Here is something that you might need to think about if you have an induction hob. After watching Jnr Masterchef Australia last week it became apparent that the induction hobs that they use for the show can cause a problem if you have not switched off your hob when you have finished (this is not a brand specific problem).
during the show one of the jnr chef's had stopped using the induction hob, they had taken the pans off but did not switch off, because the hob has pan recognition it did not look like the hob was on.
This is what happened next.
They were baking a cake in the oven below the hob, the cake was in a tin that was made of ferrous metal, when the cake was cooked it was taken out of the oven and placed on the hob above, ceramic hobs are good for an extra work space if needed and we have all probably used them as such, however what happend was that the jnr chef walked away and in seconds the cake burnt to a crisp because the tin it was in reacted to the induction hob.
This was a TV show so it was noticed before a fire would have taken hold but if this was yours or my kitchen and we walked away thinking all was safe then we could be looking at a major disaster. So next time you have finished using your induction hob switch it off rather than leaving it in suspend, If you don't, be thankful that the only thing that could be burnt is the food you put on top of the hob.
Russell
Monday, 2 July 2012
Friday, 22 June 2012
Do suppliers listen?
Isn't journalism great, throw in a provocative article or statement and watch a war of the words break out.
Do suppliers listen?
Listen has many meanings, it could mean they will sit with retailers in the know write an action plan to improve product quality / service and then put this action plan into force. It may mean every now and then the supplier gets its sales team to ring you up to ask if there is anything they can do to help you or to ask what they can do for you to get you to buy more products from them and then there is a just paying lip service by pretending to listen to make themselves look and feel good.
I have had experiences in all of the above in fact on Wednesday this week I was at Omega plc in Doncaster with 19 other retailers and senior Directors, department managers, buyers, reps and customer service managers from the Omega team, I say team because that is how we felt as if we are part of the team, I have been to three other Omega retailer forums and each time when our opinions have been voiced we have been listened to, obviously not every wish or gripe can be actioned upon as we have to be objective and understand as Omega do that in the end it's all about money, they want to make money and they in turn want us to make money which is what makes businesses successful.
I think that if I am fair to the suppliers then in turn they will be fair back, this sometimes though is not always the case. I have recently stopped buying kitchens from one particular supplier because no matter how many times that I and other retailers have asked them to do things that would help not only us sell more kitchens but provide them with an improved product offering. I know this to be fact because having spoken to certain people within that company they have told me that they are sick of going back and telling their bosses the same thing and nothing gets done or listened to, only that they want more accounts open. We see this all the time when drivers of said companies turn up with virtually nothing on their vans or their run has been doubled or even tripled up so as to fill a van up. There are other suppliers who change things at will and don't even tell you, this causes major headaches, so not only are they not listening they are speaking either.
There was an article in KBB review online update a couple of weeks ago about the worth of distributors, distributors are suppliers only with more products, the article in the main was right but not all distributors should be tarnished with the same brush, I have had great service from Waterline, again it is how I am with them that determines how they are with me. Some suppliers are even dictatorial thinking that they are God and we should do as they say and dance to the tune that they are playing. I don't dance not even a dad dance, I will professionally and politely tell them how it is,
give them so long and then if they continue to stay the way they are I will then not use them anymore.
If we are all to get on which is a must for survival then it is very important for suppliers to listen to us because at the end of the day if we are not selling their products to the end user then only they will suffer because there are other suppliers out there who will listen and will offer products and services that suit us better. In turn though we must give the suppliers a chance and work with them to manage customer expectations.
Russell
Do suppliers listen?
Listen has many meanings, it could mean they will sit with retailers in the know write an action plan to improve product quality / service and then put this action plan into force. It may mean every now and then the supplier gets its sales team to ring you up to ask if there is anything they can do to help you or to ask what they can do for you to get you to buy more products from them and then there is a just paying lip service by pretending to listen to make themselves look and feel good.
I have had experiences in all of the above in fact on Wednesday this week I was at Omega plc in Doncaster with 19 other retailers and senior Directors, department managers, buyers, reps and customer service managers from the Omega team, I say team because that is how we felt as if we are part of the team, I have been to three other Omega retailer forums and each time when our opinions have been voiced we have been listened to, obviously not every wish or gripe can be actioned upon as we have to be objective and understand as Omega do that in the end it's all about money, they want to make money and they in turn want us to make money which is what makes businesses successful.
I think that if I am fair to the suppliers then in turn they will be fair back, this sometimes though is not always the case. I have recently stopped buying kitchens from one particular supplier because no matter how many times that I and other retailers have asked them to do things that would help not only us sell more kitchens but provide them with an improved product offering. I know this to be fact because having spoken to certain people within that company they have told me that they are sick of going back and telling their bosses the same thing and nothing gets done or listened to, only that they want more accounts open. We see this all the time when drivers of said companies turn up with virtually nothing on their vans or their run has been doubled or even tripled up so as to fill a van up. There are other suppliers who change things at will and don't even tell you, this causes major headaches, so not only are they not listening they are speaking either.
There was an article in KBB review online update a couple of weeks ago about the worth of distributors, distributors are suppliers only with more products, the article in the main was right but not all distributors should be tarnished with the same brush, I have had great service from Waterline, again it is how I am with them that determines how they are with me. Some suppliers are even dictatorial thinking that they are God and we should do as they say and dance to the tune that they are playing. I don't dance not even a dad dance, I will professionally and politely tell them how it is,
give them so long and then if they continue to stay the way they are I will then not use them anymore.
If we are all to get on which is a must for survival then it is very important for suppliers to listen to us because at the end of the day if we are not selling their products to the end user then only they will suffer because there are other suppliers out there who will listen and will offer products and services that suit us better. In turn though we must give the suppliers a chance and work with them to manage customer expectations.
Russell
Friday, 15 June 2012
Franke sinks and taps
Here is something I want to take issue with, Franke sinks and taps.
This is not about their products as they are very good quality, this is not about their customer service this also is very good, this is about their pricing policy.
Now I am a small fish in a big pond and could not sell enough of their products to warrant a direct account with Franke UK so I use a distributor or distributors ( this is not the distributors fault either). I have just been asked for a price on a Minerva kettle tap, Franke's own brochure has a recommended retail price of £1116.72 inc vat silk steel, my buying price £704.40 inc vat, internet price on the first click £634.49 inc vat and delivery.
Don't get me wrong here I am not against the internet companies selling whatever they like on the net because we all buy and can sell on the internet and I applaud the genuine companies who trade their wares and offer the same customer service levels as all good retailers do. What really gets my goat on this issue is that I display Franke products, I demonstrate to customers Franke products and I promote Franke products but I cannot buy their products at trade price cheaper than retail prices from some internet companies.
If Franke can sell their products to internet companies and still make a healthy profit and those internet companies can then in turn sell them to retail customers cheaper than I can buy them for then there is something definitely wrong with their pricing policy.
The distributor I buy from are the worlds largest distributor of Franke goods and I know that they are not buying these products at a price that they make a ridiculous mark up. So can somebody at Franke respond to this and tell me and other kitchen retailers how and why they can offer their goods to different outlets at vastly different prices.
Russell
This is not about their products as they are very good quality, this is not about their customer service this also is very good, this is about their pricing policy.
Now I am a small fish in a big pond and could not sell enough of their products to warrant a direct account with Franke UK so I use a distributor or distributors ( this is not the distributors fault either). I have just been asked for a price on a Minerva kettle tap, Franke's own brochure has a recommended retail price of £1116.72 inc vat silk steel, my buying price £704.40 inc vat, internet price on the first click £634.49 inc vat and delivery.
Don't get me wrong here I am not against the internet companies selling whatever they like on the net because we all buy and can sell on the internet and I applaud the genuine companies who trade their wares and offer the same customer service levels as all good retailers do. What really gets my goat on this issue is that I display Franke products, I demonstrate to customers Franke products and I promote Franke products but I cannot buy their products at trade price cheaper than retail prices from some internet companies.
If Franke can sell their products to internet companies and still make a healthy profit and those internet companies can then in turn sell them to retail customers cheaper than I can buy them for then there is something definitely wrong with their pricing policy.
The distributor I buy from are the worlds largest distributor of Franke goods and I know that they are not buying these products at a price that they make a ridiculous mark up. So can somebody at Franke respond to this and tell me and other kitchen retailers how and why they can offer their goods to different outlets at vastly different prices.
Russell
Thursday, 14 June 2012
A little thought solves a lot of potential problems
We have just had a major issue with one of our direct account suppliers, I am not going to say who as the issue has now been resolved but if the problem was handled in a different way then the problem would not have arisen in the first place. I used to work for a major kitchen player and they had an "Operation White Glove" 'If the customer had a problem sought it out straight away and then resolve any who was at fault issues later'
The problem we had was that the company called us to ask for payment up front for goods we had not yet received otherwise our account would be on hold. I went ballistic, our account credit limit was quite high and we had not reached it, so I enquired as to why they were requesting payment, they told me that "my credit limit had been reduced because a credit insurance company told them to". This made me more infuriated as we are extremely good payers to all of our accounts so much so one of them has given us an unlimited credit limit. Even the company concerned acknowledged yesterday that we always pay our account before the due date. I sent lots of emails to various people within the company from the sales director to the sales rep, letting them know that we would not be treated this way. After some argy bargy and a loss of goodwill on my behalf we received another call from the account supervisor apologising and re-instating our credit limit plus some on top.
The lesson is if the company concerned had looked at our account and called us to discuss things instead of just informing me that they wanted prior payment then I would not be writing this blog and they would have got themselves some brownie points because they could have called me and said there has been an issue with a credit insurance company but we have resolved it, but they didn't #lessonlearnt.
Russell
The problem we had was that the company called us to ask for payment up front for goods we had not yet received otherwise our account would be on hold. I went ballistic, our account credit limit was quite high and we had not reached it, so I enquired as to why they were requesting payment, they told me that "my credit limit had been reduced because a credit insurance company told them to". This made me more infuriated as we are extremely good payers to all of our accounts so much so one of them has given us an unlimited credit limit. Even the company concerned acknowledged yesterday that we always pay our account before the due date. I sent lots of emails to various people within the company from the sales director to the sales rep, letting them know that we would not be treated this way. After some argy bargy and a loss of goodwill on my behalf we received another call from the account supervisor apologising and re-instating our credit limit plus some on top.
The lesson is if the company concerned had looked at our account and called us to discuss things instead of just informing me that they wanted prior payment then I would not be writing this blog and they would have got themselves some brownie points because they could have called me and said there has been an issue with a credit insurance company but we have resolved it, but they didn't #lessonlearnt.
Russell
Friday, 8 June 2012
Next's kitchen offering
Next are advertising that they design, sell & install kitchens, that's fine If a company wants to set themselves up as kitchen specialists then they have as much right as anybody to do so.
This is were the sticky bit comes in:
Next are a national retailer with branches all over the country and some of those branches that they will set up kitchen displays in will be close to other kitchen retailers, not a problem so far, a little competition never hurt anybody and national advertising will bring in general enquiries to other kitchen retailers in the area. But what if I have a kitchen showroom set up with the same kitchens that Next are selling, this brand being the JJ Ormerods Colonial kitchens using the same range names as the independent retailer who may have a showroom nicely and expensively fitted out with the same kitchens and the same range names as the Next kitchens, I can tell you I would be miffed.
It is not beyond common sense that the kitchens that Next and the independent retailer displays should have been given different names with different brochure shots, by not doing this I think it cheapens the brand and thus makes it look like a mass produced product similar to what you can pick up from a DIY outlet which I know is not true of Colonial kitchens because they are good quality and have a great range of sized cabinets.
I currently have eight kitchen displays from Chippendale / Sheraton (soon to be nine) and one other, if my supplier suddenly decided to supply another kitchen retailer with the same kitchens as mine using the same range names, brochure shots etc then I would be looking for a new supplier who will show respect to the time ,effort and investment that I have put into their brand.
Russell
This is were the sticky bit comes in:
Next are a national retailer with branches all over the country and some of those branches that they will set up kitchen displays in will be close to other kitchen retailers, not a problem so far, a little competition never hurt anybody and national advertising will bring in general enquiries to other kitchen retailers in the area. But what if I have a kitchen showroom set up with the same kitchens that Next are selling, this brand being the JJ Ormerods Colonial kitchens using the same range names as the independent retailer who may have a showroom nicely and expensively fitted out with the same kitchens and the same range names as the Next kitchens, I can tell you I would be miffed.
It is not beyond common sense that the kitchens that Next and the independent retailer displays should have been given different names with different brochure shots, by not doing this I think it cheapens the brand and thus makes it look like a mass produced product similar to what you can pick up from a DIY outlet which I know is not true of Colonial kitchens because they are good quality and have a great range of sized cabinets.
I currently have eight kitchen displays from Chippendale / Sheraton (soon to be nine) and one other, if my supplier suddenly decided to supply another kitchen retailer with the same kitchens as mine using the same range names, brochure shots etc then I would be looking for a new supplier who will show respect to the time ,effort and investment that I have put into their brand.
Russell
Monday, 14 May 2012
To train or not to train that is the question?
K and B News
To train or not to train a double edged sword.
There is a lot of debate at the moment between the KBB media, retailers and various organisations that offer KBB back up and training as to whether or not KBB planners and designers should have qualifications and or training to be able to offer advice to prospective customers in our industry.
Any current and past professional retailers, designers and planners should really be saying that yes without a doubt all people offering advice to potential customers that are thinking of having a kitchen, bedroom or bathrooms installed in their homes should have some sort of standardised training and ongoing support to deal with the legal implications in designing such projects, after all the kitchen and bathroom are the most dangerous rooms in the house and failure on the part of the planner / designer to offer correct advice can have serious health and safety implications and can also mean customer not getting the correct ergonomic design for to suit their needs.
There is a but in all this; it’s the double edged sword scenario. I would imagine that most independent retailers that have studios situated close to a multiple or DIY KBB retailer will have mixed feelings about such a move to professional training for all in the industry.
I for one am situated only a stones throw away from a DIY shed, a multiple and a supermarket who sell kitchens and several other independent kitchen specialists who are also within walking distance from my studio.
The vast majority of my clients are from recommendations, they have chosen to come to me because of the professional advice, service and honesty that we gave their friends and family, we know this because we won Merseyside trader of the year in 2010 as voted by our customers.
Of course the design side of the project is completely different to the planning side because ‘Design’ is one person’s perception of how something should look but planning should be a firm fixed no room for manoeuvre stance that we all should be following.
But if all the retailers close to me had the same professional training then the only difference between me and them is the ‘Design’ and the service which I am sure at some point these companies will catch on that this is also a very important area that needs addressing. So with regards to potential sales ,where will this leave the multitude of independent KBB retailers who have the knowledge, advice, service and design skills that our near neighbours don’t have, possibly out of business because we pick up the pieces and then thrive on the mistakes of others.
For me every time somebody walks through my doors telling me they have also been to such and such across the road, I mentally rub my hands with glee because I know that the majority of the time I will be taking the sale from my so called competitors.
I am sure that lots of independents will now if not already be thinking the same. So as much as I do not want ‘so and so’ kitchen company having all the training that they should really have I am also an advocate that people in this industry should know what they are doing before being able to offer advice to potential customers who want to purchase these important products for the homes. I think the only true way forward to combat the ‘fly by nights, charlatans and generally untrained’’ is to have government legislation which states that any person who undertakes to plan or design a KBB project should have some sort of professional training in basic safety and planning skills, you cannot open a café/ restaurant or prepare food for the general public without having a basic food hygiene certificate. There are lots of companies out there offering KBB planning / design courses but there is no stomach for such a move at government level because it will open a huge can of worms.
Russell
Wednesday, 23 November 2011
A lesson in excellent customer service
Here is something you don't find as often as you should; Excellent customer service.
Yesterday I was due a delivery of a kitchen from Omega plc, quite a large kitchen so I was getting all the other daily things out of they way before it arrived. At 9.30am the back door bell rang it was a UK mail courier driver with a parcel, nothing unusual about that except I was not expecting a parcel, I opened the delivery note and it was from Omega plc. The note read 3x 450 drawer fronts Gloss Stone Shaker for customer Mrs x. I was a little perplexed as to why I had received these drawer fronts as I had not requested any because I had not yet received the main delivery.
Later that day Omega's delivery van arrived with the expected kitchen, I took the notes off the driver and read at the bottom to follow 3x 450 drawer fronts.
I have never in over 25 years in this job received a to follow remedial before even receiving the original order.
Later on that I evening I received a call from Omega customer service to explain about the unusual delivery sequence, the customer advisor informed me that the three drawer fronts had not arrived to them before the kitchen was loaded so they sent them via courier the moment they came in, subsequently the courier arrived before the Omega delivery van.
If all my suppliers took this stance then their businesses would be flourishing. Well done to the Omega plc Customer service team.
Thanks
Russell
Yesterday I was due a delivery of a kitchen from Omega plc, quite a large kitchen so I was getting all the other daily things out of they way before it arrived. At 9.30am the back door bell rang it was a UK mail courier driver with a parcel, nothing unusual about that except I was not expecting a parcel, I opened the delivery note and it was from Omega plc. The note read 3x 450 drawer fronts Gloss Stone Shaker for customer Mrs x. I was a little perplexed as to why I had received these drawer fronts as I had not requested any because I had not yet received the main delivery.
Later that day Omega's delivery van arrived with the expected kitchen, I took the notes off the driver and read at the bottom to follow 3x 450 drawer fronts.
I have never in over 25 years in this job received a to follow remedial before even receiving the original order.
Later on that I evening I received a call from Omega customer service to explain about the unusual delivery sequence, the customer advisor informed me that the three drawer fronts had not arrived to them before the kitchen was loaded so they sent them via courier the moment they came in, subsequently the courier arrived before the Omega delivery van.
If all my suppliers took this stance then their businesses would be flourishing. Well done to the Omega plc Customer service team.
Thanks
Russell
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