We took a call last week from a woman who’d lost the deposit on a worktop order when the company she’d purchased from suddenly folded. She was understandably very wary given she had to again begin a process of sourcing suppliers for her project.
Now a tale such as this isn’t uncommon at a time when the competition for business drives certain companies to dangle carrots that prove too tempting to ignore in front of potential clients seeking the best deals and it’s a natural instinct for buyers looking for the best deals to take the bait.
A general rule of thumb buyers should remember is that deals that appear too good to be true generally are and if not they are elaborately spun out to disguise the facts.
As in other sectors of the kitchen industry, the bespoke worktops sector is no different and “pulling the wool” appears to still be standard procedure for certain companies fuelled by the need to secure orders ahead of the competition.
On the internet, nowhere can the possibility of this materialise more frequently than in what’s known as the sponsored listings. Advertisers take the top three listings you will see and those displayed on the right side of a page after you enter a search term such as Corian or Quartz worktops. Below these set of results are what’s known as the natural or organic listings and these appear based on relevance of the search term entered decided by Google. This is where you’ll find KitchensFitted for any terms related to the business we undertake.
Now it may appear to those with little knowledge of the internet that because a company may appear at the top of a search results page this may reflect their popularity and trustworthiness.
It doesn’t and although a number may be genuine and reputable sellers, there still remain those who pay big bucks to appear in a high position sponsored listings that are being, at best economical with the truth and at worst, using hoodwinking of the highest order to obtain an order.
The fact is that absolutely anyone in the land can set up in business overnight, even if they have no experience in the field they hope to sell in and obtain the top spot in the sponsored listings of any Google search results page, providing they cough up enough money to outbid others hoping to do the same. A worrying scenario indeed if you’re unlucky enough to order with any opportunists who recognise the rewards to be gained at the expense of any naive buyers.
I’ve referred to the same in previous blogs on the subject but feel it important enough to highlight again some of the claims made to get you, the unsuspecting buyer, to click through to a website.
40% discount, 50% discount, 60% off Recommended Retail Prices, Buy direct from the Manufacturer, We pay the VAT
Yes, you will see these claims regularly each time you search for the products you want to include in your project. If we put each of the claims under closer scrutiny though, immediately to those of us who work in the industry, they don’t and can’t stack up with such regularity and are merely marketing methods that belong to a bygone era when Arthur Daley type tactics won over the unsuspecting masses.
Under closer examination and pertinent to our sector, discounts on bespoke worktops can only be sustained in a genuine sale offer for a set “special offer” period. It’s a fact for instance, that here at TFI, we promote special offers far less frequently than most of our “eternal offer” competitors yet they are 100% genuine and in the remaining period where we are not promoting one we regularly better the quotes from many of those who are.
OK – so to the claims
- Worktop Manufacturers do not deal direct with the end users so let’s put that claim in the bin where it belongs.
- Recommended Retail prices are an over inflated figure designed to make buyers think they are getting a bargain when discounted so the discounted price, when offered to a buyer at 40, 50, 60 or 70% discount, means very little unless there are some ultra charitable companies out there.
- We pay the VAT – Mmmm!! 20% Discount then? Not very worthwhile is it if it’s a deduction from the RRP?
So, what can a buyer do to obtain greater reassurances before parting with their money?
Well the real acid test us on the price you finally pay after templating takes place and this can rise as well as fall dependent on the accuracy of the sizes you submitted for the original quotation. I recommend worktop buyers to obtain three estimates and although price is important and difference in costs should be fairly negligible, buyers should base the final decision after more research and a fact finding mission about your preferred provider and their reputation.
The danger for potential buyers lies in that lack of investigation before choosing a company to undertake a project, which is more surprising given that the majority now have the tools at their disposal to avoid becoming yet another victim of poor research. The internet can unearth much of that information yet picking up the phone and speaking to a provider will give you a greater insight in to their knowledge, their manner and their commitment to your satisfaction if you do choose them as your provider.
At TFI we encourage buyers to speak with us to discover more about what we offer, why we offer the products we do and to discuss anything else you wish to speak with us about. We are very transparent about our business and have a commitment to offering you our most affordable prices on the worktops we offer.
To finish my bluster here, we expect nothing less than to compete on a level playing field with our competitors but I find it a duty that we alert buyers to never ending sales offers that appear in a prominent position when you click on a Google search.
Surfers should be aware that any company, regardless of reputation, can pay advertisers substantial sums to appear there.
For the record, TFI/KitchensFitted do not pay for, nor allow, pay per click advertising on our website and when a genuine offer is due to commence here we display it clearly and in detail to our visitors. We have extensive experience in our industry and are at the other end of our phones and e-mails for your assessment of our knowledge, experience and service.
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