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Funnily enough P I have a friend that’s a buyer for a electronics global household name and he has also made the same or similar comments.
Funny that eh?
K.
Re: Another Indesit timer clicking round
What gets me about these appliances, Merloni (both) and the rest at the lower end of the market, is that they are supposed to be cheap and cheerful and also simple. The customer buying a sub-£300 machine probably doesn’t give a fig if it sings, dances and have flashing lights on it all they want is the washing done day in, day out for a few years with no aggrivation from it, they probably don’t even know what an “A” class wash is, or care. So why fit these mad modules and funky motors to them? They must be more expensive to manufacture surely and certainly push the ownership costs up when repairs are required.
The crazy thing about it is that the customer just switches off that brand, IME, and simply switches to another cheapy machine.
Now, if you believe in conspiricy theories, there is a sane and rational explanation for this take on marketing and manufacture but I’ll save that one for another day. I would however like something to tell the customers on how the manufacturers justify such high spares pricing on electronic components in their appliances. Oh, and R&D doesn’t cost that much for what is, essentially, a simple control module that can be knocked out en-mass in China for a few quid.
K.
Indeed Lawrence. I think the term is, “taking the p**s” for that particular little gem. Yes folks, Servis UK/GBDAR expect you to warranty the entire appliance for a period of 28 days after you repair it!
However it wasn’t directed at our friends GBDAR really as, to be fair, if a part does fail they do normally stump up without a problem, particularly with modules. Now I wonder why that is? 😉
K.
You’re quite right Martin, but three timers in a dishwasher of later and a bearing/backplate assy that failed causing a drum to become damaged kinda brought this to the fore for me. It so happens that all these failures where very reasonably dealy with by the companies concerned and all credit to them for that, but it would have been a different story otherwise as, just in those two calls, there was over £400 of spares replaced by warranty.
K.
Re: ORBIT
The re-introduction of Orbit is absolutely essential if DASA is to survive, in fact it’s more than essential, it’s absolutely critical. I cannot stress enough how important that this is but the first issue of Orbit can also be used as a tool or vehicle for a resurgence in DASA membership if you play it smart.
Get the first issue done properly, spend the money getting it printed, I’ll do it and lay it out using a DTP package if you want for publication but get it out not just to members but also to ones that have dropped off! That makes the re-introduction and Mark’s comments reach as wide an audience as possible, the article can be mirrored on UKW as well and get the maximum exposure possible from the events.
I have a few more tricks along that train of thought but I’ll just get on with it as it’s also UKW related. 😉
This could be the most critical thing that DASA has done in years as it wil be the first impression of the “New DASA” that the trade gets, so we’d better make it a good ‘un.
As for the manufacturers, yes CDA and MFI would be my first stop for some comments on it.
K.
Had one in a development of executive flats in Glasgow that liked to hide in the microwave as well as take a walk across the gas hob while it was on. Personally I am a dog person, but this damned cat was suicidal as well as highly entertaining with it’s antics.
But the thing did like the cupboard where the boiler was.
Which was fine until the builder came to inspect a problem with the boiler which was magic as it was one of the top dogs in Wimpey at the time that attended with the entourage he had. He opened the cupboard door and tried to move the cat, of course the cat was not exactly over the moon with this idea. So it promptly scratched the poor sod something severe all over the face.
I’ve never seen so many grown men trying not to laugh all at once. 😉
K.
They can live in harmony, whether they will or not remains to be seen and only time will tell but I have to admit I’m fucked off waiting for DASA to sort itself out. I don’t want to fight with DASA and I don’t want to rain on their parade but I do feel that the time has come to move forward with UKW and get on with our own thing. That will be different from DASA and if DASA has a problem with it then so be it, I can’t help that.
I will help DASA as much as I can along the way as well as providing some advertising for them as appropriate, I have no issue with that at all, But they have to realise that UKW is the evil twin in this case to an extent and will continue to grow and come up with some funky ideas. Many of those I’ll have in place before they’ve even thought about it sadly or debated it in council. but then, as you rightly say, DASA is not a commercial orgnisation but I can see it being driven into being one to an extent through nessecity more than anything else.
But then, it’s done nothing to help itself in the past 10 years or more and totally lost touch with the industry due to CH being in the way, that may now change if the climate is right. But will the manufacturers etc have the same regard for DASA if it gets some teeth? I think not!
You can’t run with the hare and hunt with the hounds.
DASA aside, UKW has to move forward and, yes, it will be radical and it will be a fresh breath of air as well as a new take on the industry as it has been thus far. UKW will and is open to working with anyone and I’ve already started on that to a degree, we just need to push a bit harder to get acceptance from the big boys in the industry and that will happen in time. We need to offer tangible benefits first to everyone and on that score I have a few little plans and schemes that should make UKW a bit more pallatable to them.
So far we’ve not upset many people really, but given a few a wake up call. The fact that EAC, Merloni and others are even using the forums now speaks volumes. They gain by getting direct feedback and ideas whilst UKW gains a certain credibility and, the conversations thus far have been pretty damn good I think and very positive. Which is exactly the opposite of what the people that abhor the idea of UKW generally promote!
K.
Trust you to come up with a way to scam Disney! 😆
There is a saying in Florida though…”Don’t mess with The Mouse!” 😉
K.
😆
Well it’s a normal-ish Friday so there shoudl be no issue with getting away a bit early, I had thought of leaving sometime about 2-ish or so from here or Glasgow if I was meeting Dave there. Of course there are other airports and I think there’s some that are not that far off the M6.
The problem is on the way back I reckon unless Dave stays here on the Saturday night (camp bed a given as I don’t have a mansion ;)) and travels back on the Sunday.
K.
Re: Hotpoint WM Series Armatures OBSOLETE!
Martin I was not insinuating that anyone was a cowboy, but when I do and have heard of such people they are usually fitting dodgy pattern parts and charging too much as well as the tricks that Dave mentioned. We will never get rid of such people sadly as there’s always some punters out there that think that there is such a thing as a free lunch.
The demise of certain spares are inevitable but it’s normally when the volume falls below a certain threshhold or the age dictates that it’s time to drop them. However, IME, customers are getting increasingly concerned with the price of electronic components and, as is the case here, the fact that certain spares are not available and that the only option is a “full unit”. That may be cheaper for the manufacturer to have produced, it may be cheaper to stock and it may even be cheaper to ship but at what cost to repeat sales of their appliances?
K.
Re: DASA Web site!
13amp wrote:Ted has a great sense of rythme and movement I must say.
I take it that that’s a sarcastic remark then? 😉
K.
Full details tomorrow afternoon after 2pm so long as I get a while to type it out. Gotta catch up etc. first. 😉
K.
