[RS]

Re: An optimistic view!

Very good points, but it may be that if we take it as a whole i.e. washers, tumble dryers, dishwashers, freezers, ovens, hobs and Uncle Tom Cobley and all it is going to be one hell of a head ache for the manufactures. I respect the figures that you quote but do these figures include the above items? I have seen some of the setups for recycling appliances and I am not sure that they would be able to cope with amounts that you are quoting.

I am hopeful that the manufactures will go down the line of trying to keep things working longer and possibly start the decline of the throw away society, it would also appease the eco-warriors out there. Just imagine a service motor for £20! Ok so your imaginations not that good but you can see where I’m going (Ha Ha).

As for putting the prices up, now that may cause a bit of upset if they can’t improve the quality and lifespan of an appliance

Richard S
🙄

[RS]

Re: Help Dream holliday

Exactly what the doctor said “Numan is an island have a good holiday”

thanks chaps

Richard S 😀

[RS]

Re: Renting Appliances

Just a thought Tony.

When I got my licence they had got it wrong and I was only covered for consumer credit, don’t know if they have changed it but check you are covered consumer hire.

Richard S

[RS]

Re: The most expensive C**k up

That one deserves an award 😆

[RS]

Re: DASA

Hi again everyone:

This debate seems to have brought out the best and worst sides of opinions regarding the DASA. There seems to be quite a rift in ideas as how things should proceed and what should be done with it, after all this time maybe it is time to think of scraping it and letting the phoenix rise from the ashes with a cohesive objective and code of practise that all member agree to be bound by. (The UKW code isn’t bad as a code for members that could be used as a basis for agreement).

I agree with what was said about needing a fulltime representative but it will take more that, you would need someone to do the office work and someone to deputise at other times.
This all costs money! But I believe (Wrongly perhaps) that there are government/EEC grants available for new ventures and training. What about setting up an apprentice scheme I know there is money available for that

Maybe this idea of having a “council” is not such a good idea either, have you ever known a council or committee that could agree on anything wholeheartedly? Perhaps you could elect “executive board members” i.e. one representing each area and that would be responsible for communicating information to and from members in there own areas, holding local meeting on perhaps a monthly basis with members of the board being elected locally on an annual basis.

The man to run it should be political, knowledgeable and well spoken, not afraid of public speaking with a desire to succeed in promoting the idea of a unified trade association to the members, the manufacturers and the general public all these go hand in hand with each other the setting up of a co-operative buying sector could be another aim of the association, a hundred spiders or modules come cheaper that 10 or 20 which could be available only to members. An arbitration service to deal with complaint from the public against members with the panel inviting a representative from say the OFT or/and the citizens advice. Go public advertise your membership, get the public to recognise you and trust you and the others should fall into line.

It could go on forever with ideas but without objectives agreed upon and stuck to and members agreeing a binding code of practice you will still be in the same position in 20 years from now.

Realistically, for all the talk and some bloody good ideas (that network thingy) no one I have spoke to so far seems to have the time for such a commitment as is required for this task, you all have jobs to do family’s to take care of and a living to make some of you have employees to look after and businesses that need your full time attention. That above all else requires the employment of staff to run the association on behalf of the board.

I apologise now to any I may have upset with my comments.

Richard S

A stranger is just a friend we haven’t met yet

[RS]

Re: Renting Appliances

Hey this seems unfair it cost me that all those years ago 😥

Richard S

[RS]

Re: The most expensive C**k up

That one tickled me dave.

I forgot the other one cost me 7s. 6p and i’m still paying for it 🙁

Richard s

[RS]

Re: DASA

kheath wrote:.
Can anyone name me a candidate for chairman if Mark steps down? There has to be more planning for the future for sure…not legislation but simply grooming members to take over when others decide to call it a day in office.

I think Mr Blair may be available later on 😀

Richard S

[RS]

Re: Renting Appliances

Hi Tony

better get o move on if owt goes wrong you you could be in the smelly stuff, to give you an idea I got a licence for credit sales, rentals and loans and if I remember corectly it cost me £110 but that was about 20 years ago

Richard S

[RS]

Re: DASA

Thank you all for the welcome:

There seems to be varied views on what the DASA should and shouldn’t do and were exactly it belongs in relation to this trade.

The way I see it, from what little I know of this organisation is that it has failed for the last twenty years to make itself known to both the trade and the general public. I think I am right in thinking that the whole aim initially on setting up the DASA was to give the general public back the confidence in the independent repairer who were suffering badly from the cowboys who had infiltrated trade and given us all a bad name, but other than a logo I have never heard anyone speak of them outside this forum.

The idea is sound but it needs pushing, do the members explain the benefits of using DASA members when they do a repair? Has a leaflet been produced that he can give to the customer or display in his premises outlining the advantages? In fact has anything been done to push it to the general public at all because the way I see it if Joe public starts asking if we are members of the DASA when they ring for a repair it would soon have plenty of members.

I know I have a very simplistic outlook on this mater but I am on the outside looking in, please don’t jump down my throat for this I can only say as I see and from what I have seen there is nothing to recommend membership of the DASA. I am not knocking the members but they seem to have got sidetracked in what is needed and I think the most important thing is to become well known and then respected for the ethical practises of their members.

Richard S

[RS]

Re: Renting Appliances

Interesting thread Tony

I used to do this myself, along with repairs on tick but I found it a lot of hassle when things went wrong, I couldn’t be everywhere at once trying to fit repairs and collecting into the day was neigh on impossible but then I am a lone trader.

I found the interest was there, as people round here are always skint and would gladly pay over the odds for a job on credit or if the machine was BER were interested in renting, it’s the no repair bills that swings it but as I said I worked alone and there was just not enough time in the day to do everything that needed doing.

As a matter of interest Tony how much is the credit licence these days?

Richard S

[RS]

Re: Qualifications

When I started 32 years ago the only training you could get was with someone who was already in “the trade” my mentor had done it all so to speak washer rentals, TV repairs and rentals and owt else he could make brass on. He was a real character who taught me so much but he only did twin tubs so anything else had to be learned by trial and error (believe me plenty of error’s).

But as with any trade we talked to others leaned from their mistakes and successes and got on with the job there is no training course that can give you the experience that chatting with other engineers and sharing your problems can give. On the job training is imperative it is not just doing the job it is also dealing with customers and that you can’t get in a classroom.

Maybe any body set up to regulate this trade could say at least 5 years on the job classes you as “qualified”

Richard S.

[RS]

Re: DASA

Hi everyone.

I remember when the DASA was first being bandied about as the possible saviour of this profession it was a time when the government of the day was giving people £40 a week to go work for themselves instead of signing on, so anyone who had ever cleaned a pump on their mother’s washer was suddenly a domestic appliance engineer.

At the time these people were doing more damage to the trade than anything else I can think of, they were doing jobs for next to nothing using second hand parts and leaving customers with unfixed and in some cases very dangerous machines.

I carried on for as long as I could mostly going to customers to repair the damage that they had done but eventually I had to leave the trade to carry on paying the rent I had to take a job for twelve months while these folk disappeared and keep my loyal customers on a part time basis. I saw the DASA as a good thing if only it had had the backing of the government as CORGI does (gas is dangerous but it can be detected and turned off but electricity can’t be seen or smelt but can kill very easily) but without this important backup I can honestly say it would be of no benefit to me.

I think it is about time some legal body regulating the repair of electrical appliances was set up and I would have thought that this would have been the aim of the DASA to lobby the government for legal backing on who can do this type of work and some legal registration otherwise what really is the point?

PS. I did a search on DASA and got no hits so how is anyone going to know about it or find out about it?

Richard S.

[RS]

Re: Technical Fault!! Please Help!!

Hi I have come accross this fault many times over the years on washers,dryers and twin tubs and the leakage is allways around 100 volts and the most common cause I have found is people useing a double adaptor the earth contacts on these things are just not good enough. I know there are other causes but I allways say start at the begining and work up

[Author]

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