Rich @ PB

iTrader: (3)

Folks, another year has passed, and once again we have been blown away by the growth our business has seen. Although the downturn will undoubtedly slow things down next year, we are well placed to move forward with various developments in the new year. All of this is a direct result of the support you offer us, in terms of choosing to buy from us and spreading the word about who we are and what we do. We are very grateful for this, and would like to say a massive thank you to everyone who has supported us over the last 12 months. We wish you all the best for the festive period, and let's hope 2009 turns out to be a good one. We won't be back on until January 5th now, but in the meantime here is a sneak peak of a new FAQ section that will go live on our site in early January - we've decided to greatly expand the amount of free knowledge and advice available on our site, and this marks the start of things to come in 2009. Enjoy!

Car Care Advice - FAQ - Frequently asked questions about car care and detailing

PS - the above linked page is 90% done, with just a heap more images and hyperlinks to be added at the start of January. However, if anyone finds any typo's or mistakes please post them up below so I can edit them before the final version is launched. Cheers!

V4JDMSTi

iTrader: (2)

Cracking looking section that Rich

Mike Murphy

Superb idea as everyone can learn something new!!

All the Best

Mike

SC008Y_MAD

iTrader: (5)

You never can have too much information especially when detailing cars. Nice work guys.

ukdave

Rich to be honest i buy the least amount of my products from you-i possibly buy from 10 different online shops based on yourselves either not stocking that product or getting free delivery at lower prices elsewhere/free products thrown in as per norm(not in a special offer) or your carriage prices if only buying 1 product not really being good value,can appreciate the advice you give ppl on here etc but at the end of the day for me its price and choice and for me at least you dont stock alot of the prducts that i want,soz mate just being honest.

Main orders go to clean your car/motorgeek/performance motorcare/elite and serious performance.

Another place i deal with for a few things has free delivery over £10

Performance motorcare (although states free delivery)price everything up about £1.50-£2 more so if im after 1 bottle of something-(which is rare) seems better value even though 2nd class post-however can cope with a couple of days delivery- for half price or less on the carriage.

jayb1970

^^^ I appreciate you are being honest, but was it necessary?

ukdave

Soz mate but trust me Polished bliss could be alot busier than they are already-if rich wanted to be-call it criticism or look at it as feedback,im not being nasty just like being straight with folk.

Sorry if its been took the wrong way.

DemonDave

iTrader: (13)

Sometimes it is not down to cost but the quality of the service and advice for you get.

After speaking to Rich a few times and getting sound advice .... I am not going to worry about spending a few pounds or even more on the products because I know I will get the right product.

Customer loyalty is a hard thing to earn nowadays but so far Polished Bliss score highly for me.

Sometimes we need to support the expert rather than the pile 'em high, sell em cheap and dont worry if they come back.

For me I would prefer more Polished Bliss type companies even if it costs me more - in the long run I benefit.

Rich @ PB

iTrader: (3)

Cheers for the feedback guys, all of it - it helps to guide us in future decision making. Our product pricing is very keen, and I believe we offer a selection of products that is unmatched in the UK - we are the only company I know that is selling its products on the back of direct professional detailing experience, so hopefully that builds trust compared to the pure sales companies.

Our P&P charges are all at cost price for the shipping cost plus packaging materials; I cannot justify subsidising this any more, as between Jan and Apr this year alone I lost over £5k in profit due to offering discounted shipping. If I carry on doing this I won't be able to reinvest in the business and take it to the next level - hence why from April this year the P&P charges went up... but in all honesty we've only got busier, so I don't think that many people are price sensitive as long as the products, services and advice are top notch.

I think that many of the other traders are going to really struggle next year; it's okay to accept poor margins and take a hit on things like postage when times are good and the orders are rolling in thick and fast, but as things slow down it will begin to hurt those people and they will either have to face the reality of their balance sheets or they will go out of business. Discounting is just not sustainable in niche markets like high end car care.

C_WRX

iTrader: (2)

Very professional answer Rich ! I find your answer open and honest and being up front with costs etc just now will hopefully stand you in good stead not having to charge more (well too much) for next year - gonna be a tough one for most companies.
People drive from all over Scotland for Polished Bliss detailing work, perhaps even from further afield. That to me says trust in the quality of their workmanship. That gives them vast knowledge that me for one has called upon on quite a few occasions, and to be given a clear and honest opinion every time. I think you'll find they've helped out Subaru owners on here with questions many a time also. As new improved products come on they test them and give a honest opinions.
Would be good to see companies like this survive.
Just my opinion.

chunkb

Top folks at Polished Bliss,I will always get my products from them,the advice is always free and the customer service is second to none,pay peanuts and you get monkeys.

badgersport

Not long after I started ordering stuff from Polished Bliss I found another supplier who advertised slightly cheaper prices so I placed an order with the other supplier. It took nearly a month before the first bit of the order arrived and another month to get my money back on the rest that they claimed to have sent but couldn't prove it. In contrast PB take 1 or 2 days to deliver and nothing has ever been 'lost in the post'. I'd much rather pay a little bit more and have good service than spend hours emailing and telephoning to chase up missing items.

scoobyverysoon

iTrader: (1)

I try and build my order up then place the order - every delivery ive had has come within 2 days cant fault it

SC008Y_MAD

iTrader: (5)

I can't fault their delivery charges or time from when I order to actually receiving the goods. Best service I have ever received from a company on a regular basis.

Rich @ PB

iTrader: (3)

Cheers for the kind feedback chaps, it means a lot.

Silver Scooby Sport

iTrader: (15)

Personally as a consumer I try and wait longer and bulk more items together these days with anything that I buy on line if at all possible.... the one that breaks the mold is Play with free postage.