when did gardiner stop free delivery?

[Robt100]

I’m sure plenty of you moaning have changed a customer to 6 weekly from 4 weekly because of demand, your profit will have increased in doing so. Never mind putting prices up every year etc as we all no doubt do, dropping customers if they are inconvenient such as a van stop for one house.. do you ever get the odd customer who thinks it’s shocking that you don’t want their custom? Thinking the world revolves around them..

Reading through the comments did remind me of some of the remarks I've had from customers who have cancelled because I've taken over a round and caught up with the 20years of inflation the previous cleaner never added to their price.... As far as I can tell Alex  is doing exactly what we tell every new starter and anyone looking to increase their customer base - Charge more, work less, the quality of your work will do the rest. Because thats the reason you run your own business, to make life stress free and simple.

Can hardly get disgruntled at one of our suppliers from taking on our advice?

 

[Master Jedi Alejandro]

I’m sure plenty of you moaning have changed a customer to 6 weekly from 4 weekly because of demand, your profit will have increased in doing so. Never mind putting prices up every year etc as we all no doubt do, dropping customers if they are inconvenient such as a van stop for one house.. do you ever get the odd customer who thinks it’s shocking that you don’t want their custom? Thinking the world revolves around them..

Gardiner are actually being a lot more ethical than companies still offering free shipping, they only offer free shipping to get more money out of you, and you buy things you otherwise wouldn’t have, now when shopping at gardiner you will only buy what you need. Do you honestly think other companies care about you as an individual because they offer free shipping? Completely missing the point of Alex’s post and just like I’m not going to lose sleep on the 1 percent of customers who cancel when I increase their price, gardiner won’t lose sleep over anyone desperate to shop elsewhere for “free shipping” which in most cases will just mean prices of individual items are higher or you’ll buy random stuff you don’t need ?

I for one will continue to order what I need from Gardiner because their products and customer service is brilliant 

This right here! There is no such thing as 'free shipping' we're just use to paying for it in marked up prices!

 

[scottish cleaning service]

This right here! There is no such thing as 'free shipping' we're just use to paying for it in marked up prices!

I get it free with Prime but it's £8 a month which will be going up to a tenner very soon.

 

[NewGuy]

I’m sure plenty of you moaning have changed a customer to 6 weekly from 4 weekly because of demand, your profit will have increased in doing so. Never mind putting prices up every year etc as we all no doubt do, dropping customers if they are inconvenient such as a van stop for one house.. do you ever get the odd customer who thinks it’s shocking that you don’t want their custom? Thinking the world revolves around them..

Gardiner are actually being a lot more ethical than companies still offering free shipping, they only offer free shipping to get more money out of you, and you buy things you otherwise wouldn’t have, now when shopping at gardiner you will only buy what you need. Do you honestly think other companies care about you as an individual because they offer free shipping? Completely missing the point of Alex’s post and just like I’m not going to lose sleep on the 1 percent of customers who cancel when I increase their price, gardiner won’t lose sleep over anyone desperate to shop elsewhere for “free shipping” which in most cases will just mean prices of individual items are higher or you’ll buy random stuff you don’t need ?

I for one will continue to order what I need from Gardiner because their products and customer service is brilliant 

Poor analogy regarding changing customers from 4 to 6 weekly because it's actually saving the customers money over the course of the year. 

I don't have actually problem with shipping fees or paying extra at all. I completely understand this. 

I just don't think the post from Alex was pitched appropriately, but I appreciate their stance about extra costs and finding the correct work/life balance. 

I read it and questioned whether they want my custom or not. But I will continue to order my stuff from them because they are very good. 

 

[Master Jedi Alejandro]

I get it free with Prime but it's £8 a month which will be going up to a tenner very soon.

Yeah so its not free, you're just paying a flat rate for delivery. Plus, Amazon are often not the cheapest, but they are the easiest to deal with, with prime next day delivery (or same day in major cities), one click buying options, folk just default to them. But shop around and you will often find it cheaper. On top of that, its majority of small items they sale, which get thrown in a brown box and into the back of some poor lads car!

 

[Damo]

I personally think its a good thing and has certainly stopped me ordering the odd brush and a few bits just to get free postage. 

I'm not entirely convinced it will slow demand/sales as to "maximise" on the postage I paid out i ordered 20 brushes in the order yesterday. 

I think the postage is less than £10 for FedEx delivery and I've never had an issue, but what I would like to see is a change of courier! I would love it to be DPD only because of the 1hr window is fantastic. 

I totally get the "Some customers we don't want mentality" as I bet these are the customers who ordered once or twice a year and the slightest issue, will come straight onto the forums and bash GPS.

We're moving towards a higher minimum charge as we don't want the £8 two front window only customers. 

 

[danzlfc]

Poor analogy regarding changing customers from 4 to 6 weekly because it's actually saving the customers money over the course of the year. 

I don't have actually problem with shipping fees or paying extra at all. I completely understand this. 

I just don't think the post from Alex was pitched appropriately, but I appreciate their stance about extra costs and finding the correct work/life balance. 

I read it and questioned whether they want my custom or not. But I will continue to order my stuff from them because they are very good. 

They might save some money over the year but they get the service less often, it’s for our own benefit that we would change them to 6 weekly - and quite frankly Ive added stuff to my basket when shopping online just to get free delivery many times, so it probably will save me a bit of money here and there because I will just purchase what i need, it’s made me re think how I order which I’m glad about, other companies will put prices up and offer “free delivery” and so it’s a double whammy, people will spend more for the products and spend more on stuff they don’t need.. anyway, I’m not going to carry on explaining analogies etc I just thought it was daft that there was such strong complaints over a supplier doing very similar things to what many of us do ?

 

[NewGuy]

I just thought it was daft that there was such strong complaints over a supplier doing very similar things to what many of us do ?

I don't think anyone here is actually complaining about the measures Gardiner's are undertaking to reduce their overheads though.  It makes good business sense.  I for one am happy to pay for a premium service and products.

 

[Chris34]

What everyone should be worried about is the reasoning behind it... inflation.  I said it in January is anyone going to react to potential inflation and was shot down for suggesting it.  The stock markets crashed today through fears of inflation and now I hear a very truthful picture of the rising costs Gardiners are facing.

Everybody needs to stop worrying about paying for postage and start focusing on their own pricing, inflation could be a real problem lurking.

 

[NewGuy]

The stock markets crashed today through fears of inflation

A little bit of hyperbole there fella.  There were no "crashes", just a little fall!

 

[Chris34]

A little bit of hyperbole there fella.  There were no "crashes", just a little fall!

Ignore it at your peril, all the warning signs are there, don't say nobody told you and you didn't see it coming.

 

[NewGuy]

Ignore it at your peril, all the warning signs are there, don't say nobody told you and you didn't see it coming.

Now I didn't say that did i?  I just said there were no crashes today. I'm fully au fait with the situation with the economy and agree with your sentiments ?

We are facing a worst outlook than the post war years due to the unprecedented debts the country is carrying...now I'm the one full of hyperbole ?

 

[chris clean]

Firstly Alex thanks for taking the time to reply. 

Whilst your reply was eloquent and concise, the after taste left after digesting your long and precise reasoning was that you have been very busy, shipping costs globally have gone up due to the pandemic, we are too busy, we don't want new customers that much, we will increase end cost to counteract people wanting to buy our product and we don't want to sell as many products... Your business and quite rightly you should run it your way but I've gotta be honest I'm very disappointed in the undertone of the answer. 

But all that said I appreciate you getting back to me when tagged and as you quite rightly put it "there is plenty of choice in the market today and many other pole suppliers who can be bought from." 

Obviously I haven't been a customer of gardiner for a while, and by the looks of the reply I'd better find a supplier who wants to sell to me and would welcome my custom ????

Whilst it's never a great feeling when prices of anything go up theres 2 points you need to remember.....

1, everything has gone up due to the massive rise in shipping and raw material prices globally. Some have added this price in postage some have simply lumped it on the the price of products. Ie if Alex had put 10 quid on your pole price I expect you would have still bought it with free postage! 

2, this ones the most important to remember.. that we are very fortunate to ge in a business where if its run well  we can turn up clean a few windows on a little bungalow and 10 mins later be onto the next one having earned £10. The pole that costs you £720 or now £730 with postage should have paid for itself in a few days or a week at most depending on her much you work then for years after is pure profit! The cost of buying the pole is also take off your tax as a biz expense. 

So thats why perhaps with all going on in the world with people dying left right and centre, masses of people I know loosing there jobs or being put on reduced hours, I am very happy to be in a thriving hugely profitable business where I wont get hung up over 10 quid to post something that makes us massive profits within days!!! 

 

[chris clean]

Posted 2 hours ago

  This bit from Alex is shocking.

I do Hope he doesn't end up regretting it.  

Put bluntly we wanted to ‘lose’ some of our customers and their orders and for those who object to this small price rise strongly enough this will hopefully have such an effect and they will shop elsewhere – fortunately, there is plenty of choice in the market today and many other pole suppliers who can be bought from. 

Have you never had a pain in the behind customer that only wants you if its gonna be dry for the next month or always leaves the gate locked or when you did initial quote you well underpriced it so always hate that job so you bump up the price with the aim of getting rid of them or making it worth your while. I know I have, very often and I also fully admit to going to do quotes and when the person doesnt fit in with the type of customer I want be it location, the access to the house or just there attitude then I price the quote very high in the hope they will say no! I'm sure many do cos when I started out on this forum was where I learnt that tactic of doing it ?

I suppose if some of my customers came on here and read that they would say the same as some are saying about @Alex Gardiner that he is putting up prices to get rid of customers. Well of course I am and of course Alex is that's business! And I bet every business everywhere does it in one way or another. I know builder mates of mine will quote double the price of an extension cos they dont want the work for whatever reason

 

[Oli]

More importantly will we still be getting a free pen or carabiner with our orders?!

 

[Iron Giant]

I know builder mates of mine will quote double the price of an extension cos they don't want the work for whatever reason

I think some try it on as well maybe, had lad out a few weeks ago to quote pointing the gable end of our house, just two lads he wanted 2.5k, asked a big firm with 100's of lads on their books they were £1,100 so either he didn't want the job or he was trying to rip me off ?

I just think be honest, if you do want a job just say so, I won't even bother quoting a job if I don't want it for whatever reason why would I waste my time going out to quote. 

 

[chris clean]

I think some try it on as well maybe, had lad out a few weeks ago to quote pointing the gable end of our house, just two lads he wanted 2.5k, asked a big firm with 100's of lads on their books they were £1,100 so either he didn't want the job or he was trying to rip me off ?

I just think be honest, if you do want a job just say so, I won't even bother quoting a job if I don't want it for whatever reason why would I waste my time going out to quote. 

Without doubt I'm sure there are plenty of rip off merchants out there! What I'm meaning though is not particularly wanting to do a job that's out your way or in the builders case say 30-45 mins away but equally if your being paid silly money for it you will make an exception! I do it with gutter jobs all the time. I want to stay in my town as much as possible of course but if someone from a nearby town asks for guttering I will add on 30 or 40 quid to my normal price. Totally understand when most say no but the ones that say yes it's well worth the drive over for doing it

 

[Iron Giant]

Without doubt I'm sure there are plenty of rip off merchants out there! What I'm meaning though is not particularly wanting to do a job that's out your way or in the builders case say 30-45 mins away but equally if your being paid silly money for it you will make an exception! I do it with gutter jobs all the time. I want to stay in my town as much as possible of course but if someone from a nearby town asks for guttering I will add on 30 or 40 quid to my normal price. Totally understand when most say no but the ones that say yes it's well worth the drive over for doing it

I meant to say the bigger firm were £1,100 cheaper so £1,400 with vat that was without the scaffolding and they are about 24 miles from us the the other lad lives about 2 mile away and his scaffolding mate wanted more than the bigger firm as well, 

I got recommended a lad along the road from us and his price was close to the bigger firm, brickwork pointing up here is £35 a sqm a worked out the young buck wanted £50 a sqm and people on FB were saying he his prices were reasonable ?

 

[chris clean]

I meant to say the bigger firm were £1,100 cheaper so £1,400 with vat that was without the scaffolding and they are about 24 miles from us the the other lad lives about 2 mile away and his scaffolding mate wanted more than the bigger firm as well, 

I got recommended a lad along the road from us and his price was close to the bigger firm, brickwork pointing up here is £35 a sqm a worked out the young buck wanted £50 a sqm and people on FB were saying he his prices were reasonable ?

Wow £50 per sqm! I see what you mean ?

 

[Pjj]

More importantly will we still be getting a free pen or carabiner with our orders?!

Yes but will now be charged for it ????

 

[Iron Giant]

Have we all gathered our toys back up and put our dummies back in ??