dishwasher to the tip.
Thanks Rob.
As an extensin to that, educating the public and making them aware of some of these points may well be thankless but maybe we’ll get the message through to some people, that’s the hope anyway. But you’re right most customers couldn’t care less, they simply have a problem and want it resolved at a time and date that suits them.
Frankly it amazes me the level of service that customers expect, especially in warranty, on most appliances. It’s not an expensive item really and most are not essential items bar a fridge used to store medicines. Yet that same customer will happily accept that their car, which costs many, many times more has to be taken to the dealer for service, usually a week or so in advance, at the customer’s expense and left there all day in most cases for any remidial or repair work. Staggering really that customer’s expect us to call within 24 hours to their home and repair an appliance for far less than they would pay for an hour or so’s labour on their car. Go figure.
K.
Re: Smeg Fridge/Freezer bulb blew added new one now nothing.
Hi Dal,
Smeg are a decent company, give them a call (the number can be obtained by using the weblinks section) and explain the position to them, in that the appliance is only just out of warranty and there is this problem. I have worked for Smeg for several years and I more or less know that they will go some way, if not all the way, to help you out. There’s no need to be aggresive at all, most of the people at Smeg UK are really nice and will try to help you.
That’s the difference between the decent companies and the others. 😉
K.
