price display

[Guest lee.]

"She that must be obeyed "dragged me out shopping yesterday on one of my few afternoons off , anything to keep the peace , not sure about you guys , but wherever we go i am always drawn to the nearest Repair Shop to see what is going on , perhaps its the smell of the glue , or the sound of the finisher .

First visit was to a shopping precinct on the outskirts of Leicester , heard talk of someone new opening up so thought i would take a look , nice set up , but not much trade for him yet , one thing did strike me as funny though , no sign of any prices for the services offered .

Asked the man behind the counter how much for a key and he replied , then asked how much to heel some ladies shoes and he replied again , however when i asked where his price list was for the services he was offering no reply .

Next stop was Sainsburys on the outskirts of Leicester ( Fosse Park) , sign outside told me i could get a "Lifetime Gaurantee Watch Battery fitted", after filling the trolley and leaving her to pay at the checkout

i wandered over to the "T" unit instore , not much going on , , nice sign told me they could cut "ANY" key , and i could have "Free" Heels , but again with the exception of a few faded prices on dusty Zippos and watches in a nice display case NO Prices anywhere to be seen . Operative eventually asked if he could help , asked if i could see there price list , his reply was we do not have one , but i can tell you whatever you need to know .

Are we legally bound to display the prices for the services we offer , MSA site indicates that we should , and in a prominent place as well , we have a full price list up in 6" high letters in the shop , and signs with the prices of our Keys , Heels , and Soles , on the counter top, no confusion for our customers , or staff as to what we are charging .

Perhaps we should take all our lists down , and see how many unsuspecting customers we can snare with over the top prices for repairs, and "false" deals on Keys .

What do the rest of you do regarding Prices on display.

[Lee]

I used to have a price board up on the wall with all the common prices clearly displayed, as per the SoMSR code of practice but when I with drew my membership i felt the space could be better used & put up key boards in it place.

I do however have a price list leaflet for customers to take away on the counter. its nothing fancy, printed in black & white from the computer. This makes it easy to edit through out the year should it need to be. I print of about 10-20 of these a week so they are regularly picked up.

its not a case of trying to deceive customers on price so much as I have so many prices my main list is 4 x A4 3 columns long, which is far to comprehensive to get up on a limited wall space. My customers never have any confusion with prices as I quote them & give them a ticket for the work which includes the price I have quoted. I never revise this, the price quoted is the price they will pay!

 

Perhaps we should take all our lists down , and see how many unsuspecting customers we can snare with over the top prices for repairs, and "false" deals on Keys .

This is not a practice I would employ but then again I don't need to!

 

interesting article though certainly food for thought.

 

Lee

[Gray]

I always tell my customers the cost of their repairs and I stick to that price. In the last 12 months I have given them the option of paying up front. I must say the majority are happy to pay and are understanding of the current financial situation. And most say I dont blame you. Its better for me and better for them.

[Guest lee.]

I was not suggesting that forum members would employ "unfair" tactics regarding the actual prices being charged, but we hear on a regular basis from new and regular customers that they have been caught out in the past , Prime example is when they lose a Heel when out shopping somewhere and pop in to the nearest outlet to have it replaced , only to be shocked at what is being charged when the shoes are passed back to them , by which time its too late to change there mind , even heard stories of being charged extra for a "while you wait " job.

Lets face it its very unlikely you would buy something in a supermarket ,order Fish and Chips , or fill up with fuel if you did not know the price being charged, but not everyone asks at the time of leaving the job, and it seems that not everyone tells them.

I know we are not trading in the same way as retail outlets , and every job we are asked to do may be different , but surely "prices from" list should be possible .

Even with our Price list being on prominent display the first things we are asked are "how much " and "how long", along with the old faithfull " do you cut keys " ( i knew we shoud have got a bigger illuminated sign ,but 6ft x 1ft was all we could afford ! ) .

I feel sure that somewhere i have seen the legal requirements regarding pricing of both goods and services on offer , must spend some time online to see what i can find , unless someone knows where to look already.

[Gray]

I also have this on my counter

 

DUE TO REPAIRS REMAINING UNCOLLECTED

 

WE NOW REQUIRE PAYMENT

 

WHEN SHOES ARE LEFT IN FOR REPAIR

 

THANK YOU

 

 

You would not beleive the amount of customers that come in and read it and say "I dont know why people bring repairs in and don't collect them" The ones that wont pay are the ones that leave their shoes in the longest. Try it and see

[Lee]

I think this is a trading standards issue, its my understanding that only the price of goods has to be displayed. services are different & its up to the customer to get quotations in writing estimates can be inflated & if no contract is in place then you are only obliged to pay a 'reasonable' charge for the work carried out in the absence of any other agreement.

 

Its always good practice to give your customers a repair ticket with a "quoted"(quotation) price, this stops any misunderstandings!

 

Lee

[Gray]

I agrre Lee my prices are always written on the copy ticket. If they choose to pay up front i still write the price on. Its a contract.

[Guest lee.]

Thing to also add regarding my original post on this subject ( which appears to have moved from the "trade only board " to the open boards,was that whilst the large multiple was stocking a large range of Shoecare and Laces , again no items were priced , its always nice to see how others are marking up on these types of items , i know we sell ours at just above cost , now surely trading standards would have words to say on this !.

[Hugh-Candoit (ENG)]

Merchandise has to be priced in the eyes of the Trading Standards officers.....this does not mean that you have to price each and every item but a price list has to be visible within the trading area if you do not price the items.

Services are different as Lee states but it is written in the Code of Practice that customers must be informed of the cost before you undertake a repair or alteration. (those who abide by the code of Practice that is).

If a custome gets a shock when collecting a repair then you probably will not see them again and neither will the rest of the trade.