Retailers and email replies

[Mykesbass]

[quote name='martindupras' post='1081003' date='Jan 7 2011, 01:09 PM']Well yes and no.

If a 12 year old asks for an electric guitar for Christmas, the parents are going to look for the cheapest thing, and they will go to a shop and expect to be shown the merchandise, given expert advice and still get the lowest price. It is ultimately up to the retailer whether they will price match anyone. They don't have to, and personally I think that the ones that offer personalised service and aftersales care are in the win for perceived value.

No one is able to undercut the competition by 20% on brand new items (excluding demos and clearance stock.) More generally the variation in price between retailers is in the order of less than 5% which is really marginal. When you factor in shipping the hassle of returns, the shop doesn't seem such bad value.

One last thing: I own a lot of guitars and several basses. That's a lot of strings, but since I don't play them all at once I don't change them often so I tend to buy 10-12 packs of guitar strings at a time and 4-5 packs of bass strings, maybe once every 15 months. I would very very very happily buy these at full price at any of my local stores if only so my money goes to them and not online retailers. Guess what? No one stocks Ernie Ball Blue Steels 11-54 or Warwick Black Label 45-135 sets within driving distance from Bristol. I'm not however prepared to go to the store once to place an order and pay a deposit, then come back again at some undetermined date in the future to collect them and pay for the balance. Not when I can order online cheaper and faster.

In other words: I would like to give £250 a year worth of business to any of my local stores, but there is zero incentive for me to do so.

- martin[/quote]

I had a small music shop a couple of years ago, just as the internet was starting to bite. The previous owner used to come in to pick up repairs once a week - he couldn't believe how quickly things were changing.

First point - I don't think a lot of the parents of a 12 year olds do go to the local music shop. They go online or pick something up in Argos or Wilkinsons unless they have had some friendly input from a teacher or friend who knows a bit about music.

Second point, RRP mark up on most main lines is around 35% - enough to make a comfortable (but not stinking rich) living for an independent shop once all overheads are taken into account. I was getting asked to price match to a point where the mark up would have been 15% - bang on your 20% difference.

Thirdly, yes, they are very, very daft - OK, I stocked neither of those but would have bent over backwards to sort them out for you just like I did for my one seven string guitarist and for one guy who had gauges - i.e. heavy top and light bottom strings that no manufacturer made as sets.

I think the car dealership is a bit different as they are working on some very strange schemes with the manufacturer so may only seem like they are working on a couple of hundred quid mark up on a £40,000 car.

[martindupras]

[quote name='Johnston' post='1081154' date='Jan 7 2011, 02:55 PM']all[/b] online retailers have to follow that. Distance trading rules or something it's called.[/quote]


Of course, and not just online retailers, it's the same if you place a phone order.

In the UK, it's expressed in the Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations and the Electronic Commerce Regulations, which as I understand it are both informed by the European Directive.

Thomann are good that way, and fuss free. Not all retailers who do business online, however, understand and apply the law. I've had several instances for instance, where I (or colleagues) have returned goods as faulty, only for them to be returned to us by the retailers who claimed they were working. I've had to bring their attention to the law before they accepted that they had to take the goods back and refund all shipping charges. Two retailers were particularly troublesome in that way. I will not name them, but they're fairly well known outfits that you will have heard of.

in the end, it boils down to this: treat me well and honour your promises and I'll be a happy returning customer. Don't treat me well and I will remember for a long time, and you're not going to see any more or my money.

- martin

[tauzero]

[quote name='ThomBassmonkey' post='1080670' date='Jan 7 2011, 01:30 AM']Being asked to hold on for a moment while someone gets the phone isn't an issue unless it's a long call and I'm stood about like a lemon[/quote]
Any assistant worth their salt should be able to tell if a call is going to be a short or a long one in very short order, and if it's going to be a long one, tell the caller that they'll call back and get a number. What would really impress me as the customer in the shop would be if that happens, and as I'm leaving after being served, I hear the assistant calling back as promised. It'll never happen though...