Hitchcocks Forum

i,ve just noticed that our hosts are putting up their postal charges due to royal mails price increases can,t say as i can blame them for that but as usual the customer must pay what with postage increases and 20% vat this enfield job is getting very exspensive ,hitchcocks service is second to none but maybe its time to give loyal customers a loyalty bonus i mentioned this before how about a discount scheme for REOC MEMBERS ? HOPE SOMEBODIES READING THIS IN MR H,S IVORY TOWER i know that these are tough times so lets not try to get too fat out of the overtaxed british working public who are carrying this country hope this thread doesn,t break any of our hosts rules ,but somebodies always putting something up somewhere where will it all end? worried paul be seeing you

Not seen the proposed increases, nor have I ordered yet, things delayed by the head off hiccups.
However, as someone who's wife owns and runs her own business, the bulk of which is online trading and shipping, (probably 75% to the 25% of shop intake at a guess), I can fully understand, the retailer can only bear the brunt for so long, she's just recently had to increase her prices to moans and groans though the last two postal increases she stayed the same, people quickly forget this and that she offers the best prices of any other UK retailer in her sector for available choice.
Still, we like a good ol grumble, have to say, if they haven't gone up already i'd better get a little order of bits in now before they do, especially being in the high;lands, we get unfairly hammered for postage costs anyway although we're UK mainland and Royal Mail charge the same rate as any other UK address.

How do you think us Colonials get on postage sends us into a meltdown everytime we order stuff

Anyone involved in posting items should charge what postage costs. Bubble wrap and sticky tape ought to be the price they pay for saving on retail premises costs.

I must stress that I point no finger at our host, but clearly many other businesses see "hard times" as an opportunity to increase their margins - either by cutting standards/quality/quantity whilst simultaneously increasing prices, invariably by above inflation rates. During a time of falling demand they could face facts and do the opposite to become more competitive to attract customers; but no, all too often today's attitude is, "Just screw what you can from all and sundry, stuff it in your back pocket and if it all falls down just go bankrupt, tear up all your debts, and repeat the process as often as required." I've watched it happen, there seems no stigma and little hardship to the process....... from sole trader to international bank.

Ethics and honesty are a dwindling and expensive aspiration today, but I applaud those who strive to maintain these standards.

Phew, now I've got that off my chest I can go and grease my chain!

I personally don't mind paying more for the premium delivery service suppled by Royal Mail at least as most of you know people have said time and time again on here there orders always arrive within one or two days. I order a lot of stuff on line from other suppliers these days from clothing & Parts to food and I can tell you other 3rd party couriers are terrible some of them taking up to 14 days to get spare parts to you and they have a cheek too call that express delivery. Plus a lot of these Micky Mouse couriers if your not in take your parcel to a depot about 10 Miles acrossed town to a place on some hidden remote industrial estate. I think most people on here would agree Royal Mail provide a good fast service thats not matched by any of the couriers. Could you see some of these couriers delivering your spares in 24 hours.
Another Motorcycle parts supplier I used for Parts recently stopped using Royal Mail and changed to a very unreliable courier which I wont name. I asked the dealers if they could send my orders by Royal Mail special delivery instead of by *** As there too unreliable and I would pay the extra for premium postage But they said no. I had no choice but to stop using that company as there service became so unreliable parts not turning up for days sometimes weeks or not at all. So I guess you get what you pay for.
P/s I agree about 20% VAT though thats whats killing the recovery.

Hi guys--------just as a reminder---------in recent years the VaT rate used to be 17.5% for a long time then, in an effort to boost a flagging economy it was DROPPED to 15% for about a year (?) or so then hiked up to the present 20%. Have a look in some of the motoring mags from say, the 1950's, where the adverts are showing the old "Purchase tax" and just work out the % rate for those days. My guess is that you'll find it's the same OR more than the 20% we "enjoy" at the moment ???

If you don't like the postage don't buy. Simple.

Hitchcocks is a business, not a charity. They must have a love of bikes to be able to put up with all the aggro that goes with their business, but that's what it is, a business.

Find an alternative if you want. But don't start bleating in 10 years time if they dissapear and they guys making a quick buck have also moved on. They are not responsible for setting the post office charges!

Personaly I believe supporting our hosts is a price worth paying. I can order today and receive stuff tomorrow. We've all experienced their service. Personally I have used them three times in the last week for single items! £1 nuts and seals. And they have had everything I've ever wanted in stock! I offset the postage by buying tee shirts at the same time.

BTW have you seen the price of stuff for vintage Honda's?

Count your blessings. Ivory Tower indeed.

Grumpy,
Nobody is bleating about Hitchcocks, it is the rest of the "system" we get tired of.

In response to a couple of the points raised.



Postal Rates: as most of us know Royal Mail recently increased their postage rates by over 30% in some instances. In the last few years Parcel Force has also increased their rates, but luckily not to the same extent. Because of this we have had to review some of our postal charges. For most of the UK, we have simply increased the minimum charge from £2.00 to £2.50 and the maximum charge from £9.00 to £10.00. The 10% rule has not changed. Therefore this will only impact on a small amount of orders and will do very little to help towards the extra costs we are being charged. We decided that to try to cover the full increases made by Royal Mail would not be in our best interest in this current economical climate. I will go as far to say that on an annual basis the income generated by our postage and packing charges do not cover our direct postal costs.


REOC Discounts: We have never offered a discount for Royal Enfield Owners Club members. In reality most of our customers are in the REOC and whilst we appreciate their support it is not feasible to discount the majority of orders without increasing our prices.



Fat: whilst this is a bit to the point, I will admit that I am a bit overweight but this is caused by my love for chocolate, although with the Royal Mail increases this may be an area I have to cut back on!


Not sure about “ivory tower” but I do feel that some days I am in Fawlty Towers!


Allan Hitchcock

thanks for the reply allan,thanks for your honesty,pitty some people don,t read threads before submitting go elsewhere if your not happy jibes that was not the intent of the origional post .all the best paul.