 Poster: A snowHead
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I think it is reasonable to make a charge - after all there is also the liablitiy that the fitting shop takes on, as well as the cost of labour.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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CEM, Couldn't agree more. If a skier is the sort of person that buys abroad, very little can stop that. If they walk into a shop to get a pair of bindings mounted then there is every chance they will purchace something else whilst in the shop. We need to encourage people to come into the shops offer the best service we can at the very best prices we can and hopfully the manufactures will help the retailers reach those prices need.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| GrahamN wrote: |
| comprex wrote: |
| Can he refuse to be the warranty agent for skis or bindings purchased elsewhere? |
Talking to a retailer (who is also a  ) the other day, he said that Fischer (IIRC) UK will not warrant any skis bought abroad, as the warranty cost is borne by the distributor(?) - you have to send them back to where you got them from. |
The same is true of anything. Your contract is with the place you buy it from, not the people who make it. The manufacturer will reimburse the shop for any warranty work, but the work must be done via thepoint of purchase. However the manufacturer may choose to extend the network so that any product may be warrantied at any retailer, in order to give more custimer satisfaction etc
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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(Speakingof warranties) what are the practicalities of a binding breaking that was bought in Germany, fitted in the UK but failed while in, say, France?
Do you have to wait until you get home and get the UK shop to investigate or does the binding (presumably + ski) go back to Germany? If you got it fixed in France (so you could carry on skiing) would that invalidate the warranty or would the French shop take over the role of warranty repair agent?
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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It must be very frustrating for firms that cannot compete with big European internet shops. I find it difficult to criticise the shop for their stance.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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My feeling is that people who buy skis will more often than not probably have a bit of money to throw around (with exceptions) and if they build up a rapport with their local shops then they won't mind paying a bit extra for peace of mind. I can't help feeling that launching negative "initiatives" such as this one would only marr the friendly image and reputation of the local ski shop upon which no doubt they heavily rely.
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Frosty the Snowman, shouldn't they instead talk to the manufacturers about not treating the uk as treasure island?
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Where bricks and mortar retailers will always score over the Internet retailers is the soft side, the added value. The expertise and advice; the consultancy, the ability for the customer to feel and touch the product etc. But to take advantage of those selling points, the bricks and mortar retailer needs to get people in the door - and I don't think telling people their business isn't wanted is going to get them in the door. 25 squid is 25 squid after all. And as someone else pointed out, once the customer is in the door, you have a chance of achieving impulse sales - can't do that if you tell them you don't want them
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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i would really love to know what importer is selling at massive amounts more than they are in france etc. sounds like a retailer not wanting to play ball, from my expereince the prices in the UK to the retailer are the same as those in the rest of europe, in fact there are many instances that the price is less to the UK.
the large internet retailers can get away with very small margins as they have a warehouse and a computer, and maybe a guy to put the bindings on, whereas a normal shop has stafft to pay high street rent / rates etc etc, they also sell in bulk etc etc
i cetainly know the price of skis in the UK shops is on a par with that in european shops boots are either the same or certainly within 10% [at peak selling season rather than in the sales]
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Crazy retail initiative 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I have a very simple answer for Sound Ski - who cares .... Sport Conrad offer a really good friendly service, they have English speaking staff and give plenty of advice over the phone on their products. They have a fantastic sales range and the savings make buying ski equipment much more affordable.
I think Sound Ski are not thinking laterally - one of the first rules of retail shopping is to get people in your store. If you get a guy who has just saved £300 on a set up into your store then maybe he actually has some spare cash still to spend.
Push a cool bag on him or some new goggles or suncream or camelpacks or ski tuning equipment or new poles or etc etc etc etc.
I do think though that the problem in the UK is a mix of high rents and rates and larger margins. Snow & Rock I would expect is a bigger company than Sport Conrad has good buying power and a large turnover, there is little reason that they end up charging 50% more than Conrad and also they have a non existant in-season discounted range.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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But Snow and Rock can do it. I got some 1080 foils a year or so back from them at about 40% off full price via the internet in their sale - I don't believe they made a loss. Their business model just doesn't usually work that way.
Until it is clear to UK retailers that Conrad and others in Europe, and Backcountry.com in the US are taking business from them by providing excellent service at a cheap price, it will be in their interest to keep the prices high. They currently only have to sell one pair with a 40% margin instead of 4 pairs with a 10% margin.
So - in order to get cheap UK prices, we need to all buy overseas!
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You know it makes sense.
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Seems a mad idea.
If I'm a shop owner and someone comes through the door isn't it in my interest to welcome them, go as far as to say we'll help you every step of the way with your technical requirements, even if that means mounting foreign-bought bindings on the new skis you've just bought from me. If you extend this hand of friendship then the customer is likely to think "hey, that shop was really cool so I'll go back to them". As a retailer you'll never convert 100% of the footfall business into profit, as it just don't work like that.
It's just like judging people on their budget. If all you've got to spend is £200 on the whole shabang (I don't know about ski costs - I'm a boarder) then you're most probably not going to get all the gear you want. However, that £200 is still £200 going into the shop and if you've provided good service then the chances are the person will come back later when they can afford it.
Or should the shop just put a sign in the window saying "If you haven't got enough money to buy everything now and will eventually look on the internet, then you're not welome!"?
It's called competetive business from what I've been told!! 
At the end of the day, tax is the killer when it comes to UK prices.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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The skis this company sell may be sound, but their business ideas most certainly are far from it. How to drive customers away with one simple initiative.
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Poster: A snowHead
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This sounds daft - when we are in Austria or even in France, the shops were happy to adjust our own UK-bought skis for us, why shouldn't UK shops adjust skis bought in Austria. Also, the choice of skis, particularly of unusual types, is quite limited in many places over here. We both wanted Volkl race skis. They cost £650 here and availability was very limited. In particular, they didn't do my length in the SL racing skis - minimum was 161. So we bought them in the sale in Austria for 300 euros instead. Now they may not have a valid warranty, but the bindings were properly mounted and set up by a technician in the shop, and I'd be willing to have non-guaranteed skis for that kind of price differential.
People have many reasons for buying abroad or over the internet other than price. If I just bought in S&R or Ellis Brigham locally, then I'd be limited to a choice of maybe one or two beginner-level pairs of skis. Fortunately Ellis Brigham have always been good about helping with adjustments, doing servicing and so forth. They know I buy my ski boots from them and other clobber from their Snowdome shop too.
I think it is very short-sighted to take the view these guys are taking.
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FAQ
