timpson locksmiths and the poor running of their business

[peacefullockie]

Hi has anyone else here had a bad experience with this nationwide company as a subcontractor.
They have poor organisation in their call centre with job numbers, cosing down jobs, sending parts out and so on.
I have also found their accounts department to be bordering the complete ridiculous.
I did my last job last week after finding out that a the paperwork for a job i did for them for gunebar at a boots stores was missing and that my payment wasnt processed.
I later found out it was because i hadnt filled out a gunnebar job sheet which i never was told about or sent.
They may have just started recently nationwide but they are close to being as inapt as absolute emergencies, and that takes some beating believe me.
Im glad im out now and i can avoid headaches and hassle.
i got my money for the gunnebar job by keeping a couple of cash jobs i did last week so all is well there.
Im going to push to get my own work now as im totally had it with these bum companys.

[lockdr]

There is Independent Shop which is (somewhat) high risk and high reward
There is Company Employee which is low risk and (somewhat) low reward
There is Subcontractor which is high risk and low reward
Doing subcontract work for someone else means you take all the risks and unexpected costs and liability, whilst the major party just takes the money, and pays you a pittance if they deem it not beneath them to pay you at all.
You are indeed making a wise choice by getting out of this relationship. Wishing you all the success in your independence.

[Bump]

I'm not sure if you are being fair to these companies! They are what they are and if you went into a contract with them you should have been doing your research first.

They rely on new and inexperienced tradesmen needing their advertising pull....and dont worry.... they are very used to irate newbies taking their skills elsewhere.

If you are going to sub then you need to know that most companies take 50 - 60% and then a further 18% tax up front. Some companies supply replacement parts at a cost, which further reduces your take, but on the other hand saves a small amount of the tax liability because you can restock your shelves a little cheaper and claim the stock against depreciation. (Complicated revenue process)

You need to be selective about the jobs you accept, they will have you running all over the country cos the operator at the call centre gets a percentage for placing the call with an engineer. Trick is to "feel" which jobs are going to return a profit, a 60 mile round trip to gain entry is only going to break even and isn't worth the trouble; although it may turn into a lock change and you can earn a little more. Sunday work is particularly lucrative.

I agree that the charges levied are embarrassing and are ripe for an OFT investigation. I made sure that I didnt wear my own company logos when acting for them. Deals on the side happen but be aware, companies do check up and customers are fairly stupid when it comes to telling them what work has been done.

I have earned as much as £250 a day (not every day) and never had a problem with being paid, although you do have wait 14-30 days for accounts to be settled. They can afford to spend mucho bucks on national advertising and force the local guys off the front pages. My logic is that I am taking advantage of their advertising power and if it means a little bit of hassle then so be it, its better than sitting on your backside feeling righteous with no work.

Dont gripe too much about these companies! They provide the new guy with needed income and experience until they can do something else such as warrant work. Without them the rest of the world wouldnt recognise a good deal if they saw one.

[peacefullockie]

Please dont presume im a new guy.

6 years ago i worked for absolute emergencies.

5 years ago, till recently reactfast.

i know what its about and i did expect better from timpsons

they have let me down and have lost a good timekeeper and a good worker.
Ill be sticking to my warrant work now as this is in abundance.

never again will i wait 8 weeks for payment then find out they havent even received paperwork.
god help chubb (gunnebar) if they feel timpsons will do a good job for them.
f**cking cowboys
im sorry but they wind me up.
just like reactfast who used me when they first started then cast you away as if you are a piece of sH** when they franchised their business and use plumbers to do lockouts and lock changes.
i hope the lot of them crumble.

[Bump]

Didn't presume anything! Was stating a fact! Don't see the point in getting bent out of shape about the poor operational ability of call centers; other than they take my business.

Truth is for a newbie they have certain advantages/disdvantages which I think is constructive to highlight to those who might consider this type of work!

[peacefullockie]

they monopolise the yellowpages and other books and use newbie lockies who are willing to work cut price and then inturn make the careers of experienced locksmiths harder.
which is why from now on if any newbie locksmiths want a break into warrant work then they wont be getting any help from me again.

[Shrub]

Sounds like youve been goign from bad to bad with the companies you mention,

Threads like this get heated and then eventually removed but its not a new problem, luckily its not somthing ive ever fallen into but most do and your right its whats killing the industry, soon there will only be key cutters and lock drillers,

We can all cry NDE as long as we want but its not changeing much and theres still more drillers out there than we have members on a lonely internet site,

Things will never change in the favour of the sole traders who work to NDE and a decent set of ethics, we just have to live with it until our job gets taken from underneath us and we have to do somthign else,

Its annoying and upsetting but its the only thing thats going to happen,

Ive been doing loads of work for bailifs the last few months and it looks like im more and more in demand as each day comes, the company they used before were from Manchester and when asked to go in the property they were stealing tv's, stereo's etc etc as they knew the owner had been evicted and think everythings fair game,
I get the work now (all of it) because im honest and they trust me,

As long as the country is a bunch of money grabbing idiots the nationals and cowboy training firms will always be on top, yellow pages wont enforce what they tell all its other advertisers in that they will stop the multi page advertiseing as they earn so much money from it and the same goes for the cowboy trainers, get rid of those two and this country would be sorted and everyone knows it but theres always the money there isnt there,

Nothings for the lockie industry in this country, sites like this, people selling lockie tools to anyone and the nationals have killed the industry dead and people would rather break into their own property or at least try first before calling someone out that has this cloud above their trade of drilling dors badly and chargeing £100's for doing it,

[toomush2drink]

I dealt with timpsons a long time ago as a shoe repairer, nothings changed. Once they get established in your area the subbie will be dropped as they will employ their own locksmiths to do the work for 17k a year. If your not getting your own work why not work out why, its easy to blame it on the competition but it wont change things, either get better at marketing your services or just keep subbing. Why do you think they do so well ? its not just the amount of money they spend on marketing its also HOW they market their business.

[peacefullockie]

Yes it seems that they are another reactfast, but maybe that is a little unfair as reactfast always paid well.
This post has been repeated many times as shrub says but its up to date at the very least.
so all intending to work for the above then go ahead at the cost of many a headache.

THE END

[lunchb0x]

Please dont presume im a new guy.

just like reactfast who used me when they first started then cast you away as if you are a piece of sH** when they franchised their business and use plumbers to do lockouts and lock changes.
i hope the lot of them crumble.

i found this bit funny because here their is a plumber that has the contract for public housing, so if he comes across a lock without keys he takes it of and replaces it, cant get in he drills it

[jonj]

I dealt with timpsons a long time ago as a shoe repairer, nothings changed. Once they get established in your area the subbie will be dropped as they will employ their own locksmiths to do the work for 17k a year. If your not getting your own work why not work out why, its easy to blame it on the competition but it wont change things, either get better at marketing your services or just keep subbing. Why do you think they do so well ? its not just the amount of money they spend on marketing its also HOW they market their business.

Let timpsons stick to there shoes repairs and just don't work for them, then more people that do it, the more work comes to the true locksmiths as they will not be able to cover the work but the more people that do it just line someone else's pocket, I think the make enough money on there key cutting and shoe repairs and should leave the outside work to the pro's

[lockey1963]

completed a simple yale 1109 change today, guy moved into his new home and wanted his yale changing, Timpsons quoted £150 plus vat for this simple job, not quite sure how they can justify half that.

[jonj]

completed a simple yale 1109 change today, guy moved into his new home and wanted his yale changing, Timpsons quoted £150 plus vat for this simple job, not quite sure how they can justify half that.

To cover the £50 they pay the subby lol