mostly it's arrive at
airport, go to meetings, go to eat, go to hotel, do emails, go to bed
and repeat the next day with different people.

And not a multimeter in sight. Sigh. Another good pigeonhole bites the
dust

Anna

~~ Anna Kettle, Suffolk, England
|""""| ~ Lime plaster repairs
/ ^^ \ // Freehand modelling in lime: overmantels, pargeting etc
|____| www.kettlenet.co.uk 01359 230642

On Wed, 29 Sep 2004 06:39:39 GMT, (Anna Kettle)
wrote:

mostly it's arrive at
airport, go to meetings, go to eat, go to hotel, do emails, go to bed
and repeat the next day with different people.

And not a multimeter in sight. Sigh. Another good pigeonhole bites the
dust


Well it's not an entirely unjustified pigeonhole. In my early career
I did electronics hardware, firmware and software design and
development, followed by application work with customers for a
microprocessor company. From that I moved into Unix systems and
ultimately networking, which is really what I've done in different
forms for the last 20 years.

Actually I'm not as cynical about it as the earlier comments imply.
Each organisation that I work with has different requirements and
aspirations, and the people are always different of course.
Increasingly, hotels have high speed internet connections which means
that in effect I can do pretty much exactly the same work and have the
same business facilities regardless of where I am. That is a huge
change over the last few years. Unfortunately in Europe these kind of
facilities can be very expensive in comparison to the U.S. where
internet access is included in the room rate. In Europe, 15-20 euros
per day is typical and it can be as high as 10 euros for two hours in
some places.




..andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

(Anna Kettle) wrote in message ...

Do you ever get to see any old buildings in your travels? If so, have
you seen any decorative plasterwork? I know Southern Germany / Austria
has sgraffito and someone told me that the Algarve has pargeting, but
I've hardly ever been to the European mainland in my life - always
gone for holidays somewhere more exotic and 3rd worldish

You might check out Lisboa in Portugal, truly beautiful buildings.

NT

You might check out Lisboa in Portugal, truly beautiful buildings.

Thankyou ... I'll add it to the list, which is getting very long
hurrah. Though when I will get to go to all these places I don't know
cos at the mo I am much more interested in getting some half (or even
fully) decent plumbing installed

Anna

~~ Anna Kettle, Suffolk, England
|""""| ~ Lime plaster repairs
/ ^^ \ // Freehand modelling in lime: overmantels, pargeting etc
|____| www.kettlenet.co.uk 01359 230642

Well it's not an entirely unjustified pigeonhole.

O well thats a relief I'm not going completely bonkers yet

ultimately networking, which is really what I've done in different
forms for the last 20 years.

You have my great admiration! Back in the bad old days I used to do
networking too, mostly Netware 3 & 4, but my new career suits me much
better

Increasingly, hotels have high speed internet connections which means
that in effect I can do pretty much exactly the same work and have the
same business facilities regardless of where I am.

I suppose that means you can spend your evenings posting newsgroup
messages and suchlike which is an improvement of ways to spend the
evening. Evenings in hotels used to drive me barmy with a choice of
the bar and the TV. I even took up knitting

Where are you today?

Anna

~~ Anna Kettle, Suffolk, England
|""""| ~ Lime plaster repairs
/ ^^ \ // Freehand modelling in lime: overmantels, pargeting etc
|____| www.kettlenet.co.uk 01359 230642

On Thu, 30 Sep 2004 08:06:17 GMT, (Anna Kettle)
wrote:

Well it's not an entirely unjustified pigeonhole.

O well thats a relief I'm not going completely bonkers yet

ultimately networking, which is really what I've done in different
forms for the last 20 years.

You have my great admiration! Back in the bad old days I used to do
networking too, mostly Netware 3 & 4, but my new career suits me much
better

I can understand that :-)


Increasingly, hotels have high speed internet connections which means
that in effect I can do pretty much exactly the same work and have the
same business facilities regardless of where I am.

I suppose that means you can spend your evenings posting newsgroup
messages and suchlike which is an improvement of ways to spend the
evening. Evenings in hotels used to drive me barmy with a choice of
the bar and the TV. I even took up knitting

In quite a lot of hotels, the owners are being smart and installing
wireless access points only in the bar area.

So now you see people sitting with their laptops and writing emails
over a beer or three.


Where are you today?

Today I'm in the UK, at home, but in general you're right, VPN
technology means that I can be pretty much anywhere and still have the
same functionality.





Anna

~~ Anna Kettle, Suffolk, England
|""""| ~ Lime plaster repairs
/ ^^ \ // Freehand modelling in lime: overmantels, pargeting etc
|____| www.kettlenet.co.uk 01359 230642

..andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

In article , :::Jerry::::
writes
But ATM people are not getting them next day, nor the day after that either,
rather than getting off the gluttonous maximus people are complaining about
not being able to order stuff.

That was *exactly* what I did, after I left the "management team"
simpleton (and corporate parrot) at Screwfux in no doubt at all what I
thought of the shambles they had become. As a result, I should be able
to complete an urgent turnery job by tomorrow, but I still resent having
to waste time getting the items personally rather than ordering them by
telephone.

--
Paul

In article , Lobster davidlobste
writes
They now seem to have changed things so that only X number of users can
access the site at once as a mechanism of keeping the volume down. I was
working at my PC this evening, and kept clicking 'refresh' on a Screwfix
window every so often, until finally I managed to get in, and select and
place an order. Very strange way to run a business if you ask me.

It would even be a strange way to run a whelk stall...

--
Paul

In article , John
Rumm writes
:::Jerry:::: wrote:

Tell that to J. Ratner and company.....

You still remeber the name, so it worked, kind-of!

Only because he also recalled the phrase "utter crap"?

--
Paul

On Thu, 7 Oct 2004 21:24:43 +0100, "Paul C. Dickie"
wrote:

In article , :::Jerry::::
writes
But ATM people are not getting them next day, nor the day after that either,
rather than getting off the gluttonous maximus people are complaining about
not being able to order stuff.

That was *exactly* what I did, after I left the "management team"
simpleton (and corporate parrot) at Screwfux in no doubt at all what I
thought of the shambles they had become. As a result, I should be able
to complete an urgent turnery job by tomorrow, but I still resent having
to waste time getting the items personally rather than ordering them by
telephone.


Therein lies the point. Normally it's convenient. People get used
to that and get upset when it breaks. As soon as it's fixed, some
vouchers and promotions will soon help people to forget.


..andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

In article , Andy Hall
writes
On Thu, 7 Oct 2004 21:24:43 +0100, "Paul C. Dickie"
wrote:
In article , :::Jerry::::
writes
But ATM people are not getting them next day, nor the day after that either,
rather than getting off the gluttonous maximus people are complaining about
not being able to order stuff.
That was *exactly* what I did, after I left the "management team"
simpleton (and corporate parrot) at Screwfux in no doubt at all what I
thought of the shambles they had become. As a result, I should be able
to complete an urgent turnery job by tomorrow, but I still resent having
to waste time getting the items personally rather than ordering them by
telephone.
Therein lies the point. Normally it's convenient. People get used
to that and get upset when it breaks. As soon as it's fixed,

But which month/year/decade will that be?

some vouchers and promotions will soon help people to forget.

Not me, sunshine. Nor would those folk who'd had to find alternative
(and better/cheaper/more local/more pleasant) suppliers when they
couldn't order from Screwfux.

--
Paul

On Fri, 8 Oct 2004 14:13:22 +0100, "Paul C. Dickie"
wrote:

In article , Andy Hall
writes
On Thu, 7 Oct 2004 21:24:43 +0100, "Paul C. Dickie"
wrote:
In article , :::Jerry::::
writes
But ATM people are not getting them next day, nor the day after that either,
rather than getting off the gluttonous maximus people are complaining about
not being able to order stuff.
That was *exactly* what I did, after I left the "management team"
simpleton (and corporate parrot) at Screwfux in no doubt at all what I
thought of the shambles they had become. As a result, I should be able
to complete an urgent turnery job by tomorrow, but I still resent having
to waste time getting the items personally rather than ordering them by
telephone.
Therein lies the point. Normally it's convenient. People get used
to that and get upset when it breaks. As soon as it's fixed,

But which month/year/decade will that be?

I would imagine fairly soon. One doesn't maintain a market leadership
position otherwise.


some vouchers and promotions will soon help people to forget.

Not me, sunshine. Nor would those folk who'd had to find alternative
(and better/cheaper/more local/more pleasant) suppliers when they
couldn't order from Screwfux.

Oh good. Then perhaps you won't need to go on moaning about it.

..andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

"Andy Hall" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 8 Oct 2004 14:13:22 +0100, "Paul C. Dickie"
wrote:

In article , Andy Hall
writes
On Thu, 7 Oct 2004 21:24:43 +0100, "Paul C. Dickie"
wrote:
In article , :::Jerry::::
writes
But ATM people are not getting them next day, nor the day after that
either,
rather than getting off the gluttonous maximus people are complaining
about
not being able to order stuff.
That was *exactly* what I did, after I left the "management team"
simpleton (and corporate parrot) at Screwfux in no doubt at all what I
thought of the shambles they had become. As a result, I should be able
to complete an urgent turnery job by tomorrow, but I still resent
having
to waste time getting the items personally rather than ordering them by
telephone.
Therein lies the point. Normally it's convenient. People get used
to that and get upset when it breaks. As soon as it's fixed,

But which month/year/decade will that be?

I would imagine fairly soon. One doesn't maintain a market leadership
position otherwise.

some vouchers and promotions will soon help people to forget.

Not me, sunshine. Nor would those folk who'd had to find alternative
(and better/cheaper/more local/more pleasant) suppliers when they
couldn't order from Screwfux.

Oh good. Then perhaps you won't need to go on moaning about it.

For every good service no one says anything. For every bad one they tell 9
people on average.

In article , IMM
writes
"Andy Hall" wrote in message
.. .
On Fri, 8 Oct 2004 14:13:22 +0100, "Paul C. Dickie"
wrote:
In article , Andy Hall
writes
Therein lies the point. Normally it's convenient. People get used
to that and get upset when it breaks. As soon as it's fixed,
But which month/year/decade will that be?
I would imagine fairly soon. One doesn't maintain a market leadership
position otherwise.

What "market leadership position"? Is that the "leadership position" in
the market whereby customers' orders are repeatedly screwed up? Or is
it in the market where would-be customers are ignored and generally
regarded as existing only for the amusement of staff?

some vouchers and promotions will soon help people to forget.
Not me, sunshine. Nor would those folk who'd had to find alternative
(and better/cheaper/more local/more pleasant) suppliers when they
couldn't order from Screwfux.
Oh good. Then perhaps you won't need to go on moaning about it.
For every good service no one says anything. For every bad one they tell 9
people on average.

That's something that Mr Glib-Simplistic seems unable to comprehend.

One might even wonder if he's still a member of the Tory "Party".

--
Paul

On Sun, 10 Oct 2004 09:35:05 +0100, "Paul C. Dickie"
wrote:

In article , IMM
writes
"Andy Hall" wrote in message
. ..
On Fri, 8 Oct 2004 14:13:22 +0100, "Paul C. Dickie"
wrote:
In article , Andy Hall
writes
Therein lies the point. Normally it's convenient. People get used
to that and get upset when it breaks. As soon as it's fixed,
But which month/year/decade will that be?
I would imagine fairly soon. One doesn't maintain a market leadership
position otherwise.

What "market leadership position"?

Take a look at the Kingfisher Group web site and you can read the
sales figures.

As a group, they are the market leader in Europe and third in the
world.

Is that the "leadership position" in
the market whereby customers' orders are repeatedly screwed up? Or is
it in the market where would-be customers are ignored and generally
regarded as existing only for the amusement of staff?

This may be your experience, but it isn't mine. Most people here
who have commented on orders being screwed up have found that this is
not repeatedly happening. Few people are going to bother to post to
say that they had good service each time an order arrives.

Market leadership is generally defined by revenue and market share
unless stated otherwise. Sometimes it is used in the context of
product content and innovation.
Obviously for a distribution operation, the revenue and market share
numbers are the representation of market position. Customer service
is obviously important because it is required to ensure repeat
business.

Do you really think, in your wildest dreams, that somebody in SF's
head office in Yeovil or their warehouse in Stoke, has a hitlist with
your name on it and deliberately gives you poor service?

All that has happened is that they have relocated their distribution
centre from one part of the country to another.
Clearly, they have had problems in doing so, one reason being not
being able to recruit staff in the new location fast enough.
It's entirely reasonable to assume a level of demotivation of those
being made redundant in Yeovil.

That's about it, though.


some vouchers and promotions will soon help people to forget.
Not me, sunshine. Nor would those folk who'd had to find alternative
(and better/cheaper/more local/more pleasant) suppliers when they
couldn't order from Screwfux.
Oh good. Then perhaps you won't need to go on moaning about it.
For every good service no one says anything. For every bad one they tell 9
people on average.

That's something that Mr Glib-Simplistic seems unable to comprehend.

It's true that bad news travels fast, and in the case of buying
something implying a longish term commitment such as an electrical
appliance or a car, this matters as manufacturers have found to their
cost.

However, this is a distribution operation.

It doesn't have a significant brand in terms of product but in terms
of having a widely distributed catalogue, a reasonable web site, and
until the current blip generally good delivery and customer service.

People buy from SF because for reasons of breadth of product range.
It's far quicker to place an order on one site than to dot around from
place to place, even on the internet.

A small minority of people who have been agrieved by recent service
will shop elsewhere either for a while or permanently.

However, this does not alter the basic premise of why people shop at
places like SF.



One might even wonder if he's still a member of the Tory "Party".

Who's still a member of the Tory party? Personally, I've never
been a member of any party, or ever likely to be.


..andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

The problem for Screwfix, is that they have screwed up badly. This means
that there is a major window of opportunity for their competitors, even
those with a much smaller catalogue. As a result Screwfix are going to
lose business long term. I can assure you from selling experience that
customers have long memories about couldn't care less suppliers and will
migrate to new ones over the following couple of years.

Screwfix have been saying all week at times on their website, that they
are taking orders, but their telephone order line is totally out of
action. They have not said that they are only taking online orders.
Another customer relations failure.

B & Q are successful in sales volume terms, but judging by my filthy
local stores, have serious problems in display, quality and stock
control. Following from the advice I was given many years ago, about
buying shares to hold long term in companies, B & Q fails the customer
buy test of "I WANT to buy goods there".( Screwfix is now joining this
category) The P/E ratio on their shares is poor, as is their retail
margin. I think there is room for a new competitor in the diy market,
more along the lines of the original "Texas Homecare" than the present
retail shed sheep.

Regards
Capitol

"Capitol" wrote in message
...

B & Q are successful in sales volume terms, but judging by my filthy
local stores, have serious problems in display, quality and stock
control.

Sound like they need new store managers. We have six local stores with 15
miles or so, three of which are warehouses, but two are indeed filthy so I
never use these. There have been stock issues with tools in all branches
recently but there are apology notices up. B&Qs are generally rarely out of
stock.


Following from the advice I was given many years ago, about
buying shares to hold long term in companies, B & Q fails the customer
buy test of "I WANT to buy goods there".( Screwfix is now joining this
category) The P/E ratio on their shares is poor,

Haven't noticed them on any sell notices yet though.

as is their retail margin.

How do you work that out? They get the best prices from suppliers - in fact
they tell suppliers how much they will pay for an item - take it or leave
it.

G&M wrote:

"Capitol" wrote in message
...


B & Q are successful in sales volume terms, but judging by my filthy
local stores, have serious problems in display, quality and stock
control.


Sound like they need new store managers. We have six local stores with 15
miles or so, three of which are warehouses, but two are indeed filthy so I
never use these. There have been stock issues with tools in all branches
recently but there are apology notices up. B&Qs are generally rarely out of
stock.



Following from the advice I was given many years ago, about
buying shares to hold long term in companies, B & Q fails the customer
buy test of "I WANT to buy goods there".( Screwfix is now joining this
category) The P/E ratio on their shares is poor,


Haven't noticed them on any sell notices yet though.

They're on a lot of "Hold" notices and relatively few "Buy". Long term
investment requires that the current price is not inflated by takeover
rumours and you believe in the ability of the company to keep growing
turnover and earnings. The best example over the past 10 years I can
think of is Tesco.


as is their retail margin.


How do you work that out? They get the best prices from suppliers - in fact
they tell suppliers how much they will pay for an item - take it or leave
it.



Sorry, for retail margin, I meant net profit on turnover. Walmart does
the same sort of diy hardware buying, frequently you don't buy the
product twice. ( Also true of Home Depot, has the worst wood quality
I've ever seen.) Poor products and limited ranges send some customers
elsewhere.

Regards
Capitol

In article , Capitol wrote:
Also true of Home Depot, has the worst wood quality
I've ever seen.)

Used to be true of Wickes but IME they have learned their lesson

--
Tony Bryer SDA UK 'Software to build on' http://www.sda.co.uk
Free SEDBUK boiler database browser http://www.sda.co.uk/qsedbuk.htm

"Capitol" wrote in message
...
Following from the advice I was given many years ago, about
buying shares to hold long term in companies, B & Q fails the customer
buy test of "I WANT to buy goods there".( Screwfix is now joining this
category) The P/E ratio on their shares is poor,

Haven't noticed them on any sell notices yet though.

They're on a lot of "Hold" notices and relatively few "Buy". Long term
investment requires that the current price is not inflated by takeover
rumours and you believe in the ability of the company to keep growing
turnover and earnings. The best example over the past 10 years I can
think of is Tesco.

I think that puts Kingfisher in a lot better state than Sainsburys, M&S,
Debenhams, Dixons, etc, then.



as is their retail margin.

How do you work that out? They get the best prices from suppliers - in
fact
they tell suppliers how much they will pay for an item - take it or
leave
it.

Sorry, for retail margin, I meant net profit on turnover.

That's somewhat different. But with their current rate of expansion, I'm
quite surprised they need to declare a profit at all.