Tony Bryer wrote:
On Thu, 10 Apr 2008 08:44:04 +0100 Rod wrote :
So agreed. As the plumbers merchants (and so on) already charge a
premium - by not giving a discount on an individual transaction,
not giving as big a discount, not giving a discount on the monthly
cumulative spend, not providing credit facilities, etc. - they
effectively turn away the people who pay the highest prices.

But are they - to a trade supplier (and the trade customers in the
queue g) desirable customers? You may be making 100% mark-up, but
if it takes 5 minutes to sell one £1 fitting then you're not even
covering the salesperson's wages.

That was the reason for my wording - I really don't know how desirable
we are. :-)

But perhaps the biggest reason is actually to allow plumbers (and such)
to charge £1000 to a customer for a boiler for which they actually paid,
say, &700. They add a percentage to the price (which is
usually/often/sometimes identified in contract details). But they also
get the discounts, etc. which are not usually factored in. Certainly the
"buy three boilers and get a free fortnight holiday" offers won't be.

Of course there is a cost involved in a tradesperson procuring the
boiler and they should be able get recompense for that. But the other
discounts and benefits should at leats be declared and the whole deal
made transparent.

Keeping us and other end customers out reduces the likelihood of people
objecting.

--
Rod

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