"Unbeatable prices" ???

[pvb]

\"Unbeatable prices\" ???

There's a post below about the new ybw.com online chandlery, which offers "top quality products at unbeatable prices". There's some dispute about the security of the ordering process. I wouldn't worry, because the prices are patently not "unbeatable". I just spent 5 minutes comparing.

Navtex Pro - Seaspeed and MES are £10 cheaper.
Garmin GPS48 - MES are £10 cheaper.
JRC1000 radar - MES are £150 cheaper (yes, really!).

Does the Trades Descriptions Act apply to the internet???

 

[pvb]

And more \"Unbeatable prices\" ???

Yes, a few more minutes browsing, and you'll see that ybw.com's chandlery is unbeatably expensive!

Simrad HT50 VHF - MES are £30 cheaper.
Simrad RD68 VHF - MES are £160 cheaper - yes, that's over 27% cheaper than ybw.com!

Come on IPC, surely you can do better than this.

 

[Guest]

Re: \"Unbeatable prices\" ???

Yes but whats the legal defenition of unbeatable - but should comlaint be address to advertising standards authority? does anyone take such claims seriously!!!

Roly, Voya Con Dios, Glasson, Lancaster

 

[JeremyF]

Re: And more \"Unbeatable prices\" ???

Whats the full name of MES, please. Sounds like they know how to price.

 

[kimhollamby]

We\'re listening

Regarding the question on MES, you can visit them via the ybw.com shopping quay where you'll find other online electronics firms and chandlers for comparison prices. The shopping quay can be accessed either via <Shopping> on the bottom nav bar throughout the sites here, or via the nav bar on the right-hand side of www.ybw.com homepage.

As for the unbeatable wording, I promise we'll have a look at that first thing on Monday.

Associate Publisher ybw.com websites kim_hollamby@ipcmedia.com

 

[rogerroger]

\"Permanently low\"

I couldn't see any refs to "unbeatable prices" - only "permanently low" which is fair enough.

Anyway - if they'll price-match then I'd say that "unbeatable" is probably valid.

Roger Holden
www.first-magnitude.co.uk

 

[pvb]

[url]www.mesltd.co.uk[/url] (nm)

 

[pvb]

Look at the ybw home page...

On the home page (www.ybw.com) there's a feature on the ybw.com Marine Store. It says: "The all-new ybw Marine Store, in association with Compass Watersports, is open! Shop online for top quality products at unbeatable prices"

 

[pvb]

Thanks, Kim. (nm)

 

[kimhollamby]

Re: Look at the ybw home page...

Apologies - the misleading word has been removed.

Associate Publisher ybw.com websites kim_hollamby@ipcmedia.com

 

[pvb]

It\'s still on the Marine Store home page!

The home page of the ybw.com Marine Store still says: "Top quality at unbeatable prices - that's what you get from Europe's market leader. Direct importing, bulk sourcing, and our own production together with the most efficient infrastructure in the industry make these prices possible. Let us show you. Remember: Compass brings you the best quality at the best price! "

Now that's not true, is it?

 

[kimhollamby]

Re: It\'s still on the Marine Store home page!

I can deal with the ybw home page from here. But not the rest which is hosted elsewhere. As stated earlier, will deal with it tomorrow.

Associate Publisher ybw.com websites kim_hollamby@ipcmedia.com

 

[lezgar]

About Marine Electronic Service

I have bought different things to MES and they work very well and I had one article changed in guarantee one year after.

 

[rwh]

Re: "Unbeatable prices" ???

Another problem with this new YBW / Compass store is that they do not respond to inquiries. I emailed them about 4 days ago, requesting a quote and I have yet to hear from them. Perhaps, this is acceptable in the UK but certainly not in the USA from where I am posting. Compass appears to be the wannabe SEARS of boating. They offer everything but nothing in particular. If the variety on Compass appeals to you, there is another store which I believe offers much better service http://www.awn-watersports.de - They are in Germany and I contacted them recently, when I found a certain product on their site which I could not find elsewhere. I asked them "will you ship to the USA" and "will you credit me for VAT (i.e. deduct it) and they replied YES overnight and provided me with the name of a real live contact person. Now that is service! MES in Manchester has been referred to and they are pretty good, too. Do not necessarily have everything but the 2 times I purchased Raytheon and Yeoman products from them I was given excellent service and quoted great prices, promptly, by return email. Cheers, Ronald

 

[bryantee]

Re: About Marine Electronic Service

one good thing about compass is that they ship all over europe for"£11.95.
One Price however many parcels.Have used MES with no complaints.Usualy tell them and other suppliers to use Post Recomand.A recorded delivery by the post office.Compares at about £15 instead of £40 by UPS.Have to go to local post office in Greece to claim items with Passport.
Like all things you have to search,Compass do a 275 n life jacket at less than "£90
but their Electronics are not the cheapest.Horses for courses

 

[kimhollamby]

Re: \"Unbeatable prices\" ???

Not acceptable to us. We'll investigate. Please PM me or send a mail with your enquiry and we'll chase.

Associate Publisher ybw.com websites kim_hollamby@ipcmedia.com

 

[JeremyF]

Re: "Unbeatable prices" ???

I think we have to be a bit careful here, I for one don't want Kim to pull Compass from this site (now the new-fangled 128 bit security has been explained to thick-o me)

Ive bought from Compass a couple of times - as has been said elsewhere, they are great for some stuff, but less competitive on electronics.

Their new website is a big improvement on trying to deal with them on the phone, and there are some good prices here.

We should welcome choice, and as long as the rest of the shopping quay remains, welcome to Compass. Don't pull them Kim, just temper their claims with some ASA reality

 

[rogerroger]

Re: \"Unbeatable prices\" ???

Neither would we want to sound like a bunch of ungrateful wingers who benefit greatly from this forum but are quick to condemn what must be a lot of hard work getting a new online store up and running for us to use.

Name a web site that's perfect???

Roger Holden
www.first-magnitude.co.uk

 

[pvb]

You\'ve completely missed the point...

This isn't about whingeing, it's about branding, and the value of commercial brands. IPC has invested huge sums of money, both in the ybw.com website, and in the individual magazine titles. The magazines, by and large, enjoy a reputation for authoritative, responsible, reliable communications. This is the result of many years' hard work by dedicated editors and journalists. You can't just go out and buy that sort of reputation.

So, when you have a website which mirrors those magazines, and which you describe as "Europe's No 1 Marine Website", why would you want to lend your name to a joint-venture Marine Store unless it enhanced your reputation?

After all, what's the point of getting involved in a joint venture Marine Store unless you can at least equal the prices charged by the firms who pay to advertise elsewhere on ybw.com? And, if you can't equal the prices, why the hell would you want to risk the hard-won reputation of your brand by claiming "unbeatable prices"? This is commercial lunacy!

It wouldn't be so bad if the prices were broadly comparable, but we're talking about BIG differences. The ybw.com Marine Store prices are 50% higher than competitors for some radar and VHF products! Others have said that non-electronic prices are more reasonable, but I'm not aware of any branded products which the ybw.com Marine Store sells cheaper than competitors.

So, the point you've missed is this. Why bother risking the ybw.com reputation with a poor value commercial partnership? And, if you decide to do it, why try to pull the wool over your subscribers' eyes with claims of "unbeatable value" and "best prices", when these are so plainly untrue?

 

[lezgar]

Re: About compass

I bougth several articles in one order to Compass. I sent a cheque and when I was boring to wait I called and they had no reference of myself (the cheque had been already paid). I left my phone number and one hour later they colled my telling that they had found my details and the order will be send next day. I received part of the goods 3 days later and the rest 2 weeks later.