Not defending cef as such but I've had probs when the youngsters that inevitably work for wholesalers forget to put the discount on the laymen and that when the problem arises. I wouldn't cut your nose odnose off to spite your face. You never know when you might need a wholesaler to dig you out of a hole. Is query the invoices first thing Monday and see what they say.

I know savcab and you are of course right. But with WF giving a complete stranger, who they didn't think to be an electrician, a better price than I knew existed anywhere, which is actually quite run of the mill to the rest of you, does that not tell us something? Probably about me and I'll face up to that. Will put head in a bag before purchasing.


I had a text suggesting I look back at past invoices and have been doing so. It isn't pretty and I have to say that they are very variable but of late are the whoppers. I'm so busy I don't look at them very often. And you guys are also right that the best prices come from the managers of the wholesalers, all of whom give me ok but not spectacular prices. The ones who aren't on the counter very often so we can't count on those prices. I just can't take that chance. it's a quarter to midnight and we should all be sleeping not checking invoices against each other.

Old fashioned values maybe?

My supply expenditure per year is currently in excess of £30K without having done the accounts in full, and is much more than half of turnover. Already a fair chunk is on line. Shame about the vast packaging isn't it? Hmm. the planet/my business/the planet/my business. And trips to the dump are very annoying.

I have indeed flagged this with CEF on the second occasion of high prices. Only today though, do I realise how high they had become and it is that which makes me feel that there are fishes in the air.

We'll see.

Zs

Zs
As a non customer of CEF., and able to make these purchases much cheaper, I have e-mailed them with concerns regarding their prices and the bad reputation they are generating
Hope it helps them be more aware of their shortcominings

ZS,
as soon as you said CEF,
I thought Oh No.
I stopped dealing with them years ago.
I am suprised that anyone actually ever deals with them at all.
Nuff said.

-------------------------
Regards,
Ebee (M I S P N)

Knotted cables cause Lumpy Lektrik

For major purchases, I get a few quotes from locally based wholesalers using email or phone beforehand.
I have tried WF on London road in High Wycombe, in one case quoting prices from Screwfix for various items, WF were more expensive. I didn't have an account; but I would have expected them at least to match the Screwfix prices, they didn't!

Regards

CEF 27th Oct 100m 1.0 t&e £24.81+vat.

Actually price is not always my only consideration, there are other factors too. And I think that is fair.

Likewise I dont expect my customers to pick me soley on price alone either.

It's the whole service package at the end of the day.

Price is one very important part of that.

-------------------------
Regards,
Ebee (M I S P N)

Knotted cables cause Lumpy Lektrik

WF Cambridge 2.5 t+e £40.00 per 100 1.5 t+e £28.00 (plus Vat) Looks like my spare room is going to be full of cable as i'm going to bulk order next years stock

you can pick it up on ebay for £45 including vat and delivery

Prices do vary atm as copper is going up in price, right now £40 is the cheapest but expect to pay up to £50 which is not that bad anyways its gets passed onto the customer surely we don't absorb the cost rise do we? of course not.......

Edited: 08 November 2010 at 12:30 PM by ant1uk

I'm with ebee - CEF are my very last resort - even after B&Q! I've never had good prices from them. Very flash shops/counters - plenty on display but terrible prices.

I use different wholesalers depending on where I'm working and which products I'm using. TLC know that I don't use then for MK stock as they never give me a decent price. Edmundsons do a far better price on MK. Cable is the biggest variable. Complained to TLC about some poor T&E with no chalk/talc and they took the remains of the reel back and provided a new one for nowt. Service like that and always being able to park in their yard means I won't always get the lowest price.

At the end of the day as one customer said the other day I win my jobs on detail, quality and service not price.

I bought 2.5 100m prysmian at B&Q/tradepoint £40 inc vat

and some 10mm 50M £61.00 inc vat

-------------------------
Regards

Martyn.

Only a mediocre person is always at their best



www.electrical contractors uk.com

CEF charge different prices at each branch for exactly the same products. Just for this alone I won't go back there. and in general they are expensive for everything.

I also got fed up with them trying to sell me an ethos tester too, although it probably works better than my fluke right now I'm disappointed with fluke atm,

Hi Zs

Thats exactly the reason I don't do the "pay as you go" thing. You know what its like, you are in the wholesaler getting stuff for this job, another customer rings and you already thinking about five other things, what chance have you to keep your eye on the prices, secondly, I am not 100% on this but by handing over money there and then, you are probably limiting your chances of any recourse due to contract law as in you should have checked the price before you handed over the dosh.

I have all mine on monthly accounts, the invoices come through and I can sit down and check them in my own time with no distractions, any wrong discounts, prices, they get emailed back with invoice number and the nature of the price discrepancy and the invoice is put on query, which is as simple as adding a letter Q in front of the invoice number on the accounts package. They almost 99% of the time issue a credit note without any further fuss, invoice is taken off query and then paid less the credit. This way you keep the upper hand ie, you have to give them money, your way leaves you open to abuse as you have just found out the hard way.

If you are spending 30K a year, you really need to keep an eye on expenditure.

Secondly, I pay all my one month's invoices with one payment by Bacs, no bank charges and less fuss.

Try not to take it so personally regarding CEF, you have to some extent allowed this to happen and maybe you have a lesson to learn here, just like we all have and believe me, I learnt the hard way too.

Regards

Nick

-------------------------
"be careful of what you write"

I don't have no accounts with anyone just have one credit card and pay as I go. so then you know exactly how much its costing you,

Also the best thing to do is phone 2 wholesalers before going in there so then you can go to the best one with the price.

And thats coming from someone who wants to go back to being employed soon because of the hassle and worries.

I rest my case.

Nick

-------------------------
"be careful of what you write"

Sussex, £40.88 + Vat 11.10.10
TLC, £43.00 today on their web site.

My wholesaler gets a wiff of a price increase and buys a pallet load

out of interest

Double insulated tails 10m 27.05.10 £33.25 +vat
12.10.10 £31.37 +vat

I buy 10m at a time as you waste less overall.

everybody knows that CEF always tack a bit on your invoice hasn,t been any different for the last 20+ years!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-------------------------
Jason

I use CEF and they just quoted me 51.71 for doncaster 2.5 (01.10.11),
they have been supplying another brand of cable but im not sure what the make is, apparently to be competitive!
They do give good service in my opinion but I have found I need to keep track of them! I always check prices quoted against a library of materials i hold, obviously cable prices change but i feel this checking is worthwhile when you could be saving 50-60 quid on a rewire.
I also supply a list to Edmunsons aswell so i know im not being ripped


regards

Misterben

Really interesting.

Things happen for a reason I suppose. And change is good.

We need a price watcher like the supermarkets and chemist stores have.

Thank you for confirming what I thought these green receipts were telling me. I didn't call my branch of CEF. another mad day and still have the work boots on. Maybe head office will respond to yours Phillron. I was amazed when I read you had done that. Thank you.

Kebab meat, chips, extra green chillis and a glass of champagne.

Zs

guess it would be wise to avoid working in your vicinity within an enclosed tomorrow morning then