Mail order chandlers - suicidal?
Rainer Thonnes
publish nice glossy catalogues of their wares, and to issue a separate
non-glossy price list. the idea being, no doubt, that the catalogue
is re-printed less often than there is a need to update the price list,
and also costs more to produce.
More recently, in practice, the two have tended to be updated at
equal frequencies (annually), and I was most pleased when
Cruisermart, before the crash, did the sensible thing in their 2001
catalogue and printed the prices right there next to the products.
I was therefore disappointed to see in the new Gaelforce catalogue,
which arrived in the post today, that there were no prices alongside.
Then I looked for the price list insert and - there wasn't one! Then
I noticed the following on their index page:
"To ensure we can offer our customers the best all round supply of
marine equipment, we operate a continuous pricing review process.
We therefore do not print a price list but quote up to the day prices
on receipt of your enquiry, which are confirmed when you place
your order. We call this - Buy Smart"
Buy Daft more like. How can they be so stupid as not to realise that
that kind policy is more likely to repel than attract customers?
This means that potential customers whose decision as to what to
buy, from whom to buy, or even whether to buy at all, is likely to be
influenced by price, will now have to waste more time by actively
enquiring rather than simply browsing price lists. It's just daft.
To top it all, they have a website too, so I thought I'd be able to
browse their catalogue on line, and get prices there. But no, all
you can do is make a form based enquiry which saves only the
snail mail time, and still gets processed manually just like the
posted and faxed enquiries.
rjh...@ucs.ed.ac.uk
> Buy Daft more like. How can they be so stupid as not to realise that
> that kind policy is more likely to repel than attract customers?
When you actually talk to people like this, you realise very quickly
that it is quite easy for them to be as stupid as this. This is because
they are - well - stupid...
RH
Ralph Ferrand
>
> Buy Daft more like. How can they be so stupid as not to realise that
> that kind policy is more likely to repel than attract customers?
>
> This means that potential customers whose decision as to what to
> buy, from whom to buy, or even whether to buy at all, is likely to be
> influenced by price, will now have to waste more time by actively
> enquiring rather than simply browsing price lists. It's just daft.
>
> To top it all, they have a website too, so I thought I'd be able to
> browse their catalogue on line, and get prices there. But no, all
> you can do is make a form based enquiry which saves only the
> snail mail time, and still gets processed manually just like the
> posted and faxed enquiries.
>
>
>
>
them to ask for a price on a mooring buoy. I rang from work and had left
the tome at home. I pointed out to them the folly of their ways and that
without even web backup the supplied book is no good other than as a door
stop. They were unable to give me a price on the required article despite
my being able to give them a good description from my memory of the
relevant page. At this point I gave up on them. When I can be bothered
I'll heave the expensive catalogue into a recycle bin as without prices
it's useless.
Chris Jordan
> > To top it all, they have a website too, so I thought I'd be able to
> > browse their catalogue on line, and get prices there. But no, all
> > you can do is make a form based enquiry which saves only the
> > snail mail time, and still gets processed manually just like the
> > posted and faxed enquiries.
Its mainly dinghies, although they all do some bits for cruisers, I
find the best places are:
Catalogue:
Purple Marine: +44 (0)1922 614787
Web:
Racing Sailboats: www.ldcracingsailboats.co.uk
Mad4Sailing: www.madforsailing.com
Pinnell and Bax: www.pinbax.com
Northampton Sailboats: www.sailboats.co.uk
All the web ones do order over the web or by phone, and show
prices on the web (but it must be a cartel, as they are all very similar
in price!!).
--
Posted via Mailgate.ORG Server - http://www.Mailgate.ORG
Steve Reynolds
"Rainer Thonnes" <rai...@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote in message
news:P%Hh8.1847$JS5.1...@news-binary.blueyonder.co.uk...
Don't waste your time with Gaelforce... I've been waiting almost two weeks
for prices..
A week after I emailed them for some prices, the MD of Gaelforce phoned me
and said that they'd had some problems, but I would have my prices by
Monday 4th March (he didn't actually say which year !! ).
Needless to say I'm still waiting... good job I was only making tentative
enquiries !!
As an aside my postman nearly had a hernia delivering the Catalogue, bet he
wouldn't like more than a couple of those in his bag everyday.
Peter Kay
<rai...@blueyonder.co.uk> expounded publicly:
I was surprised to see both Mailspeed Marine and the Marine Super
Store catalogues both had prices in. Both had a lot of items that were
more expensive than the ads in the boating press and certainly more
expensive than boat jumbles. I'm really not inclined to buy from
either company when I can get cheaper elsewhere, neither am I inclined
to ring for a "best" price when I already have the prices in front of
me.
Catch 22 really, I also hate catalogues with no prices but with the
apparently wild fluctuations in chandlery prices those who publish
them are at an immediate disadvantage.
Regards,
Peter
Remove everything after uk to reply
JohnHowell
every year with Brittany Ferries but since last year the catalogue has
dropped the price list. Now you have to phone for a quote which seems to
have almost doubled. Must be some new business strategy to hide any price
hikes.
"Peter Kay" <p...@mistressofmourne.com@127.0.0.1> wrote in message
news:arbf8uok4ipsqcai4...@4ax.com...
Giles Morris
> Must be some new business strategy to hide any price
> hikes.
Can't be - there's no such thing as a price hike, it's always an
"adjustment". That's as opposed to a SLASHING REDUCTION!!!
Giles
Ian Sandell
>
>I was therefore disappointed to see in the new Gaelforce catalogue,
>which arrived in the post today, that there were no prices alongside.
>Then I looked for the price list insert and - there wasn't one! Then
>I noticed the following on their index page:
>
SNIP
These people clearly have problems. I have received 2 copies of their
cat. I emailed for prices which they sent within two days, but when I
phoned the prices were different. They honoured the email prices but
when the order arrived there were two wrong items (out of 7) and
others badly damaged.
They have offered to get missing items tomorrow. They are obviously
trying but whether they get there before they go bust remains to be
seen. I wont bother again without price list.
Ian
Alisdair Gurney
"JohnHowell" <nova...@momo63.freeserve.co.uk> wrote in message
news:a68o52$4if$1...@news6.svr.pol.co.uk...
> It seems that everybody is doing business this way nowadays. We go to
France
> every year with Brittany Ferries but since last year the catalogue has
> dropped the price list. Now you have to phone for a quote which seems to
> have almost doubled.
At least they have a web site that lets you play around with various
dates and times so you can identify the best routes and prices.
Alisdair
Steve
I have been following this thread with interest, and I thought I would
contribute a positive experience to perhaps give a more balanced view, as I
recently bought a new (to me) boat in November 2001, I have been carrying
out a mini-refit, as my budget is a bit tight I have contacted several
suppliers via phone/web as appropriate to ensure I get the best possible
deals. I have to say that I have found Gael Force, curtious, knowledgeable,
competitive and reliable and I would have no hesitation in using them in the
future or recomending them.
Not having the website up and running yet is a minor pain, the catalogue is
very good, and anyhow, I would rather talk to a person than a database
server.
Steve
"Ian Sandell" <i...@sandell.co.uk> wrote in message
news:nrrf8u4vhj8nu66n3...@4ax.com...
SteelSea
"JohnHowell" <nova...@momo63.freeserve.co.uk> wrote in message
news:a68o52$4if$1...@news6.svr.pol.co.uk...
France
> every year with Brittany Ferries but since last year the catalogue has
> dropped the price list. Now you have to phone for a quote which seems to
> have almost doubled. Must be some new business strategy to hide any price
> hikes.
They're just expecting Mr Brown to up the VAT in the budget...
Joe Kovacs
>"To ensure we can offer our customers the best all round supply of
>marine equipment, we operate a continuous pricing review process.
>We therefore do not print a price list but quote up to the day prices
>on receipt of your enquiry, which are confirmed when you place
>your order. We call this - Buy Smart"
That's so when you phone they can jaw you. They'll give out a
price as high as they think you can bear and hard sell you.
You'll be up against someone who screaming hard sells all day, 5
days a week, 52 weeks a year. He'll have all the answers, like a
phone pitchman or a car dealer.
NEVER expose yourself to this.
--
Joe Kovacs
Port Colborne Ontario Canada
This new ISP adds adds advertising to my posts, below,
a murderous destructive bottom line. With this he
demonstrates being this incompetent and/or being
cracked and wide open. There are other stronger
indications of both of these things...
______________________________________________________________________________
Posted Via Binaries.net = SPEED+RETENTION+COMPLETION = http://www.binaries.net
Ian Sandell
wrote:
>In <P%Hh8.1847$JS5.1...@news-binary.blueyonder.co.uk>, "Rainer Thonnes" <rai...@blueyonder.co.uk> writes:
>
>>"To ensure we can offer our customers the best all round supply of
>>marine equipment, we operate a continuous pricing review process.
>>We therefore do not print a price list but quote up to the day prices
>>on receipt of your enquiry, which are confirmed when you place
>>your order. We call this - Buy Smart"
>
>That's so when you phone they can jaw you. They'll give out a
>price as high as they think you can bear and hard sell you.
>
>You'll be up against someone who screaming hard sells all day, 5
>days a week, 52 weeks a year. He'll have all the answers, like a
>phone pitchman or a car dealer.
>
>NEVER expose yourself to this.
I am no supporter of this company's pricing policy but I think this is
just rubbish. You phone up, they give you a price and you say whether
you want to buy it. I have had no hard sell from them.
I guess I am cock-up theorist rather than conspiracy.
Ian
Peter Lister
> >days a week, 52 weeks a year. He'll have all the answers, like a
> >phone pitchman or a car dealer.
> >
> >NEVER expose yourself to this.
> I am no supporter of this company's pricing policy but I think this is
> just rubbish. You phone up, they give you a price and you say whether
> you want to buy it. I have had no hard sell from them.
> I guess I am cock-up theorist rather than conspiracy.
The price they quoted me last Nov for a small outboard was about
twenty pounds cheaper than any other mail order. perhaps he just
liked the sound of my voice.
Purchase rope from them last year also very good price and seems good quality.