|
Thread Number: 38081
/ Tag: Other Home Products or Autos
Working in a vacuum sales and service store. |
[Down to Last] |  |
| Post# 405742 , Reply# 1 2/20/2019 at 23:18 (1,884 days old) by kenkart () | ||
|
I worked in a vac store In Boone NC in 83 and 84, We sold new Panasonic, Turbotronic, Air Way Sanitizor, and Princess.Along with Sani Cleans. | ||
Post# 405750 , Reply# 2 2/21/2019 at 07:21 (1,884 days old) by vacuumlad1650  (Wauponsee, IL) |
||
Spent the better part of a year in a Store. Not a shop, mind you. The owner wouldnt let me do quality repairs, just clean machines and sell them.
I have been doing sales, service, parts, and full restorations out of my basement for about 11 years this summer. I am mainly self taught, but plenty of more experienced folks helped me along the way. | ||
| Post# 405774 , Reply# 3 2/21/2019 at 21:51 (1,883 days old) by MadMan (Chicago, IL, USA) | ||
I don't *know* but I'd imagine it's a hard business to keep viable in current year. I mean you can literally buy anything you want on ebay or amazon. You'd have to sell products at internet prices while paying brick-n-mortar store overheads. Not to say it's impossible.
If I had to guess, I'd say you could make it viable by branching out to do repair on lots of small appliances, sewing machines are a common thing for vac shops to do. Imagine adding repairs for other high priced (not disposable) appliances like fancy coffee makers and such. That, and specializing in selling *used* high price vacs, would probably also help. It's not exactly easy to buy a used high price vac, for most people, so I'd imagine a shop with a decent stock of refurbished units would do well. In a nice neighborhood. Cuz people without money aren't going to buy $500 vacuum cleaners. | ||
| Post# 405803 , Reply# 4 2/22/2019 at 11:52 (1,883 days old) by dysonman1 (the county) | ||
I owned my own vacuum store for almost a quarter of a century before selling it to one of my best friends (while I made a huge mistake). If I could go back in time ten years, I would have NEVER sold it. Hindsight is 20/20.
Not only does the average person not know how to fix a vacuum, most don't even care what was wrong with it. They just want it to work. The average person might be able to order a new cord on-line but they won't know where the hidden screws are to open the thing up, they won't have crimp nuts for the new cord, and won't have the correct tools. That's why vac shops can stay in business today. People still buy Kirby, Rainbow, Aerus, Filter Queen, etc. All need repairs and parts since they were so expensive. Sure, people don't fix Bissells, but they do fix Dysons. A smart person who is good with his hands, and a fast thinker as well, can make a success out of a vac shop today. I'm going to give it another go here soon. Why make the money for someone else, working for them, when you can have all the money for yourself? | ||
| Post# 405845 , Reply# 5 2/22/2019 at 23:39 (1,882 days old) by MadMan (Chicago, IL, USA) | ||
|
| ||
| Post# 405860 , Reply# 6 2/23/2019 at 09:27 (1,882 days old) by Oreck_XL (Brooklyn, New York 11211) | ||
The obstacle today as Madman already pointed out, is that a lot of vacuums are now bought through Amazon, and since its popularity grew I've noticed an upswing in the amount of warranty repairs on machines purchased through Amazon. I had a customer with a Miele whom she bought through Amazon and she flat out told me "I would rather buy a vacuum through a finger swipe than come to a place like you." So of course I mused "what the hell are you doing here now?" And she replied "well you're a warranty station, right?" I think of that movie "Clerks" - just because we serve you, doesn't mean we like you....
| ||
| Post# 405903 , Reply# 8 2/23/2019 at 22:54 (1,881 days old) by MadMan (Chicago, IL, USA) | ||
|
| ||
| Post# 405907 , Reply# 9 2/24/2019 at 00:23 (1,881 days old) by Electroluxxxx (……) | ||
|
@madman Depends on what's being replaced and also weather or not it was considered customer abuse. | ||
| Post# 405913 , Reply# 10 2/24/2019 at 06:53 (1,881 days old) by Oreck_XL (Brooklyn, New York 11211) | ||
|
It also depends on the company. We're obligated by license agreement to replace parts under warranty through Miele REGARDLESS of where the vacuum was purchased IF the manufacturing date code is within the warranty period which unfortunately it was. She would've been just the type of nebbish to contact Miele customer service and report our dealership if I didn't help her out. Even if we get reimbursed for processing the warranty claim Amazon got the bulk majority of the profit in the sale. All we get are crumbs from the feast....
| ||
| Post# 405935 , Reply# 11 2/24/2019 at 17:32 (1,880 days old) by kirbylux77 (London, Ontario, Canada) | ||
Hershel
You have a point, but your complaint should be with the manufacturer, Miele, & their policies you agreed to in the contract your company entered with them. You can't blame a consumer for purchasing a product, the manufacturer & retailer makes their profit, the consumer uses the product & it breaks because of manufacturing defects or poor quality, & all the customer wants is their product fixed under the warranty they entered into with the manufacturer. You have a legal obligation you entered into under that contractual agreement with the manufacturer - You are, essentially, the manufacturer's local representative, & as such you are responsible for enforcing their policies & honoring their warranties EXACTLY AS WRITTEN, & being compensated for work performed as you contractually agreed to. You have ZERO excuse to discriminate against a consumer merely because they chose to purchase their product elsewhere & not make your company a profit. Miele isn't the only company with these policies - Dyson's warranty policies are nearly identical - and if you didn't like those policies, there are other vacuum brands your company could have chosen to carry. This is one reason why certain manufacturers like Shark won't even bother dealing with vacuum shops to sell their product or provide warranty work & choose instead to deal with national retailers & do warranty work themselves, they know they can sell more product, do warranty work more cost efficiently & provide more satisfactory customer service with fewer complaints.
Mike - The only reason you are able to use the excuse to not warranty a vacuum sold online is because the manufacturer you represent is known to only sell their product thru in-home demonstations, & therefore you know the consumer is not the original owner & not entitled to the manufacturer's warranty. If the manufacturer's warranty to the original consumer states the warranty is transferable to the next owner, or the manufacturer sells their product by any other method, the question of whether a product was bought used becomes invalid. The only excuse you have at that point to not honor a manufacturer's warranty is if you suspect product abuse caused the machine to break down & not manufacturer's defects. The story of the experience you relate with that customer is yet another example of a company discriminating against a customer & refusing to provide warranty service merely because the customer made your competitor a profit & using policy to justify their discriminatory behaviour. Don't be surprised when that customer buys their next vacuum from your competitor based on the quality of service you provided & warns friends & family not to deal with your company based on their experience. If vacuum shops are going to survive & exist in the future, they MUST reform their business practices. Consumers are getting sick & tired of vacuum shops that try to screw them over on repairs by overcharging or claiming that parts are unavailable only because they're being greedy & want to sell a new machine that makes them more profit. They are also growing weary of overpriced vacuums that are no better at cleaning performance than much cheaper brands, & very little improvement in quality - especially for the difference in selling price. This is the very reason why Shark is successful in today's marketplace - consumers get a vacuum that cleans well, & they deal directly with the manufacturer with much less headaches & hassle a local vacuum shop would put them thru. Rob | ||
| Post# 405965 , Reply# 12 2/24/2019 at 22:41 (1,880 days old) by MadMan (Chicago, IL, USA) | ||
|
Rob, have you never worked in retail? I mean, you're not wrong. Not in the least. But I'm gonna sympathize with the guys running the shops, even if they discriminate against customers, or to try and turn a profit in these incredibly competitive times. Because I know from experience that customers can be really terrible people.
And I don't think service industry workers should be ashamed to talk about their situations with customers who did 'X,' because it'll let more people know that they shouldn't do 'X.' | ||
| Post# 405972 , Reply# 13 2/25/2019 at 01:10 (1,880 days old) by kirbylux77 (London, Ontario, Canada) | ||
|
MadMan
Yes, I have actually worked retail at a couple different times in my life.
Most consumers are good people, & have reasonable expectations. They expect to be treated fairly, honestly, & given good unbiased advice & customer service on products & services that best suit their needs. Very few people go into a business intending to be terrible, & those consumers with unrealistic expectations need to be dealt with properly. The issue is how ethically & fair consumers are treated these days, that's what I have a problem with. There are clear-cut RIGHT & WRONG ways to do business. What arises in many companies is greedy shop owners, trying to make a living, start thinking only about what suits THEIR needs, not what is best for the customer's needs, & how to increase their profit margins. The vacuum repair industry has the reputation of being full of scam artists for good reason. They will try to deceive & scam customers by misrepresenting the products they sell, or not honoring warranties & charge customers for repair work that should have been covered & make lame excuses. Or, they will oversell repairs that aren't needed. The foundation of any successful company is good customer service. If you expect a customer to buy a product or service from your company, you need to offer good customer service. There is ZERO excuse for discriminating against a customer just because they chose to make their competitor profit from the product they bought if they require warranty service down the road. A consumer requiring warranty service for a product bought from a competitor needs to be demonstrated excellent customer service & the company must comply with a manufacturer's policies if they expect a satisfied customer that is willing to return to conduct more business in the future. Trust & good customer service is what satisfies a customer & makes them want to return. When a new customer to that company comes in seeking a new product or service for their home, that company needs to demonstrate value & trust in the product or service they sell to a consumer - the way to do that is thru treating them fairly & providing excellent customer service. That instills confidence in a consumer's mind, & demonstrates to them they are worthy of conducting business with them. Treat them right the first time, & they will reward that company with repeat business. Consumers have far more choices now than ever before, thanks to the Internet & online retailers, & if you treat them poorly, don't be surprised when they turn to your competition, whether local or a online retailer, & more importantly advise their friends about the experience & warn them to avoid that company. Many companies have been destroyed by one too many bad customer experiences, & the consumer spreads that experience by word of mouth. As far as service industry workers sharing experiences about bad customer experiences so their counterparts learn how to properly deal with customers, I totally agree with that. HOWEVER, if they are really sharing their experiences & teaching their counterparts on how to discriminate against or scam their customers, that I have a problem with. Consumers will go back & educate their friends & family after a bad experience about who NOT to deal with, & what to do when put in a identical situation. It's going to get to be a very interesting war between consumers & companies trying to make a profit in the years ahead, the online retailers are forcing change many companies aren't going to like & equal the playing field between consumers looking for fair, honest service & companies that feel the need to deceive & scam to make their living. Those companies that pull those tactics will quickly find themselves OUT of business. Rob | ||
| Post# 405996 , Reply# 15 2/25/2019 at 18:33 (1,879 days old) by kirbylux77 (London, Ontario, Canada) | ||
|
This post has been removed by the webmaster. | ||
| Post# 405997 , Reply# 16 2/25/2019 at 21:14 (1,879 days old) by MadMan (Chicago, IL, USA) | ||
|
| ||
|
Post# 406005 , Reply# 18 2/25/2019 at 23:02 (1,879 days old) by Unimatic1140 (Minneapolis) |
||
 | ||
| Post# 406338 , Reply# 20 3/5/2019 at 20:45 (1,871 days old) by huskyvacs (Gnaw Bone, Indiana) | ||
I live in a city of 100,000 and mom and pop vacuum shops are still going strong here (even have a lamp repair shop that's doing well too). Some owners have generations invested in their stores. They are all about 30-40 years outdated in style and cluttered with vacuums parked everywhere, and that's how you know they're good. The one I used to take my Kirby to always asked the customer if they wanted to repair with used parts or brand new, and gave the cost difference to each while still offering warranty on their service. And the shop I went to as a kid you could go in there and either buy a brand new Miele or Sebo or buy a 50 year old refurbished Electrolux, or some Hoover from the 90s. They had something in there for everyone, no matter who that happened to be, it was also kind of a little bit like a museum too.
I think the key is you have to have someone that's a good talker and suave man to run the sales and handle the front desk, and then have someone that is a mechanical wizard running the back-end, and it will be easy as pie. And yes like anything, customers can be jerks, just know how to downplay and control them while maintaining courtesy and a lot of times they will see they cannot beat you and just leave. | ||
| Post# 407583 , Reply# 21 4/4/2019 at 06:13 (1,842 days old) by Scvacuumguy (SC) | ||
If you do it right, it can be a highly sustainable business. The outdated store model from years ago isn’t sustainable or what people are looking for today. Junking up a store with used vacuums is the biggest mistake I see. In terms of repairs, both of my locations repair lamps, sewing machines, model trains, lithium batteries, small appliances, and vacuums. We carry a number of new lines and have them tastefully displayed in a beautiful setting. When you enter the stores, customers do not get a feel of “dirty old repair shop.”
We carry a great selection of cleaning related products, bags are hidden in the back because displaying a bunch of vacuum bags in the front takes up valuable real estate and clutters the store. We carry commercial scrubbers and extractors along with central vacuum cleaners. In order to open a store today, you would be ridiculous to rely on sales of used and refurbished machines. If parts are NLA or the machine is 10+ years old, it’s likely that the landscape in the house has changed and we always give an estimate and then show a machine. Our primary line is Sebo (they have been kindest to the dealer in regards to price protected machines). Opening a store that will be successful today is far different from expecting to make any money by owning a tool set and knowing how to “fix things” like it was in the 70’s and 80’s. I won’t get into specifics of advertising successfully and how to get your name and message out there- that has changed entirely from the 80’s and 90’s. I’ve managed to have two very successful stores (most recent 3000sqft store opened last year). We have 9 employees, 4 of them full time who do this for a living in order to feed their families. Our full timers make anywhere from $42k-$54k per year plus bonuses based on store performance, so it is a highly viable retail job. It’s far more work than it used to be, now, you must remain relevant in addition to moving products. | ||
| Post# 407584 , Reply# 22 4/4/2019 at 06:18 (1,842 days old) by Scvacuumguy (SC) | ||
|
| ||
|
Post# 407591 , Reply# 23 4/4/2019 at 10:31 (1,842 days old) by gottahaveahoove (Pittston, Pennsylvania, 18640) |
||
I must say............. | ||
| Post# 407606 , Reply# 24 4/4/2019 at 14:35 (1,841 days old) by luxflairguy (Wilmington, NC) | ||
|
Come to Wilmington! Both vac stores in town are sad sacks and so is the rude Aerus dude! We need you! Vacs fly out of the big box stores because there's NO ONE here to sell or service anything! | ||
| Post# 407635 , Reply# 26 4/4/2019 at 22:30 (1,841 days old) by MadMan (Chicago, IL, USA) | ||
|
Man, that ain't no vacuum shop, it's a vacuum boutique!
For serious though, that seems like a great business model and I'm glad it's worked out. But in my humble opinion, I still think selling used machines could work, though perhaps not as the main revenue source. It also really depends on the area, clientele, and the types of used machines you're selling. Used high-end machines, tastefully displayed, could work just fine. Yeah, having a bunch of crap ass Dirt Devils and Sharks lined up with discount stickers on them would look pretty crappy, for sure. | ||
| Post# 411291 , Reply# 29 7/8/2019 at 15:13 (1,746 days old) by dysonman1 (the county) | ||
|
I opened my own vacuum shop 9 weeks ago. I was so worried at first, "will we make enough money to survive"? I was coming from a job with a weekly paycheck - so the uncertainty was almost overwhelming.
I have far more business now than I ever expected. Joining the chamber of commerce was one of the best moves I made. I've been selling the hell out of commercial vacuums to other business owners that I've met at chamber meetings. They don't buy wally mart vacuums for their businesses. So commercial vacuum sales have been through the roof. The Perfect 8 pound upright is my "go to" along with Perfect "sanitaire" models for commercial sales. Nationwide Sale and Service out of New York has been a GREAT supplier. The Perfect line of commercial vacuums are outstanding quality. I love their HEPA vacuum bags - why would anyone buy genuine bags? Their HEPA cloth bags for the Tri-Star/Compact are such a huge improvement over the genuine paper style (just one example). Steel City is also a fantastic supplier. I placed my initial order with them for over $4000 worth of inventory - and I've reordered inventory (not on that scale) once a week at least. Great people to talk to. ESSCO is most vac shop's "go to" supplier. They are good, and have a fantastic website. Plus they carry Dyson parts, Kenmore parts, and carry new Oreck and Hoover machines as well as the usual assortment. I would not recommend Tacony as a supplier. I can tell horror stories all day long. I sell new Aerus Electrolux cleaners and love selling them. I feel like an old fashioned Electrolux salesman, without having to go door to door. When a local baptist church wanted a new canister, but with a very long hose so the machine could sit in the aisle while the power nozzle went down the pew, Aerus came through for me with a 12 foot hose and we made the sale. If you love vacuum cleaners, are honest, and talk like a professional as well as a true expert, people just throw money at you. I never expected after just two months in business, to be able to repay my savings account for our start up costs. I thought that was at least a year away. The way its going, my entire start up cost will have been repayed to my savings account by the end of this month. Good luck. Charge what you would pay if you had to take the money out of your wallet (an honest price), and sell what you like to fix. You'll be successful in no time. | ||
| Post# 411323 , Reply# 31 7/9/2019 at 09:44 (1,746 days old) by Dysonman1 (the county) | ||
|
Tacony makes some good models like the Vibrance and Symmetry. The Ultra Lites are good, but, the Perfect Ultra Lites are I n my opinion a more sturdy built machine. And they cost less. The tandem air models are a complete bitch to have to fix. There are 1 million screws. You have to put it back together again completely in order to test it, and if the part you thought was bad was not the part that’s actually bad, you have to take the entire thing back completely apart. Circuit board failure is rampant. I do not, and would not, sell the tandem air. I have repaired so many of them, and I have cussed them every single time. The new leadership at the company is terrible. They have also raised their prices considerably. There are better suppliers with competitive products at better prices. After years of working on those horrible tandem machines, I have decided to only sell vacuum cleaners that I enjoy repairing.
| ||
| Forum Index: | 
| Other Forums: |
|
|
|
|
|
Comes to the Rescue!
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}