Drop in quality of Verticals

[russell]

the wood cords are being changed for better ones but as for the slats valence etc mmmmm
hello etna

[nonails]

Fitted a job today, or tried to with 14 verticals, some over 235 long in 87mm verticals.

WHY oh WHY cannot the factory number blinds correctly.

I spent trying to match blinds and rails to the invoice and found that whoever did the invoice just sticks any old blind against it--totally the opposite to the number on the blind.

No 14 marked on the goods was no 3 on the onvoice
No 2 was no 8

No 1 was no 13
No 6 was no 7!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Do they do this on purpose???


Nonails

[inkjet]

Customers often remark when looking at the Samples that they are very thin.

[knight]

Is there anyone who really knows anything that may be let us know what is going on .
I have read these pages for a result from the meeting
but all i read is we must trust in Hillarys they will let us know more later .
Now I read they advertiseing for new advisiors and have extended the 3for £99 offers for a further 2weeks .
And long term agents that are now leaveing .
What I have read (between the lines )was everyone was very taken with these top people at the way thay listerned intently to what they had to say .And how well they were greeted at the meeting .Everyone got on very very well.
You tell us to stop hiding now its safe to come out .
perhaps theres been a lot said for nothing
because they now know our weak points and fears for the job and can play us there way .

There quailty is slowly going in every area. There place in the upper market is begining to be disbelived by the customer.

But still they have an agenda for growth in 2006 and made more blinds then ever !!!!!

3 for £99 in real terms they should have only had to make a thrid of these .
I am sure most of us are not fools and relise they are trying to kill off the trade to the small blind trader .
But in doing so they are changeing the way the customer values a blind £33 each they think what am haveing to pay more for .
the advertising getting more miss leading every week
and its to much in there face .Makeing us do 8 leads a day with 3 being a Hillarys customer the others should go to there local D I Y store and fit it there selfs.
Hillarys want to change and we have to survive the change or leave .
Work for no pay if we have to.
accept SAM even if its not ready for the task they want it to do .
NO legal contracts we dont really know anything we started as agents , sole traders .Now its pointed out we are advisors theres a job change there .
But no paper work to show what the difference is in the meaning and job discription .
PERHAPS THOSE WHO SAID IN THE BEGINING ON THIS FORUM WE HAVE POWER AS GROUP .Theres many very good fitters and sales people in this group could you not find one who may be perpared to invest in the rest of us.
some seem to have other business's what about a spin off for all of us who are good at this job and want to do well or could we not all do it ourselfves .
this forum shows we have the know how and the people .
Sitting back and waiting without thinking about what next . Lifes to short.









Could someon ans why we need to hide

[Augustus]

I don't think anyone 'needs' to hide, but some prefer to stay behind their usernames.

That's a choice everyone makes.

I make no condition for people to expose themselves.


The forum works just fine as it is.


As for most of your post, I think HQ has made a big step in holding these meetings.

How much of a factor this forum was in forcing their hands is anyones guess.

But the truth of it is, some of the upper management didn't even know of some problems we were having.

No wool was pulled over our eyes and you can beleive that.

Things are changing, and for the better.

I don't want to go into every point you make ( some very valid )

Re- SAM.

I think they had made a large investment in this technology and in order to get some of that back they did need to get it out there.

In the beginning only 5 advisors were testing it in everyday life , finding bugs, pointing out limitations and suggesting improvements etc.

This led to 50 more advisors using it in Nov 94, I was one of those. It still had some bugs but only through use can these things be found.

Software upgrades are consistant ( we have one in a few weeks ) and all of our suggestions make it into a list of what can be done or is cost effective enough to demand the funding of re-programming.

SAM is a cost to our business no doubt about it, but we also have a business that requires little else investment.

Compare it to a blinds franchise.

Anyway, enough about SAM. They 'sold' it to us in the wrong way that's all.

P.

[JoY]

We will have a new vertical presenter to use in March, which is being given to us at our next meetings I believe. Hopefully it will update the rather tired one we have now, but at the same time not introduce any nasty cheaper "thin" samples.

As to the 50mm woodens... I have now taken them out of my samples after comments made on here and the memo about customers not being able to choose the control sides anymore, headrails not available, price increase, etc....

I will just get them out if actually asked for a bigger slat than I show them...

3 for £99 extended? You can't help but wonder if they are listening to us..

[RED]

Hi Knight
You asked!

Could someone ans why we need to hide

I think the simple answer to this is we don't know.
Some people think very strongly about the way Hillary's are going and in the way advisor's are treated these days and put this feeling in to words on this forum very strongly indeed. This may be one reason for staying hidden, to avoid reprisals.
Others, like myself, although feel strongly about the future of the advisor's role tend to put things, hopefully in a more constructive way.
I myself am not that hidden as most people know I am adviser Stonehills, but still have my say on here and have no reason to hide as my views are not generally bad.
Yes, I have had some big let downs with Hillary's of monumental proportions, which has affected my way of life and my family, but at the end of the day I have the same choice that every adviser has, stay and help to build it better or walk.
For now, I would prefer to stay and help to build it better.
But reading the posts not all advisor's are as positive as I am, and understandably so.
The future is only tomorrow and on wards. Lets give it a whirl and see where it takes us and nobody should be under pressure to "COME OUT". God, thats sounds so very Gay.
Red

[Augustus]

Owl, all those points were picked up at the Leeds meeting.

Don't forget we had the head of communications there ( sat next to me !!! ) .

I had a quick conflab with her to one side and tried to put across an issue with customers getting the same advisor ( important in some areas with more than one advisor ) .

I suggested that the call centre be told to offer the available dates for the last guy( or girl ! ) there. If the customer says it's too long to wait then offer another advisor - not just the first person available.

I know HQ want us in asap to keep the lead hot, but if you have built up a customer relationshop then they will still buy from you even if they waited.

At present alot of information is not available to the call centre operatives when they take a lead because the systems are different to service support etc.

They are working on improving this.

I can't say that mistakes will never happen again ( had a wrong appointment date on sat myself ! ) but if we can reduce them , then it's a step in the right direction.


Thinking back, if we can make progress in all areas discussed then it will be a big step forward.

Don't expect too much, and don't expect it overnight.

But, if things get better then we will all be happier ?

P.

[greenpesto]

I have noticed an improvement in Verticals over the past 2 weeks!!!!

I am still receiving the Delta 6 model at the moment but I would point out that although smoother, I would not accept them for myself.
Customers however, don't always know any better!

What surprises me still, is that they are continually turning up with short bottom chains & at least one bottom weight missing on every order.
The spacer tubes are either missing, too short or too long.
Brown Headrail orders appear to have the side controls shorter than you would get from a white h/rail order.
Fabrics frequently have 'dust' or 'fur balls' stuck to them.

Is it really necessary to use an entire roll of sticky tape to hold the rails together for packaging??

So, YES!!!!! .... an improvement, ..... but still a way to go yet!!!