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Re: Hotpoint Advertise Franchises!
kheath wrote:The rumour mill always works best when a story is live….so here goes,
A franchise package really has to be structured well and perhaps some of you out there with experience of the last Merloni tie up might like to comment, its my understanding that there are still a couple of franchisees on the mastercare work and they seem happy enough.
kheath
Whilst I have had no involvment with the Mastercare Franchise, I did talk to one chap who had. The Franchise, I understand, cost him £5000.00 for five years and a guaranteed number of calls per month if the projected workload did not appear, quite frequentley it did not.
I was given to understand, that Mastercare attempted to cancel the franchise,with compensation, but had failed to insert a cancellation clause in the Franchise agreement. The franchisee’s lawyer calculated a settlement figure that would have been for the guaranteed workload income for the unexpired part of the term.
That is why there could be one or two franchisees still out there, although
I believe there were only five in all at the start.Shane
Re: Do you recognise this?
Martin wrote:
shane wrote:
“item of correspondence, with a Parisian postmark”Good Lord 😯
I never realised they were ‘machine washable’ crickey 😉
Martin
They are up here, it’s a very impoverished area :wink,wink:
Shane
Re: Do you recognise this?
Oldtog wrote:Do I recognise it er, well I do.
Some years back a customer complained her Hoover washer was not draining. Guess what I found ?? (no prizes folks). I showed the customer the problem and explained why it would not drain 🙂 . I was taken back when she said it had been working fine for many years and it had been connected to the same connection all that time 😕 😕 🙄 😳 .
Who say’s miracles don’t happen.
OT
If I may deviate slightly on this thread. Some years ago I went to a newish Zanussi jetsystem for no drain, after removing the pump I found
a large green “item of correspondence, with a Parisian postmark” wrapped round the impellor. I carefully extricated it with long-nosed pliers and left in top of the chest freezer, then tiptoed quietly away. It was at a farm and the appliance was in a open utility room so i did not see the owners.
ShaneRe: Liebherr refrigerator not cold enough!
Eduardo wrote:We have a Liebherr KTES 1744 refrigerator bought in December 2001. During the heatwave last summer, it simply could not cope and the temperature sensor inside went off the scale, i.e. over 9 degC. Owing to a rather ‘compact’ kitchen, we are somewhat limited in where we can position it – it’s pretty much in the window which is not ideal!
We phoned Liebherr last summer and managed to get them to send a replacement thermostat which I fitted without too much difficulty. It didn’t do the job though. In typical DIY style I buried my head in the sand over winter when the firdge was fine. Admittedly it’s set to the coolest setting and still only manages 3-4degC.
The first sign of serious sun this year and it’s already reading 6 degC. I have consulted the instructions and it appears that the climate rating for this fridge is only 10-32 degC – is this the problem? I am loathe to call out an ‘engineer’ at £70, especially if I am better off putting the money towards a new one if this is terminal or the fridge is simply unsuitable for our kitchen.
The only other thing I am aware it may be is the compressor.
Can anyone help?
If this fridge is built in under a worktop it may well be suffering from poor ventilation. The instruction book should give guidance re’ ventilation.
We have seen hundreds with this problem, you can do a “quick test” by removing it from the housing and leave it running overnight, then check the temperature in the morning.
If the temperature then is correct, it points to poor ventilation; if the temperature is still too high it would appear to be a system fault.
Shane
Re: Miele K2214S Thermostat
Dave_Conway wrote:
BobHope wrote:
but there is no where to hide the extra capilaryDo what some of my customers do then (public), cut the end off and try and get me to replace it as it’s faulty 🙄
Don’t you just love the public sometimes ?
😆
Dave.
I thought all the “thickies” lived in our parish.
shane.kwatt wrote:Customers are very seldom right, you just can’t tell them that. 😉
I don’t do, or avoid like the plague, any timed calls at all because when you employ engineers it’s just not feasable to do it especially when you have a large geographical area to cover. You can’t guarantee the time for each call, the traffic conditions or any of the many other variables that affect our work. Quite simply the business can’t run to a schedule like that.
I will often take the time to explain this to customers and most do actually understand what I’m saying in that we either allocate a time per call and leave whether the repair is complete or not to make the next appointment or we spend the time required and repair or make as good as we can. Most customers prefer the latter idea.
I often get the dentists/doctors argument slapped back at me and I love that one. If they can offer appointments by time then why is it when you go to the doctor etc you have to wait 45 minutes or so? And dentists etc know in advance what they are going to be doing as they inspect first (which they charge for BTW) then you go back to have the work done (which they charge for again) and then you stump up for it all.
As for plumbers etc., does the expression, “we’ll be there on Tuesday, or maybe Wednesday” ring any bells? 😉
K.
When we get the comparison with Doctors or Dentist timed appointments
we respond; “we can give a time for you to bring it here and put it in our workshop and remove it when it’s completeed”. I am not aware of any GPs or Dentists carrying their patients hither or thither, or doing extractions in the kitchen.
shane.Re: Hotpoint WMA Spider Bolts
Dave_Conway wrote:
kwatt wrote:
As for losing business out it, well I used to worry about it the same as everyone else does but my old man once said that, “as soon as they walk through the door asking for a spare you’ve lost the job anyway and all you’ll get after that is hassles when they a**e it up”. Many years ago I decided he was indeed correct.This is very true indeed.
Having been selling spares for 20 odd years now, I had similar reservations, selling spares looses us a job.
As Ken’s Dad says, the punter has already made his mind up that he’s gonna do it himself anyway, so, better make a spares sale than nothing at all.
But it’s a bloody mine field. How far do you go with fitting advice without putting yourself at risk for some idiot killing themselves etc 😕
Do you give a refund on a misdiagnosis when the punter returns the part……
….. the list is endless.
I have to say in the main, we don’t have too many problems, as long as people are made fully aware from the outset where they stand. Quite often though, we’ll get a call on the back end of a spares sale, for the obvious reasons 😉
Dave.
If a customer requests a specific part and it does not cure the fault, we would not give a refund if the packet had been opened. We sell spares in sealed packs and could not be certain we were not having a dud returned.
The Sale of Good Act is quite specific; you must supply what the customer
asks for and it must be of merchantable quality and fit for the purpose.We will not allow a customer to use our inventory to carry out a “shotgun diagnosis”, and keep changing parts until one does the job.
A quick call to Trading Standards will clarify the law if anyone is unsure of the legal position
shane.
Re: Bernstein!
sparkey wrote:The Bernstein/EAC debacle continues, today I received a fax regarding spare parts required for out of guarantee repairs.
New procedure is for contractor (us/you) to order parts, they will then fax back cost.
Contractor pays by credit / debit card first, they will then order parts and dispatch when received 🙁Having already got parts outstanding for four weeks I resent them having my money in their bank for long periods until they feel like sending the parts.
Bernstein were the reason for their own downfall NOT the service contractors.
shane.
If EAC do not trust us perhaps we should insist on them paying us in advance for each service request made. 😕
If they do not trust us why should we trust them ❓
Just which species of tree are these people up ? Anyone who goes along with that proposal requires a serious “bump reading” session with their head shrinker.
If this was requested of us, we would counter with a request for a deposit from the work provider to finance three months work. When the deposit shrank to close to zero, we would immediateley suspend the contract.
Why do these work providers think they can run their businesses with our money ?
Re: Diplomat ADP8322 Dishwasher Problem
spidersmith wrote:
DentedPorsche wrote:
The spigot is under the sink, where you plugged the drain hose into. Newer types have a hole but are plugged inside. Check that it’s either unplugged or opened.I did not use the spigot for the drain hose. The drain hose has its own waste pipe out of the house.
I’ve tried pulling out the machine from the fitted units to ensure the water supply and drain hose are unhindered but this has made no difference.
The same problem occurs but I have noticed that just before the machine stops and the error beep starts that the sound of the water and the motor within the machine begins to stop and start in surges that quickly decrees in duration until the error beep begins.
Sounds like too small a water load.
shane
Re: miele dishwasher
Anonymous wrote:Thank you for your suggestions. Yes I looked up the water hardness for my area on the internet and the softener is set accordingly.
It may well be due to a local variation.
I haven’t come across the miele test though that you refer to Martin.
I’ll let you know the outcome of the engineer’s visit.I am becoming obsessed with dishwashers! Sad person that I am!
DebAren’t we all
shane
Re: miele dishwasher
feddeb wrote:Does anyone know why my new Miele dishwasher ( SG646 plus) should leave a white residue on the edge of knives and on part of the rim of my glasses? There is also usually a white line on inside of the door once it has finished and dried,, where the door has been up against one of the shelves in the machine.The glasses often have a white streak down one side also.
The salt and rinse aid are all topped up and set correctly. I am using ordinary dishwasher detergent, having tried different makes and quantities.
Miele say they will send out an engineer but I don’t want to look stupid if this is a normal occurence and i am just being too fussy!Any help would be appreciated.
Do you know how hard the water is in your area? a telaphone call to your water supplier will reveal the hardness. White deposits are usually associated with calcium deposits in hard water areas and, if this is the case, you need to increase the quantity of detergent.
We live in a very soft water area, with odd patches of hard, ususally private supplies from a borehole. Our worst case, in a group of about six houses, was so hard you could almost stand a spoon up in it.
Half a mile from that patch we have a customer who gets hard water in the winter and soft in the summer. We talked to the water supplier’s scientist and he suggested the problem was a stretch of “cement/asbestos” pipe they had installed. The customer lives next to a very big caravan site. In the winter, the water usage is so low the very soft water strips the calcium out of the cement, when the holiday makers come back , the water usage increases and the hardness decreases.
The customer is now praying for an acceleration in global warming.
shane.
Re: D&G Hotpoint Work
Lawrence wrote:Has anyone else been offered Hotpoint work on a fixed price contract (spares inclusive ) ?
Just curiousLawrence
We did this contract a few years ago and it was a disaster. All the calls were for apps. more than five years old and the spares usage was too high to make a profit. Obviously Merloni/Hotpoint charge too much to repair them and are causing pain to the insurer.
We would avoid any fixed price, spares inclusive Conract, like the Plague.
The insurers are happy to take the money up front, but expect the repairer to carry the risk. They then trouser the premiums for the Apps. that do not break down. They are then in a win/win game.If you want to indulge in the risk business, start your own Insurance Company.
Shane
Re: 2nd appliance rate
Martin wrote:We charge £40 for the first 30mins on site the £7.50 each additional 15mins all plus VAT irrespective of the amount of appliances fixed during that time. Much fairer to your customer that way don’t you think?
(e.g. Suppose you call to replace the Motor Brushes on a W/M and the customer asked you to fix the broken Door Handle on her dryer whilst your there. Surely you wouldn’t charge another £20 or would you?)
Martin
Yes. Don’t forget you are now exposed to two possible recalls under your warranty on the repairs. You need to have something in the bank to defray the cost of the possible recalls.
Shane
Re: Europe.
Penguin45 wrote:Gentlemen,
I feel that it is necessary to broach the subject of Europe, the Union and the Euro. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but someday we must face up to the fact that we WILL accept the Euro and its implications to the trade which we are so engrossed in. There have been wise debates and discussions surrounding the economic effects on our country’s competitaveness and profitabaility in global markets, but they have all missed one very simple and basic point.When we “integrate” into Europe, the 5p piece will disappear……..
With the growing strength and unity of UKW, we should be prepared and ready, perhaps with our friends at DASA, to lobby for a low denomitation coin of at least the same (OR better – slightly smaller than) size as the 5p piece.
The economic repurcussions of the loss of at least 5 calls a week will cost hundreds of pounds.
I have, for instance, already noted the marked reduction in 5 peseta coins, those weird little Greek Drachma coins and random centimes from France.
At this point, I trust you’re all at least smiling, but, think about it……
Most Independents stay in business on the strenth of th 5p and the under wired bra!!!
Food for thought?
Regards,
Penguin.I would take issue with “wise” discussions re Europe, our politicians seem
determined to be bullied by the Germans and the French into full integration.I take your point about the small coins, I think we should all campaign
vigourously for the return of the TAZZO by the crisp manufacturers.Shane,
Re: Some Good News
Alex wrote:It is nice to see credit where credit is due.
MFI, ISDA and D&G are shining examples. AIS needs to look at the rates, but they do support us.
This may be hard to believe, but I must give some credit to Servevast. (Smeg Service). They have come on greatly in the last year. The rapport between us has improved no end. They listen to our needs and support us as much as they can. Not bad when you consider how they have grown and the size of their operation now. Normally as companies get bigger, so do the problems. The down side always used to be payments from them, but as long as you keep up to date with statements, no problem.
There must be others out there who deserve credit, so let’s see it up here, and leave this thread to indicacte who the good guys are.
Alex
We do not see the need to send statements to obtain payment for service work we have carried for a WP. We have no agreement to provide them with extended credit for an indefinite period. The legal position is. “We have no obligation to send statements to recover money due to us that has been properly invoiced”. That was a lecture given by a County Court Judge to a customer who did not see why she should pay us.
Her costs and expenses were more than the original invoice
If you have to take a customer to court, and win, you can claim mileage for the cost of going to court and the cost of the car park ticket, plus,of course, the cost of submitting the claim.
The car park ticket always winds them up, the last one we had in court nearly had a seizure when I threw that at him. He spluttered “That is’nt justice”, but the Judge took a different view. When I pointed out to the defendant that he was very close to being comitted for Contempt of Court
the Judge almost fell out of his chair with laughter.After the former customer stormed out of the court the Judge commented
“You can’ tell him much, can you”? we then then had an ammusing discussion concerning his place of origin.Shane,
