TDIPLC Posted May 22, 2006 Report Share Posted May 22, 2006 This is a tricky one. 1. No part time traders. 2. No traders without a proper premises. 3. No traders without indemnity insurance. 4. No traders without a proven track record. 5. No traders that you are not comfortable being associated with. 1. No part time traders. Why? many of us have full time jobs and the revenue from the part time trading is an additional income, not a primary income. 2. No traders without a proper premises. And why does (for instance) a mail-order trader need (for instance) to rent a warehouse. Your justification is totally flawed. 3. No traders without indemnity insurance. Rubbish! 4. No traders without a proven track record. And how do you propose to quantify this? How many customer's cars you've blown up? 5. No traders that you are not comfortable being associated with. As above, this is not quantifiable. As people have already said, my comments were just suggestions. These were based on my my own opions gained from extensive experience in this industry, but to answer your points: 1. I am more concerened about the level of service provided to customers, rather than the income streams of a Trader. When someone gives their hard earned cash to a trader for a service, it is preferable to expect the trader to be available when needed - not at their day job. 2. Aquisition of a proper trading premises is a clear indictation that the Trader is serious about his business. As a point of fact, every single Trader in this industry that starts from home either progresses to a premises or goes bust. 3. There are plenty of Traders in this industry that are not adequately insured. I believe you should have a right to know whether they are or not so that you can make an informed decision of whether you are prepared to accept the risk. Here's a quesion for you Mike: Would you knowingly take your car to a Trader to be worked on by a person that had been banned from driving and who did not have a valid Motor Traders isurance policy? Would you knowingly accept the risk of the total loss of your pride and joy? 4. I am sure that different people have different criteria to measure this issue, but generally speaking, customer satisfaction and length of time in business are good indicators, as is the reputation among the contemporaries and competitors within the industry, and also the prestige of the manufacturers who choose to partner or associate with the Trader. 5. In this instance, it is for Tony decide who he feels comforatable associating himself with because his business could suffer with a poor choice of stategic alliance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted May 22, 2006 Report Share Posted May 22, 2006 Quote: tdiplc 5:Is for tony to decide who he feels comfortable associating himself with.... In order to progress wim into an even more unique position i desire the best of the best.. Not good enough or not that bad........ The best of the best!.. In my opinion!... Authorized traders/Buy and sell will be Policed as explained previously... Those were the facts and no ifs or but's will persuade me otherwise! Seems a little harsh some may think Well no if you think about the reality of the forum... The car needs global assistance, or at least a package to help in the evolution.. In truth i personally cannot offer the full Monty.. So i have to rest the additional areas on 'Trusted Services' to allow global completion... Easy. By having the 'best of the best' avalible then i feel very comfortable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TDIPLC Posted May 23, 2006 Report Share Posted May 23, 2006 Another very important issue regarding indemnity insurance that I forget to mention (sorry ), is that I beieve you should have the right to know whether the company you take your car to has adequate cover in the case of a mistake that damages your car or causes injury or death. You may take the view that you are not concerned with this issue as you can sue them for compensation. The bad news is that the majority of companies in this industry have a capitalisation of just £100 and struggle to break even so do not have much in the way of assets. Far from being "Rubbish", this is a very imprtant issue in my view. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jap Devil Posted May 23, 2006 Report Share Posted May 23, 2006 I was referring more to sole traders who sell small and lower value items such as accessories etc and where liability insurance is not only way OTT but can make the difference between profitability or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TDIPLC Posted May 23, 2006 Report Share Posted May 23, 2006 I was referring more to sole traders who sell small and lower value items such as accessories etc and where liability insurance is not only way OTT but can make the difference between profitability or not. Business models like that are not viable in this industry, and you have clearly identified one of the reasons why. Any business that does not make suffient profits to pay for insurance should not be in business. When it all goes wrong, it is normally the customer that has to suffer the consequences which is not fair, hence the original suggestions in my first post, which if you think about it actually prioritises the interests of the customer. That can only be a good thing in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jap Devil Posted May 23, 2006 Report Share Posted May 23, 2006 I was referring more to sole traders who sell small and lower value items such as accessories etc and where liability insurance is not only way OTT but can make the difference between profitability or not. Business models like that are not viable in this industry, and you have clearly identified one of the reasons why. Any business that does not make suffient profits to pay for insurance should not be in business. You are failing to see the point - a sole trader, especially one who is a part-time trader has no requirement for limited liability insurance and there is no legal obligation to do so. Your conception of the business model is also incorrect, very few business are able to generate an acceptable profit over the first few months as a result of poor cash flow due to the start-up costs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TDIPLC Posted May 23, 2006 Report Share Posted May 23, 2006 I was referring more to sole traders who sell small and lower value items such as accessories etc and where liability insurance is not only way OTT but can make the difference between profitability or not. Business models like that are not viable in this industry, and you have clearly identified one of the reasons why. Any business that does not make suffient profits to pay for insurance should not be in business. You are failing to see the point - a sole trader, especially one who is a part-time trader has no requirement for limited liability insurance and there is no legal obligation to do so. Your conception of the business model is also incorrect, very few business are able to generate an acceptable profit over the first few months as a result of poor cash flow due to the start-up costs. My point was concerning "professional indemnity" insurance, not "limited liabilty" insurance that you have only just mentioned and of which I have never heard of. Professional Indemnity insurance is there for the protection of the customer, and is a very good thing. It is Tony's (and potential customers) decision who they choose for a strategic alliance or as a service provider. Most sensible people would chose the safe route by dealing with companies that demonstrate integrity, transparancy and respect for their customers by implementing and paying for decent insurance cover. I don't think I can really add any more to this issue at this time, so I am sorry if you disagree Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janey Posted May 23, 2006 Report Share Posted May 23, 2006 Mike, I know you love a good argument But I think that the point is that, say you take your car to a 'garage/supplier' and that 'garage/supplier' blows up your car, or does irevocable damage due to bad workmanship, or fits/supplies incorrect parts, or takes your car out for a test drive & smashes it up, the list goes on If the 'garage/supplier' doesn't have the correct insurances/warrantys etc. you are buggered. That is unless you wish to go through a very lengthy court process to try and claim from the individual (after deciding wether you sue the mechanic or the man who takes your money) and being asked by the court "Why did you take your car to this person? Did you not check that they were insured to carry out the services offered?" The whole thing is that any 'proper' business who supplies a service should have their services/products covered by the appropriate insurance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazza Posted May 23, 2006 Report Share Posted May 23, 2006 the fact that the business doesnt make enough profit is rubbish the insurance should be part of the start up costs, and considered essential wether a requirement or not what happens three years down the line when they have a bad year, do they give it a miss insurance is not there soley for the customer, it is there for the trader as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted June 1, 2006 Report Share Posted June 1, 2006 Some good points.I too would like to see some discounts on geometery and tyres available to members if there is to be a membership fee. Again to lend support i dont mind that as the WIM ethic is something that i like and feel a more sense of involvement and belonging to. Currently wim offers (Adjustments) discounts to various clubs by 'capping' the overall fee. Example:- Mazda MX5 has nine direct adjustments and four in-direct, for the clubs they only pay for three, all the rest are done free!... Now since each adjustment is £17.50 then the discount is very generous... In the near future wim will become its own company so prices will need to change.... wim and the clubs will agree a set price and a discounted price if the member is 'Premium' to the respected club., additional discount will only follow if the owner is 'premium here'. The suggested £9.99 yearly fee to enable the buy and sell is pitifully low, as Member/Trader interest grows so will the benefits of being 'Premium', in time additional arrangements with traders will become invaluable to members, this process obviously is progressive not instant. Another area to contemplate though the 'buy and sell' may be a 'swap shop'.... food for thought Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ahmet Posted June 1, 2006 Author Report Share Posted June 1, 2006 Another area to contemplate though the 'buy and sell' may be a 'swap shop'.... food for thought Hmm, strange I must have missed that when I was doing it ............ consider it done boss ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted June 1, 2006 Report Share Posted June 1, 2006 Another area to contemplate though the 'buy and sell' may be a 'swap shop'.... food for thought Hmm, strange I must have missed that when I was doing it ............ consider it done boss ! Opppps did i forget to mention this development ..... Sorry Ahmet! In typical wim format this idea opens a third dimension... 'Buy'.... 'Sell'....'Swap'.... Remember team wim, all three carry a beneficial trademark 1: If you sell you gain 2: If you buy you gain 3: If you swap you gain To enable this area wim needs to expand, both in software and Policing... As explained previously there needs to be a fee, £9.99 for the first year has been calculated to be a minimum non profit sum supporting development of your club. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janey Posted June 1, 2006 Report Share Posted June 1, 2006 £9.99 seems a very reasonable price to pay in regard to the potential savings a member could make over a year Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted July 14, 2006 Report Share Posted July 14, 2006 Another area to contemplate though the 'buy and sell' may be a 'swap shop'.... food for thought Hmm, strange I must have missed that when I was doing it ............ consider it done boss ! Opppps did i forget to mention this development ..... Sorry Ahmet! In typical wim format this idea opens a third dimension... 'Buy'.... 'Sell'....'Swap'.... Remember team wim, all three carry a beneficial trademark 1: If you sell you gain 2: If you buy you gain 3: If you swap you gain To enable this area wim needs to expand, both in software and Policing... As explained previously there needs to be a fee, £9.99 for the first year has been calculated to be a minimum non profit sum supporting development of your club. Bump Those who have not read this thread in it's entirety i suggest you do, there are some very wise thoughts. wim needs to continue to expand so that present and future members can enjoy an even better, bigger club. This adds considerable cost toward licence's, web space and indeed recompense due to the web/forum designer, free is not forever. Final thoughts please toward the opening of 'Buy and Sell' and the nominated fee of £9.99 per year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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