old repairs.

[Guest blank]

we have just gone thru old stock of shoes over 12 months old,

chucked away about 30 pairs,

some been here nearly 2 years.

what policy do you all have on takin in work? do you get money up front?

i dont,,, but beginning to wonder if that's a better policy, some people expect to pay, others might not and walk away.

[keithm]

I used to take half the money up front for any 'unusual' repair, like knackered welted shoes that needed re-welting, riding boots in a poor state or anything that appeared to have an element of risk. Seemed to work for me!

 

 

I think a lot of it depends on where yopu are and in what town etc. Poorer areas seem to have a greater problem if no deposits are taken in my experience.

 

Keith

['Onest Andy]

I don't tend to ask for money up front.

 

If I think there is a risk a customer may not return . I ask for a name and contact number. That way if they don't return within a reasonable amount of time firstly I will make a polite phone call or two if that doesn't work tehn I make a point of phoning at a slighly unsocoiable hour to remind them of thier uncollected repair.

 

Obviously I get caught out with a few uncollected items. Some inconsiderate buggers even drop dead before they collect.

 

I have anotice up stating that uncollected items will be disposed of after 6 months. I give what is usable to chairty shops the rest I dump.

[kobblers]

we've started to ask for the money up front a lot more recently thanks to the forum.

it's made a big difference in the amount of repairs that are usually languishing on the shelf for 6 weeks, we now have more people coming back when they're meant to.

 

we've also adopted a policy that any tatty work, small charge stitching or securing jobs or odd shoes are all to be paid in advance or we don't take the work in at all.

this is because we've found that the majority of uncollected repairs nearly all fall under those categories.

 

rick.

[keithm]

I used to take tel numbers too for exactly the same reasons as mentioned above. Makes a bigh difference at the end of year stock take when I used to find I had £300 uncollected work

 

Changed my policy and it mostly went away.

 

Here's a challenge, add up all your 1 month old uncollected work and lets see who's owed the most

 

Keith

[bristolcobbler]

just cleared out my un collected shoes about 20 pairs from 1 year put

them outside the shop for sale for 3 pound a pair sold about half of them

but its some money to replace the stock used on the repairs.i does annoy

you when people dont come back,but i do like the customer who forgot

about there shoes and come back say two or three month later its like

money you wernt expecting.

[Hugh-Candoit (ENG)]

I seem to remember some years ago that either Minit or AutoMagic (I think it was Minit) used to get visits from Area Managers who would want a very good reason why shoes were on a shelf awaiting collection, thereby forcing staff to complete the repair while the customer waited, or paid in advance. Agressive selling may work in locations where every customer is of the Passing Trade variety but customers are now highly tuned to sales pitches and avoid them like the plague.

Balancing sales with good customer relations is a finely tuned art.

 

Flogging a Stick-on-Sole by pressure selling to someone who can ill afford it ensures that they will not collect the repair or even worse, will never venture over your doorstep again.

Independents are furtunate in that they only have the customer and the bank manager to satisfy. Multiple managers run their shops according to the whims and pressures from Area Managers and the like, try to stamp your own mark on the shop and whoe betide you if your sales targets are not met.

 

It would be nice to hear the Multiples side occasionally, perhaps no one has the guts to stand up and be counted! (or shot down).

[Guest k@lsb]

used to have this problem but have not for over a year, we phone every customer that has not collected shoes evey monday pm ,without fail every monday , always gets them back...., we mark the tickets with black dots on the ones that have been phoned on our list 1 dot for 1 week 2 for 2 weeks of phoneing , never had any left for over 1 month, and if there was id flog them on ebay .............

[hibsjo(SCO)]

Ive got repairs sitting from 3months ago that I still havent repaired yet whats the rush

While you wait your having a laff

while you die more like it

[Hugh-Candoit (ENG)]

Ive got repairs sitting from 3months ago that I still havent repaired yet whats the rush

While you wait your having a laff

while you die more like it

 

I gather that the snow drifts are still causing problems Hibs,still cant get into work to clear last years backlog

[ironplanet uk900]

We ask for payment up front for all repairs. They always call back for them. Customers don't seem to mind paying. If they do then they are normally the ones who don't collect.

[keysmith]

We had this problem, and after long deliberation decided to offer a 10% discount if the customer paid up front, this worked, all our shoes get collected now (except of course the ones who never took us up on the offer , these are the minority - and they never return) another policy we have taken on, we ALWAYS get the phone number of the customer, and give them a courtesy call reminding them that the repairs are ready to be collected, again this seems to work, this is also great when "as they often do", lose the ticket.