Re: The disability industry

[Tricky Dicky]

I do not think the over pricing of spare parts is exclusive most cars and domestic appliances come immediately to mind but I agree the more niche an industry is the greater the rip off.

We like Bosch products generally as a brand, one reason being their website shows exploded views of their appliances and lists all the parts and part numbers down to individual screws. I once did in a moment of boredom an exercise to see how much it would cost to build a washing machine by buying all the parts and assembling it yourself and did not even get part way through it before it was already costing 5 times what we paid never mind the cost of manufacture. I really would like to know from someone in the spares supply industry how some of these prices are justified because at the moment it seem a case of think of a number and triple it!

Richard

[spuorgelgoog]

Most spare parts are low-volume because most things don't get repaired - although this obviously doesn't apply to stairlift and alarm batteries.

"The disabled" and "the elderly" are usually regarded as being clueless and will spend money on anything advertised by a nice man wearing a cardigan [1], and anything non-core-activity that's bought by companies is fair game. Manufacturers who calculate the cost of a product down to 0.001 penny will pay for lightbulbs at £30 a pop to "facilities management".

"Blue roll" is £7 from cleaning supplies companies. It's £2 in the local tat-for-christmas pop-up shop.

Owain

[1] Obviously this does not apply to a satellite dish featured on the front cover of "Television"

[Jethro_uk]

There's also the fact that a lot of provisioning authorities seem quite happy to pay whatever is asked.

[Dave Plowman (News]

And I'd suspect there are kickbacks involved.

[newshound]

When you say "provisioning authorities" presumably you are thinking about Local Authorities and the NHS? I'd like to think that the NHS are a bit more on the ball at the sharper end of the business but I suspect there is sometimes a lack of commercial awareness. One thing that privatisation achieved in the electricity supply industry is that staff all the way down to the shop floor did start to be shown the financial realities.

[Bill Wright]

Oi!

Bill

[spuorgelgoog]

Rupert Murdoch never wore a cardigan and he sold more satellite dishes than you did :-)

The world could have been very different ... Wright Sports Chicken-racing Championships from the Plough Inn Function Room International Arena.

Owain

[Bob Eager]

That much? I pay £5.99 (plus VAT) for a pack of 6, from Nisbets. If I order nothing else, that's only just over £2 a roll with carriage. But there's usually other stuff (liquid soap, etc.). And I tend to but 12-18 rolls at a time; we have somewhere in the house to store them.

[spuorgelgoog]

My error. I didn't see the "pack of 6" on my comparison pricing search on Google Ads (which included Nisbets!)

Owain

[DJC]

One problem with suppling large organisation, particularly in the public sector, is the procurement process. Can't supply unless you are on the approved list, to be on the approved list involves a lot of form filling and hoop jumping, so the price charged has to account for all that trouble. Or, if you prefer, for an ordinary honest small supplier that kind of customer is more trouble than its worth.

>

[alan_m]

I pay £13 for 6 rolls from my local Janitorial supplies shop.

[Bob Eager]

OK! We started using Nisbets when my son was a head chef. Still do. Prices are fair, and delivery is excellent.

[Brian Gaff (Sofa]

Yes back in the days of the first video machines, the pressure roller cost over 12 quid, but one could actually use a bit of ingenuity to skim off the ragged parts outside the tape path which caused the issue and use it for another year. All it was really was a metal hub and a rubber outer in a kind of barrel profile. They had to be churned out like sausages!

Then there was the Sony Betamax vcr loading mechanism which always lost a tooth in a nylon gear, this could be changed by removing one circlip, but no, you could not buy the gear for a few pence, you had to buy the loading mechanism for over 5-0 quid and them pay labour to get somebody to fit it. Bah humbug. Brian

[Brian Gaff (Sofa]

Some years ago though, there were some dishes which were apparently warping in use. I don't recall the make, but it does make you wonder about quality control even back then. Brian

[Brian Gaff (Sofa]

Yes an ultrasound device used by one of our local clinics, is very good according to those who should know, but every one I've seen is plugged into a windows xp machine. I became curious and was told that the makers would not support the product any more with drivers for newer versions of windows, instead wanting the health industry to purchase completely new kit. It appears, and I only have the folks word for this, that the new kit does no more than the old one, so why should they have to buy it again? New lamps for old anyone? No I cannot recall the name of the product at this time. Brian

[Brian Gaff (Sofa]

Yes, New Peugeot ambulances were bought for patient transport, some months later several managers were sporting new Peugeot cars.

Nothing wrong with the vehicles of course, but it does make one wonder. Brian

[Brian Gaff (Sofa]

They are probably all gone. Brian

[Dave Liquorice]

Fishy but could be innocent. Did said managers previously get a car provided by their employer as part of their renumeration package. With these new managers Peugeots just being the routine lease replacement from the current fleet contract holder?

[tabbypurr]

£5 per small screw is common enough

NT

[spuorgelgoog]

Don't even get a smile and a promise for £5 these days ;-)

Owain