[Colin Day]

Whatever, Jason

I think Vicky Pollard's fraped you Simon....

[Carpet Dawg]

Jason has posted about his brother before and showed a link to his company about us page. So he does exist and is a CEO of an engineering company Simon.

And I hardly think a brother is a distant relative!!

[jasonl]

I have stood in the water treatment plant he built in Auckland looking at the petrol washer/ extractor he designed for cleaning the UV passes ,  far simpler than anything on the market ,at a fith of the price .


http://www.linkedin.com/pub/oliver-lawal/9/7ab/687

http://halmapr.com/news/aquionics/2010/09/10/aquionics-announces-new-president-oliver-lawal/

[wynne jones]

It's a bit like when people go into shops and get advice on products or try them out, then go online and buy them, very annoying, but it's up to them to compete in their own unique way.

It strikes me HM are cutting  their nose off to spite their face and could lose good will from people who generate thousands for them every year. If they have a specific problem with a few people taking the mickey, simply tell them to bog off! 

[Steve Chapman]

I just think its plain greedy, they have customers spending a good few grand on equipment and then charging those customers for asking advice about their own products ? 

Surely if they treat their customers right then the majority will come back and spend any how, thats the logic we use when dealing with carpet cleaning customers.

Ive probably spent hours on the phone in the past with customers just giving advice, but I know many of those have spent money at a later date or recommended me so its a worthwhile investment,  while ticking off your customers isnt  :


steve

[Shaun_Ashmore]

That's a good analogy Steve.

Shaun

[craig partridge]

It's support they are referring to, it's different to us giving advice to customers, sometimes they can be on the phone for thirty mins talking through a procedure or diagnostic.

Imagen you had an employee and he's busy doing whatever job he's doing in the workshop, and he keeps having to stop to talk on the phone for half hour or so, annoying enough but when it's to help out people who never contribute I can see why they did this.

 it's only a 100 a year.

Also we should not flatter ourselfs thinking spending a few hundred quid here and
there contributes much, even if you buy a TM the profits probally swallowed up in one months payroll.

[wynne jones]

I think they are being a bit silly.

Just put up your prices a bit HM, end of. Unless you are going to charge just those who are timestealers and buy nothing then why do it in a way that gets good customers backs up?

[derek west]

got a funny feeling this idea was born out of frustration rather than careful planning.

there must be  away of getting a few service vans on the road that can look after not just HM truckies but other brands and porties too, and why not even pressure washers etc.....if this fee was to fund this type of project then i wouldn't mind paying. its called adding value instead of charging for the same service we're used too.

[Shaun_Ashmore]

Perhaps a different way of looking at it would be based on annual spend, everyone who has a TM that buys from HM would be on database when they call for advice then this would be given freely.

The only problem I see is that when I come to sell my TM and say to the buyer, "HM service is second to none and if you need any advice from them it'll cost you £100 or £300 per year to get it" the 2nd hand price of my TM has just got down.

Putting the prices of parts up won't help as people will know that the part is over priced and will shop elsewhere even after advice from HM.

Dependant on profit margins which has already been documented on how much mark up can be made, I would make a HM Club, offering decent discounts not 5 or 10% but 15% or 20% it would have a greater incentive to buy from the club as well as deal of the month, this is offering better value IMO.

Shaun

[Blacky]

jasonl, can you ask your brother the following question please?
On an engine converted to LPG the petrol ECU only is reporting a long term fuel trim of -17%.
How do I go about correcting this please?

   Have you spent 5 years at uni becoming an engineer

Jason, I completely understand. I’m only in the second year of a 7 year plan to get an engineering degree on a part time basis. Initially I thought it would quite hard, however, It's proving immensely complex and beginning to realise why mathematicians chose engineering.
I’ll get there in the end, god know how.

Pete