Buying Locally, or buying Online

EmicMalta · August 19, 2008, 06:21:07 CET

every one here encounters problems when we go back for garantee. For my personal experience I had problems due that they wanted money for sending back my suit for repair. So this for me means that when you are going to spend a considirable sum it would be better to buy it online cos the garantee will be the same and for sure you will spend less even with the postage.
The shop is there to sell but like all other busness we give good money so we espect good service. I always went with cash money and for that I hate when someone jokes with me.

ctclaude · August 21, 2008, 18:56:52 CET

Emic, I think you cannot make such blanket statements about shops in Malta.

First of all let me make it clear that i am the beuchat agent and my father and uncle own shops in valletta (expo) and in gzira (aquamarina) so my interest is declared.

There are many shops that are very reliable and trustworthy and always honour their guarantees and their responsabilities. I am a supplier myself and within reason always try to replace faulty items immediately. Of course we depend on our suppliers too. As to buying online there are advantages and disadvantages. I personally prefer knowing exactly who i'm buying from and knowing i can go back when something is wrong or i need aftersales.

The guarantee is not the only thing. You need to consider aftersales service also. Whoever knows us and buys from us or our clients knows that we not only make sure we have all the necessary parts for the items we carry but continue to do so for a long time after the products even stop being produced. We believe in customer service and whoever knows us knows we have always given excellent service. You know very well that this is the case.

Although the customer is always right and you are right in demanding excellent service and products for the money you spend, everything has to be taken in context. If i have a problem with a product i should go to the shop where i bought it and expect the shop to fix the problem. Nobody likes being taken for a ride its true but you also need to understand shops and suppliers. We see many false claims of damages when the damage would have been a result of improper use so sometimes we are over sceptical on the otherhand damages can and will occur and we cannot expect all items to be perfect though we might wish them to be!

From our end we promise the best service and aftersales possible and that's a guarantee!

EmicMalta · August 21, 2008, 20:05:13 CET

I didn t ment to make a bad blanket about any shops in Malta. I was speaking about the way garantee needs to worked out. Sorry if there is a misunderstending but I write my english as I feel it to say it in maltese (ma andiex O levels ta l inglis

). Yes there is a lot of other shops that have really good service and this is shown by the type of clients he has. Here I write as I done always (personal) cos where is good I say that is good and where is bad i say that its bad. Im an inporter too and know how things work.

When I advice a thing or a guy I know what I am doing cos I don t like that after I have any words saying I adviced for my personal issius.

Infact last week there was a guy that bought a marlin carbon elite and I had adviced him for the best setup I found on it. Yesturday we meet and he told me that he was not happy for the personal setup he made and I wasn t surprice hearing that. I know that rubber cos I tried it 5 years ago. As for seahunter I put him a good setup and he is fishing with the double barb where he caught even a dentex. He is starting and I like to show what others showed to me.

Anyway, as i said I didn t wanted to make any bad name on our local shops but thats why we have choice from where we buy. Clients fill the shops and the service keeps them coming

Arti2 · August 27, 2008, 22:07:35 CET

Quote from: ctclaude on August 21, 2008, 18:56:52 CET
Emic, I think you cannot make such blanket statements about shops in Malta.

First of all let me make it clear that i am the beuchat agent and my father and uncle own shops in valletta (expo) and in gzira (aquamarina) so my interest is declared.

There are many shops that are very reliable and trustworthy and always honour their guarantees and their responsabilities. I am a supplier myself and within reason always try to replace faulty items immediately. Of course we depend on our suppliers too. As to buying online there are advantages and disadvantages. I personally prefer knowing exactly who i'm buying from and knowing i can go back when something is wrong or i need aftersales.

The guarantee is not the only thing. You need to consider aftersales service also. Whoever knows us and buys from us or our clients knows that we not only make sure we have all the necessary parts for the items we carry but continue to do so for a long time after the products even stop being produced. We believe in customer service and whoever knows us knows we have always given excellent service. You know very well that this is the case.

Although the customer is always right and you are right in demanding excellent service and products for the money you spend, everything has to be taken in context. If i have a problem with a product i should go to the shop where i bought it and expect the shop to fix the problem. Nobody likes being taken for a ride its true but you also need to understand shops and suppliers. We see many false claims of damages when the damage would have been a result of improper use so sometimes we are over sceptical on the otherhand damages can and will occur and we cannot expect all items to be perfect though we might wish them to be!

From our end we promise the best service and aftersales possible and that's a guarantee!

If you want people to purchase from maltese shops you need to make offers like the ones in other countries and internet sites, not keeping high prices but reasonable ones!

Arti2 · August 27, 2008, 22:09:37 CET

An idea is to make sales on older models of wetsuits, spearguns etc. Especially on items made in Taiwan! Products like socks, gloves and some wetsuits. (Hawn Malta hallelin my friend).

Why don't you make your own site where we can purchase online with reasonable prices! Or make offers for a period of time.

EmicMalta · August 28, 2008, 08:43:24 CET

Quote from: Arti2 on August 27, 2008, 22:07:35 CET
Quote from: ctclaude on August 21, 2008, 18:56:52 CET
Emic, I think you cannot make such blanket statements about shops in Malta.

First of all let me make it clear that i am the beuchat agent and my father and uncle own shops in valletta (expo) and in gzira (aquamarina) so my interest is declared.

There are many shops that are very reliable and trustworthy and always honour their guarantees and their responsabilities. I am a supplier myself and within reason always try to replace faulty items immediately. Of course we depend on our suppliers too. As to buying online there are advantages and disadvantages. I personally prefer knowing exactly who i'm buying from and knowing i can go back when something is wrong or i need aftersales.

The guarantee is not the only thing. You need to consider aftersales service also. Whoever knows us and buys from us or our clients knows that we not only make sure we have all the necessary parts for the items we carry but continue to do so for a long time after the products even stop being produced. We believe in customer service and whoever knows us knows we have always given excellent service. You know very well that this is the case.

Although the customer is always right and you are right in demanding excellent service and products for the money you spend, everything has to be taken in context. If i have a problem with a product i should go to the shop where i bought it and expect the shop to fix the problem. Nobody likes being taken for a ride its true but you also need to understand shops and suppliers. We see many false claims of damages when the damage would have been a result of improper use so sometimes we are over sceptical on the otherhand damages can and will occur and we cannot expect all items to be perfect though we might wish them to be!

From our end we promise the best service and aftersales possible and that's a guarantee!

If you want people to purchase from maltese shops you need to make offers like the ones in other countries and internet sites, not keeping high prices but reasonable ones!

As you said arti i agree with what you said but as you qouated I don t agree with this. It isn for personnal isius but as here is mentioned beuchat I can confirem that prices are very reasonable. Check all around the web and you can find the same prices and sometimes higher too. As for the service I saw their garantee and as me (EDWARD MICALLEF) thats a way how garantee works.

Just last week they showed me a problem regarding a suit. It wasn t a factory defect but still they tried to help as they can.

As for the prices all the members here we have a good discount from them. So if the service and cost are good I will be happy to buy locally.

My problem I had with my suit was about saying that the seller from where I had bought the suit was saying that it wasn t his issue to contact the factory for a single problem. hahahaha........ and after asking them what should I do they stold me "what do you espect me to do, telling them to hurry up, I can t even catch them on the phone cos they don t speack english" (I have things that can conferm this) and for me it was just 10mins to contact them on 3 mobile phones.

Thats a way how to chose a shop from another. And there is the difference from where to to shop from the web, same fins as freediver and bagira had baught at 400euros can be bought at 239euros.

Granitu · August 28, 2008, 13:19:31 CET

arti your idea is just fine but the problem is that we lack both the funds and the demand to sustain such reductions in prices

Malta is a small country which usually restricts store space.... to get discounts you need to buy in bulk... i.e. you have to make it viable for your supplier to give you discounts.... at the benefit that a higher quantity purchases yields a higher profit to the supplier.

ctclaude · August 28, 2008, 15:13:31 CET

As a supplier i have something to add on the issue of internet purchasing - As in all internet purchases you are buying from someone you have neithermet or know where you can find him except on-line. This means that whilst getting a good price (not always) you do not have the confidence you have in local shops. One must understand that when you walk into a shop in Malta and you find an item you can just pick off the shelve there is a considerable amount of valua added as opposed to something you buy off the internet. How many people use shops just as a showcase - they have a look at the product and when convinced go and buy that same product off the internet - it happens and shops nowadays must accept that however a good and inteeligent customer and a good and intelligent supplier/shop owner knows that it is best to have a good relationship with your supplier/customer as there is nothing better than to walk into a shop and find what you need, have the benefit of aftersales service etc.

I might be exagerating a bit but what if shops stop carrying certain products and we have to buy everything over the internet... dont you think it would not be ideal? We cannot compare prices directly you need to first of all consider exchange rates (where applicable), postage and package and then factor in time of delivery, aftersales service etc.

Guys, create a good relationship with a shop of your confidence and whilst shopping around on the internet is good use that to communicate with your prefered shop so that if possible he can try and give you a better price or at least one which come close. As in everything we are in a market and in a market we haggle. Sometimes you win one sometimes you lose one but keep in mind that without a healthy local market, many of us and particularly the clients will be seriously handicapped.

Regards

Claude

The_Gaffer · August 28, 2008, 16:08:46 CET

Claude, since when do you have permission to insult people who purchase over the internet. It is for the exact reason that I am an intelligent customer that I purchase stuff from the net. The ridiculus marked up prices we are asked from shops here in Malta makes one take the calculated risk of buying over the net. Reputable online stores offer excellent customer value and aftersales service, not to mention that the prices are usually half the purchase price in Malta, and that's after adding CIF and tax. People here, including myself, have had goods exchanged or resent without extra cost or stupid, but albeit probing questions, be asked. Its a very competitive world out there, and Malta businesses should check out there prices before trying to make a quick windfall with :igh percentage markups.

camkev · August 28, 2008, 22:35:03 CET

Before the season started i had problems with the trim of my outboard(JOHNSON).I went to check for parts at the local agent here.He gave me a big shock.I had over 500 Maltese liri damage.When i went home i had a look around the net for good prices......which i found.I will make a small summary of the different prices that i found.Trim caps Malta price LM49 EACH--internet price LM13.Pistons LM 150 EACH which i found 2 for LM50.And the most shocking thing the rubber seals.....This is good guys...Malta LM 60---internet USD 8.I finished paying LM105 for 2 trim caps,2 pistons and rubber seals and the total price includes priority fedex courier that took only 2 days to be in malta.All parts were New genuine Johnson not imitation.Now thats what i call a bargain......And you want us to buy from local shops

skip · August 29, 2008, 05:00:12 CET

Quote from: The_Gaffer on August 28, 2008, 16:08:46 CET
Claude, since when do you have permission to insult people who purchase over the internet.

Joe, don't think he was insulting anyone, just expressing a viewpoint!

Sadly many shops do work on the principal of making a quick buck using a high margin strategy because they don't have the volume. This coupled with bad pricing received from manufacturers/distributors because the local market is small (so no volume discounts), plus the overheads of the shop operation and you get the high prices.

It's not applicable in all sectors and across all products, but as The Gaffer points out, some shop owners really do insult us with their prices and attitude. With the current rate of exchange against the dollar being so advantageous for us (at least up till a few months ago), even with the high shipping rates from the US and duty, items like fishing reels still come out at half price!

For me if there's more than a 20% difference I won't buy it locally as I feel that the local advantage has then been lost. Alot of sales people in shops don't know what they're talking about so you no added value there, perhaps even the opposite at times. But yes if you find the right shop/staff and build a relationship with them, this can go a long way to helping.

I think most will agree that if it's a big/bulky/heavy item they probably won't buy it over the Internet and perhaps some people even have a $$ threshold.

EmicMalta · August 29, 2008, 05:17:38 CET

Due to my job im an inporter too. A thing that I had to do so was cos of the garantee. I do security systems and the thing of leaving a client without a security system on I cannot stand it,and when I used to buy the staff locally I used to loose a lot of money for giving the garantee instaed of my suppier. Was n t good cos I was paying good money and there was my job involved. From some years I started to inport all my needed staff and with my suppliers I have a good relation which helped me with my garantee and where ever I buy from outside EU they still give me to start 3 years garantee.

Granitu · August 29, 2008, 06:12:37 CET

well with regards to guarantee, it seems to me that we are by far away from the common European standards. by law, any shop is entitled to give a 2 year guarantee, but if they give you 1 year it is a miracle

CTCLAUDE, i could quite talk against your guarantee in a recent past, if you pm me i show you why... but maybe i should say that in your case the situation changed in positive and the customer service improved a lot at expo

i have to note that i recently bought a very expensive rod from mr fish, and when i asked him for warranty.... not that the rod needs it ..... cause i bought it for it's durability and it is a jdm.... he replied that guarantee does no exist on rods.....

c mon from italy- i bought rods from a supplier smaller than mr fish with better prices (50% lower) and with 3 years guarantee along with the possibility to service my equipment....

in my opinion that's what i call a good service but in malta we live in a jungle

Arti2 · August 29, 2008, 08:26:36 CET

Sometimes there are good prices EMIC but there are also fake items which today you cannot recognize clearly. As I said from particular shops everything you but is made in China and Taiwan!

As for EXPO I had no problems concerning after sales.

benri · August 29, 2008, 08:35:19 CET

Arti2... Nike is made in Taiwan.... Adidas too.... Most major and well known brands are manufactured in China and Taiwan. Some manufacturers are proud to leave the label as is (Made in Taiwan/China) and others have the goods exported to their factories in Europe and affix a made in EU label! Believe me, I know what I'm saying!