Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
Re: DASA Again And The Current Position
Alex wrote:No you silly bugger, not you being the Ostrich, bloody DASA. They keep on ploughing their furrow, heads down totally unaware of the changing real world that is out there. All due I have to say by one person, that is bourne out by the postings subsequent to my protest. Action is long overdue it seems.
😀 I knew that, but it was a good enough excuse to wind you up a bit. 😉
I do agree with the sentiment though I have to say, I do think that DASA has gone in only one direction for far too long and I also think that, like an oil tanker, it may well take too long to change course. That said, the removal of Chris may well be the only way to try to bring it back on course, I simply don’t have the answer to that one. However, there is still the problem of entrenched believes (be they right or wrong) about DASA and it’s functions.
Alex wrote:I know I have a clear conscience regards bringing this to the fore, it was so obvious that something is really wrong with the regime as it stands. After shelling out nearly £500 I started to wonder if I was alone, must admit though, I knew I wasn’t.
No you were not alone and still are not I don’t think, there seems to be a lot of people unhappy about DASA for varying reasons, one of the most prolific is CH!
Alex wrote:As I say, reminds me of 1970’s union meetings. The likes of Jack Jones, Frank Chappel, Sid Weighell and other old union leaders are long gone, lost in the mists of time due to the reaility of life and it is no longer beer & sandwiches in number 10.
Na, it’s curry on a chuffin’ boat these days! 😆
Seriously though I know what you mean, I was a shade taken aback by the formality of it all etc, seems a bit OTT for what it is but then I’ve never been involved with and totally abhor unions. Not a typically Scottish view I know but I like to qualify myself as one of the more progressive of my fellow countrymen in terms of politics and social issues. I’ll drop that little bombshell one day in the open forums and give the manufacturers a fright. 😉
There is no need for a union, only commercial pressures brought to bear in the right places IMO. Which is where I think we’ve gone already with a few things and it appears to be working to some degree with rates being dragged up, so we must be doing something right.
Alex wrote:Best of luck to all on Thursday, wish I was able to be there.
Luck is not needed I don’t think…
A flack jacket would be nice though! 😉
K.
You know we really should write all this up and put up a potted history in an article at some point of some of the more “colourful” machines we’ve come across. 😉
K.
Re: Fridge Leaking from the side
Dave_Conway wrote:If the freezer is a seperate appliance, it may also be worth checking the very bottom of the freezer, I know you have checked the inside but certain makes of freezer are notorious for having insulation problems at the base where the ice will break through and start to melt at room temperature causing this problem.
Yeah I know about Hotpoint as well, the reason that I asked. 😉
K.
Re: DASA Again And The Current Position
Alex wrote:O.K. It can be said I may have started something, well if that comes up I will just point out that it was DASA that failed to stop something; or perhaps failed to get going even.
No-one is blaming you Alex, TBH this started a long time ago possibly years ago in fact. Your post, which was rather eloquent BTW, only brought many of the failings to the fore that’s all. The point being that you crossed the line and said what needed to be said in semi-public whilst others did the ostrich impersonation. I would have posted something similar, God knows I’ve thought about it, but I decided against it at the time as I’m sure it would have been seen as me trying to usurp DASA or at least that would have been the spin put on it when that would not have been the point at all as far as I am concerned.
But after Thursday the gloves may be well and truly off on that subject but I will not start without a general consensous here. If I do though, watch out DASA as I will tear it to shreds in some posts.
Alex wrote:Ostriches are not only indigenous in the African savannah it seems.
Oi, me luuuvvver is that you calling me an ostrich again? 😉
You are absolutely correct though and, even in here, we’ve had our heads in the sand for far too long hoping that a cure would miraculously appear from somewhere and that DASA would come good.
Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings but it won’t happen! Either we do something about it, whatever we decide to do, or it will just trundle ever on as it has for the past twenty years or so.
Maybe you’re right Alex, maybe I have been an ostrich in that regard. 😕
K.
Woz, if you’re sending some discs out could you send me one too please?
Dave (H) was supposed to leave me one but both he and I forgot about it. 😉
K.
Okay so if there is to be a change what are we going to do about it?
I can’t see DASA folding in on Thursday but I can see a few of us going home early. 😉
I know we talked about UKW somehow replacing DASA and I still think it’s entirely possible to do that and produce a more modern and reactive industry force. If we’ve not done that already! However, if we are released for the shackles of DASA we can do so much more and, I think, for considerably less cost.
K.
No Martin there’s no blood to be drawn, I just fail to comprehend how any service company in this day and age can survive without some IT, and many seem to do so.
As for CLID etc, there’s more to that than you probably know about and tricks you can do with it. 😉
K.
Re: DASA Again And The Current Position
I have to say Del, I don’t see DASA as much more than that now either only in small parts is it driven by individuals to an extent. The Network DASA operation is a case in point, if it were not for Kevin specifically and to an extent myself it would never have gone anywhere, if it were up to Chris it would have been killed at birth. Here’s the thing that makes me chuckle about that…
We have a major change like that to DASA and what has Chris done to communicate it to the members?
There is a startling level of apathy in this industry and unless you take the bull by the horns and go about wakng people up you simply will not get anywhere. We even upset people on UKW and still it sometimes feels as if you’re slapping your head off a wall! 🙄
But anyway, I’m not out to kill DASA, I just cannot see any tangible benefit to being a part of it like so many others as it produces little or nothing for the cost of it. In fact the way I see it is this…
Chris gets paid to produce agendas and take minutes at council meetings and the AGM. He used to produce Orbit sporadically.
He deals with some admin, when he can be bothered and maybe answers the phone. However I’ve yet to call and actually get him!
He attends some meetings.
Ehm, after that I’m struggling to think of anything that I know that Chris does and I’m on the council and have a history with DASA.
So, he’s the main man as it were and he appears to be doing sweet feck all in effect and therefore any changes that we make to DASA, be they good or bad, will not be passed along to the membership as it’s blocked right there. Even with the changes mooted in Neil’s email the other night, has anyone seen evidence of these changes? Or are we to rumble on for another six months, a year or maybe two before it filters through?
At the current rate of decline in DASA funding and membership I doubt that it has that time left.
What has Chris done to promote DASA either to trade or public? Given a load of guys on UKW didn’t even know what it was speaks volumes! Mail shots are cheap and easy, using e-comunications is even cheaper.
Then, even if we did get DASA into some sort of viable shape you still have to convince the buggers out there that it’s worth spending the money on and I really do think that would be an uphill struggle.
There’s some points to think about.
K.
Exactly Penguin, irrespective of the system used (I won’t go there okay ;)) the logging and retention of all this data is absolutely critical to me and to Dave as well I know. It’s why we’re putting so much effort into finding a system that is cost effective (read cheap) that anyone can use but has the capability needed specifically for whitegoods servicing purposes.
It has to be simple and easy to use, as well as fast for call logging off the phone etc. and offer expansion into other areas as required as well as the volume of information and clients (network and them what pay) as possible. I have a few nifty ideas on that.
But if there’s enough interest in dragging our asses into the 21st century then I’m sure we could get a deal on some software. We just have to make sure it’s the right software for the task.
K.
Re: Avatar Images
eastlmark wrote:But not this car, did anyone really think I could get sponsorship money out of Servis UK?
Well if you do manage that incredible feat that’s one-upmanship for you. 😉
eastlmark wrote:(or UKwhitegoods! look on the front face of the rear spoiler)
K.
Re: DASA Again And The Current Position
It was tres late when I posted the above and I’d had a few refreshments. 😉
That said the sentiment is valid and I still don’t see DASA going anywhere as seems to have no purpose really other than keeping Chris in a job and I’m not alone in that feeling. In all the years I’ve been a DASA member other than the sporadic, if not non-existant, Orbit publication I have had little information from it and nothing of any particular worth.
To go back into the mists of time I had a chat with the old man tonight asking him for his opinion of DASA, being the first Scottish member I thought he maybe had seen something that I’d missed. I was wrong, he hasn’t!
For 20 years hereckoned that all DASA had done was to win minor little changes to legislation and no more than that, so much so that he had considered dropping DASA on many occasions over the years the only reason that he joined was that, for agency work at the time, Candy insisted on membership. How times change eh? Not one contract has even asked if we are members never mind insist on it, which I think shows the regard that manufacturers etc have for DASA. In fact Graham Smye told me that only about 40{e5d1b7155a01ef1f3b9c9968eaba33524ee81600d00d4be2b4d93ac2e58cec2d} of the AIS network were DASA members.
So, how are we to turn that around? Is it even possible?
Without massive reforms I don’t think it is quite frankly and even if there were massive changes I don’t even know if it would work as the rot is so intrenched and opinions would take so long to change. I really feel that we’re trying to flog a dead horse, DASA has no power in the industry and is held in generally low regard with the exception of those involved in it.
But please, post an opposing view as I’d love to hear one.
K.
I cannot tell you how much we rely on our database/call management system, it is absolutely vital in running a modern service company. So much so that without it we would be dead in the water, literally.
I’ve had a few occasions where the server has toppled over in the past few years and, on each occasion, we almost couldn’t even book a call!
Being able to track your customers and pull up details of a customer on a whim is essential IMHO giving you a potted history of the customer and your dealings with them and apart from that the right tool for the job can save shedloads of cash and time. Also, customers now expect you to have this information which I can fully accept.
We have looked at several systems, web based, MS Access based and others but as yet, we’ve yet to find one with the communications required and the speed needed to take calls straight off the phone, fax or email without any hinderance. Web based is not the way to go with call management IMO for this industry, locally stored data is. But more on all this once Dave and I finish and actually find a suitable system to use that we would be happy recommending.
Martin’s solution is fine if you have the time and way-with-all with a PC to use it but for most of us we need a solution dumped on us that just works and is already tailored to our industry. But believe me, the right system as Martin rightly says, saves just so much time and hassle you wouldn’t understand how you managed without a call logging system.
K.
Re: Wholesaler stopped trading
Penguin,
Having run a wholesale operation for about three years I can tell you it’s not an easy task especially if you actually care about your customers and work with them. Making money from it is very hard indeed and the outlay huge at times to achieve the prices.
One of the big problems is that Wash-Vac and Connect buy in massive quantities the bread and butter lines and sell them for less than the smaller independents can even buy them, even if they are often more expensive to order specials from people do as it’s easier.
However the underlying problem is not particularly that but the fact that there has been a massive decline in the little repair shops and service people to actually buy the stuff and this is because the appliances are too cheap, it’s often a case of more replacement than repair these days for the customer. Most, if not all, small spares wholesalers have moved into selling appliances with many concentrating on graded machines in an attempt to retain turnover.
This is why Connect (and rumoured Wash-Vac) have been talking about doing contract work, well Connect have done it, because their traditional market is dying and they have to look elswhere to even stand still let alone shrink back.
It does not surprise me that the small wholesalers are going to the wall, it was only a matter of time really before some of them did or where forced into looking at other ways to earn a crust from the industry.
Many of the people I dealt with in wholesales are no longer in the industry now and those that are have generally moved into other areas, primarily appliance sales, to survive with spares sales not taking the same impotance in the business as it once did.
As service people, we should see this as a warning IMHO, smaller spares distributors who once had a seemingly unassailable position within the industry are now gone, are we next? Or are we going to be held almost to ransom by a few large spares suppliers without a choice to go anywhere else?
Sad but true the way I see it. 🙁
K.
