Discount on hold for club members

[scott beeland]

[V8grunt]

Before any more "expert analysis" is made on Westfields/Mr Turners reasonings for cessation of discount structure... I think it would be fair (not to mention polite) to allow Mr Turner/Westfield to announce their intentions; as they see pertinant in a public forum; either drirectly or via the committee.

In business; everything is done for a reason....before we all start decrying Mr Tuner/Potenza/Westfield as "penny pinching" and insinuating that they are betraying the wscc/ members/drivers/builders; should we not give fair opportunity for comment??

Banzai Banaha has spoken!  

Please take note of the "Master"  

"Master why you speak with Squinty eye's and have bucked teeth?"  

Old joke...

I'll get me coat!

[Mark Stanton]

And as a point of order:

The WSCC have never had any structured discount scheme with WSC Ltd. in all its 20 years  

Any discounts obtained have been on a personal level which have often been at variable rates.

I would concur with Mr B. perhaps it would be prudent to allow the new management team to carry on with their work and re-structuring and allow time for matters to develop   for everyones mutual benefit  

[Gooders]

The WSCC have never had any structured discount scheme with WSC Ltd. in all its 20 years  

Mark

I think then there has been some confusion because i have seen advertised in our club mag on the Westfield advert page the words "Discounts for WSCC Members"

Now i admitt not in the time of Julian Turner but then again there has not been a factory add in the last 2 issues has there??

This just needs some clarification or this will run and run.

Rich

[Barry Ashcroft]

I remember that for a period of one month I think November04 we where offered 10% discount on all purchases by the factory.

I never thought that a discount was a given right I presumed every penny discount I got was because I had earned it with the work I do with the factory and the relationship I had formed with them.

That is untill I looked through old copied of westfield world and in sep/oct & nov/dec 05 magazines on the factory ad is a bubble in which it states "Discounts for WSCC members"

Barry

[pete g]

well i have a westfield privilege card

but it was  only worth 5% discount but any thing better than none.

not sure if it still worked ,no used it for years.    

[Bean]

I ordered my Westfield race seats at Stoneleigh last year, they had a special 10% discount at the show.

Might do the same again this year  

[James]

James, Of course insurance companies should get discounts. They're probably the biggest purchaser of parts and it's our premiums they're spending.

A 20% discount to your insurer could reduce your premuim by 5-10%

Sorry Norm but I have to disagree they may be the bigest purchaser of parts but they also have no loyalty, or intend to have any repeat buisiness planned in the future with that company.

This is where I feel discounts should come into play not simply because your a memnber of this or a member of that but based on your support of that company thats certainly how I give discounts to my clients it there loyal and come back to me again and again they get discount if they simply ask for it and ive never seen them before they can sod off!

Insurance company's are my BIG bug bear there all barstards!! and lets not get confused they do not push for discounts to keep premiums down theres just one thing they are looking after and thats themselves! as far as I am concerned they feature only slightly higher than pond slime on the evelotionary scale.

I have to deal with them ALL the time and if Westfield dont give them discount (bearing in mind they have a captive audiance) then good on them! however Im not naive enough to belive this happens, so why should the back stabbing insurance companys get discount just because there an Insurnace company when Westfields loyal customer base dosnt

[marshalla]

A 20% discount to your insurer could reduce your premuim by 5-10%

But wouldn't - insurance companies exist to make money, not to be anyone's best friend and they have a captive market. We all have to have some form of motor insurance. It's only the size of the market and the number of companies around that really keeps prices down.

And back to the main point - I too have an official factory discount card from around 1998/99 - never used it, but I have it in the archives.

[jeff oakley]

Norm is correct with his view on pricing. Parts goods and services are charged at whatever the market allows, which is why you pay £40 per hour for a Ford servicing and £70 for a BMW. Prices are also set on related volumes, I can buy Ford Discs cheaper than a similar sized Alfa one.

Insurance companies and leasing companies get and deserved discounts as they buy in volumes, the body repair sector for none captive parts alone last year was £60 million.

Now in our world everyone thinks they deserve a discount, and in some ethnic groups it is almost a religion. When I operated a branch in the North the trick was to put 20% on a quoted price to this group and then argue for a few moments and drop 20% they went away happy and I got the selling price we wanted. You only have to see the DFS adverts to see that they inflate prices to stupid levels then give unbelivable discounts and the masses buy into it. No one surly belives they are getting such a bargin do they?

The prices I have had from Westfield for unique parts have always been fair, reflecting the work and uniquiness, the hard parts which are available elsewhere were priced at basically full retail whereas anyone could buy from Partco at Trade or better.

If we can as a club negotiate an ongoing discount then that is good if not there is so much help available on here for none westfield only parts then the savings can be made. As Scott says let Julian etc sort out what they are doing and then if it is re started great.

[Jenko]

Of course, let Julian comment and give the reason...no problem......He seems very keen on customer relations, and so far, by all accounts, has done a good job, and long may it continue...........

BUT, to those upset punters who did not get thier discount, you are quite right to have a moan on this forum...at the end of the day, we used to get discount, and now we don't...irrespective of reason, thats what it is.....Westfield prices are a little high (IMHO), with a discount, it brought them down to being almost competitive....

So, no matter what the 'do-gooders' on this forum say (and this is going out to the people who effectivly are saying 'keep your gob shut until the factory have commented'), I say carry on the rant....if this leads to club members continuing to get a discount (no matter how small).......I'm sure EVERYONE would be happy to get ths discount, includeing those who some how seem to be agreeing with Westfield stopping it.......

And by the way, I have had nothing but great service from Westfield, so this is not aimed at them.....

[Norman Verona]

James, I tend to agree with all you say but I faced reality when I was building a huge parts operation. (I did this because the embargo on Jap cars meant we we were limited on car supply)

The big boys always go for discount per-centage. They never look at the bottom line. You decide if the business is worth it or not.

There is only good business, the bankruptcy courts are full of those that don't understand this.

jeff I'd like to find any dealer charging £40 ph. In London labour rates are well over £100 ph at some dealerships.  

I'll never need anything from Westfield but look at what withdrawal of something that may never have exsited has created. Lots of upset customers.

Discount or no discount they seem to have put a lot of owners into the market looking for alternative suppliers.

Not good for them and not good for owners.

[carpetstu]

I purchased wide track on the bulk buy and although I collected a reduction wasn't given for the postage not been required. I was told this was due to them not charging others for postage. But it must have cost them money to post! Nothing in life is free! But hey it was my choice to collect so I suppose its tough.

[jeff oakley]

Toyota world Bristol charge £40 per hr Norm, but in London your guess is as good as mine

What was your parts operation Norm if you don't mind me asking. I work for Ferraris Piston Service (FPS) as operations manager for the south.

[rgs_laverda]

Does not this change put UK WSCC members on the same footing as foreign members? Even if we joined the club there were never any discounts made available to us. It's a bit unfair to only give the discount to some of your customers and not to others, after all it is Westfield ownership that is the important fact not our geographic location. Or is there something unique about the owners and builders who live in the UK that makes them deserving of a discount when others are not?